Find out more
To sign up as a member of Shipt to receive delivered groceries or to become an independent contractor who shops for the groceries, visit www.shipt.com
Shipt, a Birmingham, Ala.-based tech startup that already offers grocery deliveries provided by independent shoppers in 18 Southern cities, will add Chattanooga to its service territory on Dec. 30.
"We want to be in 100 U.S. cities by 2018 and with all of the tech activity going on in Chattanooga, we believe this will be a good market for us," said Anne Adams, community relations manager for Shipt. "For our members, it's an economical way to save you the hour or so it would take you to go and shop for your groceries and turn that over to one of our shoppers. And for our shoppers, this is an opportunity for them to work, on demand, when their schedule allows and make some extra money."
Adams said Shipt has been well-received in nearby Nashville and Huntsville, Ala., "and with the growing tech community in Chattanooga, we think there will be a lot of interest in our service."
Shipt allows shoppers to use an app to order, pay and schedule the delivery of groceries. Deliveries can be made the same day, within an hour.
Shipt charges its users a yearly membership fee of $99 for an unlimited number of deliveries. Users order their food for delivery on Shipt's app, whose grocery prices are marked up slightly from Publix store prices.
Using the Shipt appThe membership fee and higher prices provide the funding for the shoppers to deliver food within a few miles of each of the area Publix stores across most of Hamilton County.
To entice members to sign up before the Dec. 30 launch, Shipt is offering an initial $49 annual membership prior to the launch date in Chattanooga.
"Our members can expect to pay about $5 more on an order that normally cost $35 in the store to help cover the costs of picking and packing," the website says. Delivery fees also apply for orders under $35 that are not part of a promotion.
Shopppers are paid 7.5 percent of the grocery bill for the items they pick off the shelves for members, plus a $7 delivery fee if the delivery is under $35.
Shipt is working with Publix in Chattanooga and most of its other markets, but Publix is not affiliated with Shript or its deliveries.
Shipt was started by Birmingham entrepreneur Bill Smith after he sold his Insight Card Services. The business began as a delivery service for a variety of retailers, but the company decided to focus on just deliveries earlier this year.
Contact Dave Flessner at dflessner@timesfree press.com or at 757-6340.