To some Costco customers, part of the experience of being a member of the warehouse club is going to the store, filling your huge cart up with everything from slabs of steak to blue jeans (and maybe nibbling on some free samples). But surely some shoppers just want the Costco products without having to actually go to Costco.
To address that subset of customers, Costco is partnering with a service called Shipt, one of many companies that caters to the online shopping set, to offer delivery to customers in the Tampa Bay area.
From there, the plan is to expand to 50 markets and more than 30 million households by the end of this year. Shipt already works with Whole Foods, Meijer, H-E-B, Harris Teeter, and other grocery chains to offer delivery service in some areas.
“Everyone’s looking to save time and get more out of less time,” company CEO Bill Smith told USA Today.
Much like Instacart, Shipt members choose a one-hour delivery window and pay for their order through the app. Independent contractors called “Shoppers” then hand pick items from the store and deliver them. Smith says the goal is to have shoppers delivering three to four miles from a store.
“If you order ice cream from us, we’ll deliver it directly to you,” he said.
While you’ll have to pay $99 a year for unlimited grocery deliveries through Shipt, you don’t need a Costco membership to shop there through the app, reports the Tampa Bay Times. However, Shipt will only deliver grocery items from Costco: Apparel, electronics, and furniture aren’t available through the service.
In an effort to attract new customers in the area, Shipt is offering Tampa residents a free two-week trial and $15 toward their first order.
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