Grocery Delivery App Shipt Starts Today With Discount

Going on a last-minute Publix run may soon be a thing of the past. Forget putting your on pants and trekking down the street. All you have to do is take out your phone and download the app Shipt.

Today the grocery delivery company expands to South Florida, offering same-day service from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week. So that tub of ice cream you forgot to buy the other day can be waiting at your doorstep after a long day at work — for a fee, of course. However, Shipt isn't the first grocery-delivery service to hit the area. Instacart launched in Miami back in May, but it only serves parts of Miami-Dade County and doesn't service Publix.

The Alabama-based company is not affiliated with or promoted by Publix, but will operate in Publix locations, which is the only retail option at this time in many parts of Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach. More than 30,000 items including fresh and frozen foods and Publix's buy-one-get-one-free deals are available on the app. (One caveat: Shipt won't deliver cigarettes or booze.)

The app prides itself on being as seamless as possible. Checkout is simple, with users able to shop, pay, and schedule delivery times straight from a smartphone. Shipt also promises that orders can be delivered in as little as an hour. (By the way, if you're interested in becoming a shopper for Shipt, the app is currently hiring.)

Unlike Instacart, which lets users either sign up for free or with a membership plan, Shipt requires all users to pay a monthly or yearly fee before being able to use the service. Luckily there's a $49 early-bird promotion going on now for the annual plan, which gets you unlimited deliveries on orders over $35. (Orders under $35 are subject to a $7 delivery fee.) If you miss the promotion, you'll have to shell out $99 a year or $14 per month.

The app is available for download on iOS and Android devices. Visit shipt.com for more information.

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