My First Experience Using the Grocery Delivery Service Shipt from Meijer

Andrew and I have been talking about trying a grocery delivery service for weeks. We always see the Shipt shoppers shuffling through Meijer when we go, and some of our friends and coworkers use the service. We even know a few people who are actually shoppers for the company! All have said great things about using the service to get groceries delivered to their doorsteps.

I was talking to my life coach the other day and expressing how time is so precious to me. I am a busy lady. Between my full time job, my business, and my blog, I don’t have much left over. Why would I want to spend that small amount of “free” time going to the grocery store?

Andrew and I try to make it to CrossFit at least four days a week. If we need groceries we ALWAYS end up going all sweaty after an evening workout. By the time we get home from the gym and grocery shopping it could be anywhere between 7:30 & 9:30 PM. Mind you, we still haven’t cooked dinner, and we both desperately need showers. After a post CrossFit late night run to the grocery store last week, I found myself sitting in the passenger seat finally downloading the app on the car ride home.

Why Use Shipt Grocery Delivery?

My number one reason for using Shipt was to get more of my time back. Instead of grocery shopping late at night during the week, I want to be making dinner or enjoying a TV show. It’s amazing not having to worry about running to the grocery store after the gym. We now have more time to cook and enjoy each others company during the week.

I don’t mind going to the grocery, but I’m desperate to make more space for relaxing. That said, maybe you DO hate going to the grocery store. If that is the case, you are going to love Shipt. You can shop for groceries from the comfort of your sofa.

When I mentioned to some friends we were using Shipt, they explained how much money they have saved using the service. You wouldn’t think a grocery delivery service would save you money, but it does! Just last week I saved almost $30.00 simply because I could see my shopping cart total along with the price of each individual item.

For example, I had a $9.99 maple syrup in my cart that I knew I could get at Home Goods for half that price (I ended up finding my maple syrup there on clearance for $3.00). I also was able to shave a few “extra” items off our list to keep the total at $100.00. If you are watching your spending, Shipt is magic for sticking to your grocery budget!

Shopping Online for Groceries

Shopping online for groceries was harder than I expected. I’m the person who goes down every single aisle at the grocery store to make sure I don’t miss anything. It took my awhile to curate a shopping list the first time. It was a little bit difficult to find the rate brands, sizes, items etc. For example, I ordered a spaghetti sauce that would feed a family of 10 when I usually buy the small one.

We also buy a lot of produce, so it was weird not hand selecting the avocado of my liking or the perfectly green bunch of organic bananas. There is an option to leave special instructions under items. I considered writing, “Please, check the bottom of the strawberries for mold,” but I felt a little cray cray doing that on every produce item!

Our Experience with Delivery

Delivery was super easy to set up. When you place your order, you can choose a one hour time slot for it to be delivered. We placed our first order around 9PM and had it delivered the next day around noon. The app notifies you when your shopper starts and then again when they are on your way. Our first shopper was awesome. Meijer was out of the eggs we buy, so she texted us to ask for an alternative. When the groceries arrive the next day, everything looked great! Nothing was missing and the produce she selected was perfect. We did get two random bottles of taco sauce. I double checked our order and they weren’t on there. Maybe the universe is telling us we need more tacos in our lives.

What does Shipt Cost?

I didn’t quite understand how the pricing worked for the service. Was there an up charge? A one time fee? A one time fee and an up charge? Was it based on how much you spent? I was a little confused prior to investigating.

Turns out Shipt has what they call an “annual membership.” The annual membership is $99/year and you do not have to pay fees per delivery! The membership comes with FREE same day delivery on orders $35.00 and over, and if you sign up for the service through this link, you can get 50% off your annual membership!

• The price you see in the Shipt app is the price you pay.

• Delivery is free for members on orders over $35. Smaller orders are welcome, but a $7 delivery fee will be added to help cover the costs of shopping and delivery. 

• Shipt prices will vary slightly from in-store prices to help cover the costs of picking, packing and processing. Our members can expect to pay about $5 more using Shipt than they would on a $35 order purchased in the store themselves.

• When ordering from select retailers, a small service fee will be added at checkout.

• For example, a loaf of Wonderbread costs $2.29 in the store and $2.59 to have it delivered to your door using Shipt. 

You do have the option to tip your Shipt shopper once the delivery is complete. I asked a friend who shops what is a good tip and she said, “I would tip similar to what you tip in a restaurant.” We tipped 10% on our $100.00 bill. We had 24 items in our order. You can also rate the shopper’s performance and provide comments about the experience.

I am SO freaking happy we finally signed up for this. It is worth every single penny to us. No more late night runs to the grocery store or blowing the grocery budget. I’m taking back my weekday nights for cooking dinner with my man, eating dinner and catching up on reality TV (shame me if ya like). You can get 50% off your membership when you sign up here!