Dear Shipt,

We haven’t been together that long–just three months in fact–but now I can’t remember a week with you. I know that you aren’t perfect and come with some strings attached (including a slight price markup, a monthly or yearly membership fee, and a low minimum order amount), but after weighing all the pros and cons….you are totally worth it. 

• You know that I need E-A-S-Y. If my order relied on my laptop or my iPhone, I probably wouldn’t have lasted this long because my computer is only charged on the weekends (even now I’m questioning the location of my power cord). But after downloading the green spaceship app and creating an account in under 5 minutes, I was ready to shop. You may not be fancy, but that little app has all the bells and whistles I need. A reliable search function + a shopping cart = pure simplicity.

• You know that I need H-E-L-P. The little people in my world eat unpredictably. One week I’m throwing out a case of moldy, uneaten blueberries, and the next week we devour it in a day. I can’t always predict our eating patterns, but boy oh boy does my toddler want a banana in the morning and milk in the sippy cup. You are like a preventative measure against melt downs because now bananas and milk can appear like magic. Crisis avoided.

• You know that I need F-A-S-T. One time I started my order, and the groceries were at my door in 70 minutes. 70 minutes. I realize that other people have caught on to your lightning speed, so I do have to temper my expectations during peak times. But wow you are fast. I can think about dinner during lunch and *poof* my groceries could arrive when I get home. Like my own fairy godmother. Or a magical green spaceship. 

• You know that I need to E-D-I-T. I nearly fainted upon the realization that I could add items in my cart until the hour of delivery. You know that will always think of 1 or 2…okay maybe 5 or 6 more items even after I place my order. You’ve freed me from the feeling of finality and the potential panic of forgetting something because it’s noooooo problem. Just hit “add to cart.”

• You know that I need to T-E-X-T. Emails and phone calls are just not reliable methods for immediate communication in my life. You get that. Therefore, the shoppers actually text me about substitutions or about unavailable items. How glorious is that?? My interactions are “Yes, that brand of wipes is great” or “No, let’s skip the strawberries this week.” And…if I forgot something…my final back up plan is to text the shopper in real time. The ultimate “edit the cart.”

Don’t get me wrong. I’m a planner and really do wish that one grocery trip a week for a family of five was realistic. But best laid plans don’t always work out right? Someone gets sick, my husband goes out of town, we eat out instead…and the list goes on. Now I don’t have to plan quite so far. I can assess my pantry one day at a time and buy what we really really need.

But, the biggest bonus of all is that I can bypass the entire stressful process of walking in a brick and mortar store with three kids and still have a full pantry. You’ve taken a mental load off my brain, which is priceless.

Thank you Shipt. Thank you.