Shipt grocery delivery service can either be an overpriced waste of money or a godsend, depending on how you use it. Do you have time to grocery shop? Do you get to go shopping by yourself? Do you like to use a lot of coupons? If you answered yes to two out of three of those questions, then Shipt is probably not right for you. If you answered no, then read on.

I jumped on the Shipt bandwagon last year when they were having a membership special on their annual pricing, and you can save $10 too if you use my referral link below. I now use it a couple times a month, more as a supplemental grocery service rather than my main go-to for groceries. There are pros and cons to the service, but overall I think it’s a GREAT option for busy moms. (and busy people overall)

The Pros and Cons for Shipt Grocery Delivery

Pros:

1) You don’t have to leave the house – The greatest perk is not leaving the house and having groceries delivered to you. This comes in handy if you don’t want to wrangle small children into a car and then brave the grocery store. Or if you or your children are sick, then you don’t need to leave the house for medicine and supplies. I’ve also used it when we were having a party and we needed more margarita mix, but had been drinking so I didn’t want to drive.

2) You avoid the “Child Tax” – If you do actually bring children into the grocery store, then you are bound to end up with stuff you wouldn’t have normally purchased – a toy, a sugary cereal, a Kinder Egg that they just can’t live without. I call this extra expense the “child tax,” and figure it into my grocery bill. Shipt gets me the groceries I need without the extra junk.

3) You may spend less – Have you ever gone to the grocery store and stuck only to your list? Me neither. I get swayed by BOGO’s and random things until I’ve got a cart full of stuff and can’t remember what I came in to get. With Shipt, you basically hand your list over to someone and they stick to it.

4) Get groceries delivered anywhere – Delivery isn’t just limited to your home address. I’ve gotten groceries delivered several times on vacation! All you do is add a new delivery address.

5) Make a list as you go – You can keep adding things to your order until you’re ready to place it. And they make things easy to re-order by saving what you order so you can scroll through the things you buy most and easily add them.

6) Delivery is free – As long as you spend more than $35, delivery is free every time with your membership.

The Cons:

1) You may spend a little more – Almost everything is a little more expensive. Some maybe 10 cents extra, but it can be as much as a dollar or more. And sometimes you’ll get stuff a little cheaper. It’s good if you know the prices of the things you order so you can avoid things that are really overpriced. For me, the extra cost is often balanced out by the “child tax” I’d get if I didn’t use Shipt.

2) No coupons – If you are a coupon clipper, you won’t be able to use them with a Shipt order. The good news is they still honor BOGO deals and items will often be on sale in the app.

3) Dealing with tipping – Tipping is optional, not required. I have mild anxiety about the tipping feature because I feel like I should maybe tip, but I don’t want to pay even more on top of the inflated grocery prices. So normally I don’t tip unless I have a big order, they went above and beyond with their service somehow, or I requested some random stuff that might be harder to find.

That’s it! There are definitely more pros than cons if you are a busy mom, or just a busy person who doesn’t like to grocery shop. Or anyone who has trouble getting to and navigating a grocery store. If I was child-free and had time to clip coupons and actually read labels and compare prices, then it would not be worth the extra cost.

I’ve always had a good experience with my orders, with prompt service and everything correct. I recommend Shipt if you think you will use the service at least a couple times a month.