Internet, grocery shopping drives me bananas. Raise your hand if you agree. ???? The monotony of it is one thing, but it’s really the inefficiency that gets me. First! You make your list of all the things you need (assuming you can remember it all AND don’t forget the list in the car or on the kitchen counter). Then you drive to the store where you zigzag up and down the aisles, touching every single item you need as you put it in the cart. Then! You push the cart to the checkout, where you then have to touch everything again to put it on the belt. As your items are scanned, they’re tossed in the bags, which you then have to put in the car. Drive home, then pick everything up. Again. And haul it into the house, where you touch every single item one more time to put things away.

It drives me batty. It’s so inefficient!  I’m practically brain dead after doing this. And this doesn’t even factor in bringing your kids along with you and the hassle that entails  (I’m looking at you, Archer Shingleton, He Who Must Eat Up And Down Every Aisle in The Store).  Or what if you weren’t physically able to go grocery shopping? What if you were elderly or disabled?

Since I’ve been a mom, I’ve been saying how I would pay any amount of money to have my groceries delivered. And thankfully in the past few years that’s become a reality in Oklahoma City. But the online ordering systems are frequently antiquated and clunky. Sometimes the items  I received were less-than stellar quality or not what I would choose. Or the product selection online wasn’t nearly as robust as what I knew the store to carry.

HELLO, SHIPT

I got an email a few weeks ago from Shipt, an on-demand grocery delivery service open in more than 50 cities around the US. They provide next-hour, same day grocery delivery service and they’ve just launched in the Oklahoma City area.  Much like you pay a flat annual subscription rate for services like Amazon Prime, you pay an annual fee of $99 to Shipt to receive grocery delivery service from either Walmart or Walmart Neighborhood Market here in Oklahoma City. Other cities offer different grocery stores, depending on what’s nearby. Oh, and if you travel to other cities where Shipt is available, your membership works anywhere you’d like it delivered. (The comment thread on this post  was really helpful as there were tons of questions and answers provided on the service.)

I see Shipt being enormously helpful not only to moms, but to those who might not be physically able to grocery shop. Elderly people who are housebound or those that are disabled would absolutely benefit from something like this, or if you’re in a position of caregiving for your parents. Plus, I like that their site offers a membership gifting option.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Much like many other on-demand service companies (i.e., Uber, Postmates, etc.) you make your request online and then the delivery person accepts the order.  Shipt offers online ordering via browser or their app.

It looks like this:

And then you pick out all your items from the database. I wanted to get a wide assortment of fresh veggies and fruit because that was the thing I was most concerned about ordering and it ending up being wonky. I’m kind of weird about picking out my fruit – it’s so frustrating to get yucky fruit that’s gone bad, you know?  So would I be able to use a delivery service and still get high quality products?

Then, once you’ve made your selection of items, you see the total and are given a chance to choose your delivery window, as well as if you’d prefer substitutions, etc.  I marked that I was fine with substitutions and to use best judgment. Oh – but what if you don’t see something you want in the database? Just make a special request and write a note to the shopper. Easy. Peasy.

I ordered my items on Monday morning and set it for delivery between 3 and 4pm. Most Shipt deliveries can be made 7 days a week, with the exception of certain holidays.  I’d been planning to go to the lake (super stressful in terms of planning as it’s in a rural area and requires a separate grocery trip all on its own) on Tuesday morning, so it was a great opportunity to get enough stuff for the boys and Simon to live on while I was gone, plus have enough items for me to take along to Carlton Landing without a huge hassle.

SHIPT DELIVERS

At around 2, my personal shopper texted me with a few questions regarding substitutions. Everything was clear, straightforward, and simple. Shipt requires that shoppers are insured, have reliable transportation, are friendly, have great judgment skills, clean backgrounds, knowledge in grocery shopping, and clean driving records. My shopper was perfectly prompt in her delivery window arrival and notified me prior to her leaving the store. It couldn’t have been easier.  And the items were perfect. I skeptically cut into the giant watermelon, expecting it to be meh. But no – it was perfectly ripe. Every single egg in the container was perfect and uncracked. And the bread wasn’t smashed, either.

I wish this had been around when Archer was a newborn because it would have saved me so much time and stress getting formula and diapers. And if you’re working hard to stay on a budget, it’s a great way to avoid those impulse item purchases too. I have to say, color me impressed — I’m definitely going to be using the service on a regular basis, especially once school starts.

Hop over to Shipt and check it out. You can get a 2-week free trial and it’s free delivery for orders over $35. Win win, right?

Special thanks to Shipt for sponsoring this post. All opinions are my own. Get $10 off by clicking here.

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