By Megan Rule | Staff Writer
At the push of a button or the touch of a screen, Waco residents can now have their H-E-B groceries delivered through the new H-E-B home delivery service app from Shipt.
“Grocery shopping is not on everybody’s list of favorite things to do, so we wanted to create a way to give people their time back,” said Julie Coop, outreach and spokesperson for Shipt.“It’s good for busy families and busy students as our way of giving the gift of time.”
Shipt is an on-demand, app-based home delivery service. The app launched in Waco on Jan. 10 and operates with the hours of the grocery store. The app can be used by anyone – Coop describes it as user-friendly – and can be accessed through both the web and a smartphone.
“One thing that’s really cool about Shipt is that our shoppers are super responsive,” Coop said. “We’re a tech company, but we’re not limited in the person-to-person experience. The shopper will communicate with you and ask if you forgot anything or offer viable substitutes if the store is out of a certain product.”
In order to use the delivery service, the user must download the app and purchase a membership with Shipt. A membership costs $99 a year, and that membership fee covers all deliveries over $35, so there is no extra delivery fee.
On the app, users can place their order through general categories organized like a grocery store, such as produce and dairy. There is also a search bar if the user wants specific items.
Once the user finds the items, he or she can add the items to the virtual cart. When everything is in the cart, the user can check out and pay through the app. There is a one-hour delivery window in which the order is sent to the Shipt shopper who will go to thestore, shop and deliver the groceries.
“H-E-B always looks for added convenience for our families, whether it be through our H-E-B Pharmacy Drive Thru’s, Pharmacy Home Delivery, party and floral catering, in-store immunizations and now our investments in curbside pick-up and home delivery,” Leslie Sweet, H-E-B spokeswoman, wrote in an email to the Lariat. “We aim to serve the needs of all our customers.”
According to the Shipt website, the prices of food vary from $5 to $35 an order, on average. The website also advertises store-wide selection, and the amount of deliveries a member can order are unlimited. Shipt is zip code-based, so if one home in a zip code is covered, then all the homes in that zip code are covered. Coop said that with these zip codes, Shipt is able to serve more than 78,000 homes.
“We’re really excited to help busy families and busy college students, and focusing on what’s important especially with so many people wanting to get healthy in the New Year,” Coop said. “I’m excited to have the opportunity of giving time and making things easier for families and students.”
Shipt operates across the country, and Waco was the 31st market for the app. The company started in Birmingham, where the headquarters is located. Other Texas locations include Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio, Houston and Corpus Christi.
“We hope to keep up with the needs of busy families and individuals that are working harder than ever to meet the demands of their professional and personal responsibilities,” Sweet said.
Questions about the service can be directed to Shipt through the the help section of the website. The website has customer experience representatives and someone monitoring e-mail and chat 24/7, Coop said.
