Shipt Shopper Training: Your First-Order Checklist
For official Shipt shopper training, start with the Shopper Hub after activation. Shipt also offers an optional online course about using the shopper app. This independent guide gives you a practical first-order checklist, examples of clear customer messages and a way to review your first shop. It is not Shipt certification or a replacement for instructions in your account.
If you have not applied yet, use our Shipt shopper requirements and signup guide. The steps below focus on what to do once you are ready to shop.
Where to find official Shipt training
Shipt’s official training help page directs activated shoppers to the Shopper Hub and describes an optional online course. It also lists 24/7 support through in-app chat or (205) 502-2500. Use those resources for current account-specific instructions, checkout procedures and problems during an order.
| Your next step | Official resource |
|---|---|
| Find the starting point after activation | Shopper Hub: Getting Started |
| Watch the app and shopping workflow | Onboarding videos |
| Practice before a customer order | Optional practice opportunities |
| Review order types and retailer preparation | New shopper checklists |
| Find instructions for the Shipt payment card | Shipt Card FAQ |
For the optional course, use the course link on Shipt’s training help page. It currently opens Shipt Passport, which asks for the name and email associated with your Shipt account.
Need help during an order? Use in-app support chat or call Shipt Support at (205) 502-2500. Shipt lists these support options as available 24/7. Resource links checked September 10, 2026.
Before accepting your first order
Make the first order easy to learn from. A store you already know is a better classroom than an unfamiliar store with a cart full of products you have never bought. You are learning the app, finding items, handling messages and watching the delivery window at the same time. Give yourself some breathing room.
Look past the item count
Ten items could mean ten easy pantry products. It could also mean several cases of water, produce to weigh and similar-looking products in different sizes. Read the quantities and item details available in the offer. Think about the cart, your trunk and the walk to the door, not just the number beside the order.
Before claiming, work backward from the delivery window: allow time for the drive to the customer, checkout, shopping and getting to the store. Leave a buffer for an out-of-stock item or a slow checkout line. If it only works when every step goes perfectly, pick something you have more room to finish.
Prepare your phone and bags. Charge the phone, check that the app opens, and have a way to charge it during the shift. Clear space for groceries and bring suitable bags for protecting cold and fragile items. Read the payment and checkout instructions for your specific order rather than assuming every retailer uses the same process.
A simple first-shop workflow
1. Read the notes before shopping. Look for item instructions and delivery details, including access information. Check the customer’s substitution preferences. This prevents a decision at checkout from becoming a surprise for the customer.
2. Send a brief introduction where messaging is appropriate. You do not need a long script. For example: “Hi, this is [Name], your shopper. I’m starting your order now and will follow your item notes and substitution preferences.” These sample messages are our suggestions, not official Shipt scripts.
3. Match products carefully. Check the product, package size, quantity and any listed variation. A similar-looking package may be a different size or formulation. Follow the app’s item-verification steps. Organize the cart to protect delicate products and leave temperature-sensitive items until later in the shop where practical.
4. Resolve unavailable items before checkout. Shipt’s substitution guidance describes “Contact me,” “Do not substitute” and customer-selected backup choices. Follow the preference shown for that item. A backup choice is different from guessing what the customer would like.
When a customer wants contact, make the question easy to answer: “The 16 oz item you requested is unavailable. There is a 12 oz version of the same product for [price]. Would you like that instead?” Include the relevant size, price or product difference. Avoid calling two products equivalent when you have not checked.
5. Complete the order’s checkout process. Follow the app and retailer instructions, including any required verification or payment steps. If something fails, contact support before improvising a different payment method. Do not assume another shopper’s instructions for a different order type apply to yours.
6. Review delivery instructions before leaving. Confirm the destination and any access notes. A useful update is: “I’ve finished shopping and am heading your way. My estimated arrival is [time].” Only send an estimate you can reasonably support; update the customer if a delay changes it.
7. Complete the handoff as instructed. Keep groceries organized, follow the delivery notes, and complete the confirmation steps requested by the app. For a permitted doorstep delivery, place bags where they will not block an outward-opening door. Do not mark an order delivered before completing the delivery.
What to do when the first order gets complicated
The customer does not answer: recheck the item’s preference and the current app guidance. Do not treat silence as approval for an arbitrary substitute. If the instructions do not resolve the situation, use support rather than guessing.
You cannot find the address or enter the building: check the delivery notes, use the supported contact method and ask support for next steps if the problem remains. Do not leave groceries at a different address simply to finish the order.
You are running behind: identify the cause and communicate an accurate update. Follow the app’s support process when needed. Do not accept additional work that makes the existing commitment harder to complete.
The app or checkout stops working: describe the exact issue to support, including where you are in the order. Keep any screenshots private if they contain customer information. Avoid repeatedly trying unrelated steps that could duplicate a transaction.
Review the first order before taking another
Record your start time, delivery completion time, miles, final payout and any direct expenses. Write down one thing that took longer than expected, such as locating products or waiting at checkout. That note gives you a specific skill to improve on the next shop.
For an illustrative example, an $18 payout over 60 total minutes is $18 per hour before expenses. The same payout over 90 minutes is $12 per hour before expenses. This is arithmetic, not a Shipt earnings estimate. Include time getting to the store so the comparison reflects the work you actually did.
Do you have to take a training course?
The public Shipt training page describes the online course as optional. Complete any onboarding or additional requirements presented in your own account. A public description does not override an account-specific instruction.
Should a new shopper start with multiple orders?
Our recommendation is to learn one order’s workflow first. Once you understand your shopping time and the store, you can evaluate more complicated offers with better information. More orders are only useful if you can complete the commitments reliably.
Keep learning
Read our Shipt customer communication tips, compare other work in our delivery apps guide, or use the gig-driving beginner’s guide for time-and-mileage calculations.
Official training and substitution sources checked September 9, 2026. Photo: Eduardo Soares on Unsplash. Stock photo for illustration.