A new app offers to grocery shop for you in Tampa Bay
Just imagine: knocking out your grocery list without ever leaving the house. A new app is offering to do the legwork for you. Next week, Shipt is launching in Tampa.
It sounds like a dream come true: groceries picked out, paid for, and delivered, all from the convenience of your smartphone. Shipt founder Bill Smith says this is no dream, Tampa Bay. His app goes live here next Tuesday and a staff of 200 shoppers wants to cross off your grocery list for you.
Shipt has a database of more than 40,000 items normally stocked on Publix shelves, along with updated pricing. Customers choose their shopping list by tapping on items through the app and adding it to their mobile cart. After completing the virtual shopping list and entering payment information, a Shipt personal shopper will head to the store.
"Let's say you'd like an organic banana. You can search for an organic banana and actually pick that item out. Or if you want a specific flavor of Cheerios or ice cream, you can choose that specific item, see the price, and purchase it right on the app," Smith explained.
Your personal Publix aisle hunter will cost you $49 a year for unlimited shopping and delivery service, as long as your grocery bill is over $35.
"Our number one base is families. It's the busy mom with young children, or even families that have older children but they're going from baseball to soccer. They're all over the place all the time," Smith said.
We put the app to the test. Enter Tampa Bay Moms Blog editor and mommy of two Debbie McDonough.
"It looks like it's easily organized. Also, I feel that it would probably help me stay on budget because I like to wander sometimes and overspend and do impulse buys," McDonough said Tuesday.
But would she actually pay someone to stock up at the supermarket? She says sometimes, a little extra "me" time is worth the price.
"We usually go grocery shopping on the weekend. It's the Sunday morning routine, we go grocery shopping! To have that Sunday morning back and be able to sleep in a little would be good!" she laughed.
It's important to note, Shipt is not directly endorsed or partnered with Publix. It's acting independently.
Right now, Shipt is only available in Birmingham, Nashville, Dallas, and Tampa.
If you're a coupon clipper, the app's technology doesn't accept coupons yet.