Shoppers working for services like Instacart and Shipt are all over Texas grocery stores these days. They’re independent contractors, just like Uber drivers, and they pluck items off the shelves based on requests made by customers on their smartphone apps. They’re also under strict time pressure to do complete their clients’ shopping.
These contractors are part of the rapidly changing grocery industry, says Gina Acosta, senior editor at the trade publication Progressive Grocer. She says regional grocers like H-E-B are developing their own twist on the personal grocery shopping model in order to compete.
“Since [H-E-B] purchased Favor in 2018, they’ve been completely transformed by this pure technology company coming in and helping H-E-B get ahead of the disruption in grocery retail,” Acosta says.
What you’ll hear in this segment:
– How curbside pickup is the next wave in personalized grocery shopping
– Whether privately contracted shoppers for companies like Instacart or Shipt are changing the grocery store experience
– How H-E-B’s curbside and grocery delivery models are different than its competitors
Written by Caroline Covington.
