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Re:

Did Shipt Cut Shopper Pay? What the 2020 Pay-Model Test Showed

Shipt shoppers told Gizmodo their earnings fell during a 2020 pay-model test, but the report did not show that every shopper lost money. Shipt disputed the broader claim.
From TheFinanceBase Team4 min to read
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Shipt shoppers interviewed by Gizmodo reported lower earnings after the company tested a new pay model in selected markets in 2020. But the reporting did not establish that every shopper lost money: Shipt said pay was consistent overall and slightly higher in some markets. The story is historical, not evidence of a newly verified 2026 pay cut.

What Shipt changed in 2020

In a February 12, 2020 report, Gizmodo described a Shipt test that replaced a formula shoppers said had paid $5 per order plus 7.5% of the store receipt total. Shoppers kept their tips under that arrangement. The report named Seattle and New York City as places where the new structure was already in use, and discussed San Antonio, Philadelphia, and Kalamazoo in connection with the test. Those locations describe the report’s snapshot, not Shipt’s current market coverage.

According to an email reviewed by Gizmodo, the new offer-pay calculation considered estimated shop time, substitutions, street traffic, and estimated travel time. Shipt did not disclose how it calculated or weighted those factors. The result was an individualized offer amount rather than a transparent formula shoppers could reproduce from an order’s receipt total.

What shoppers said happened to their earnings

Gizmodo reviewed one shopper’s weekly earnings: the shopper reportedly earned more than $530 the week before the change, then earned more than $150 less the following week after completing the same number of orders. The publication also reported that the shopper’s average earnings per order were nearly $7 lower. These are figures from one shopper’s records as described by Gizmodo, not a representative or independently audited estimate of national pay.

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Another shopper interviewed by Gizmodo, Jesslyn Redmond, said the model cut pay by 40% to 50%. She told the publication, “I did this full time.” That is her account, not a finding about every Shipt shopper or market.

How Shipt responded

Shipt told Gizmodo the test was intended to account better for the time needed to shop and deliver an order, including regional driving factors. A spokesperson said: “Our goal is to maximize our shoppers’ earning potential and ensure they get the best value for their time. We are testing a new pay structure in select markets to better account for the time it takes to complete and deliver an order, including regional factors like drive times.”

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The company also said pay levels remained consistent overall and were slightly higher in some markets, and emphasized that shoppers received 100% of tips. Those statements are Shipt’s account of the test, not independently verified outcome data. The report’s interviewees and Shipt offered conflicting views, and the available reporting does not settle how typical either experience was.

How Shipt describes shopper pay now

Shipt’s current shopper help page says shoppers are paid per order, with estimated pay based on the time and effort required. Shoppers can choose which offered orders to accept. The company says shoppers cover gas and data costs, mileage is not reimbursed, and Shipt does not withhold taxes. These are company-stated policies; they do not establish what a shopper earns after expenses in a particular market.

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Shipt’s customer help page says customers can tip at checkout, in cash, or after delivery, and that 100% of a customer’s tip goes to the shopper. Tips may contribute to total earnings, but they do not show whether the underlying offer pay covers time, expenses, or taxes.

How to read Shipt’s published earnings figures

In a 2022 company pay explainer, Shipt described total shopper pay as offer pay plus bonuses plus tips. It said shoppers made an average of $25–$35 per hour in the prior year when those components were combined. Shipt also described a $16-per-hour earnings standard, with more than $27 per hour in select busy markets, based on its own estimates of time and effort.

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These were historical company claims, not independently verified net earnings or a current guaranteed hourly wage. They are not directly comparable with the 2020 shopper examples: the year, source, markets, and measures differ. The 2022 figures include tips and bonuses and do not establish take-home income after expenses.

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What the evidence can—and cannot—answer

The 2020 article supports a narrow conclusion: some interviewed Shipt shoppers said the new offer structure reduced their earnings, and Gizmodo reviewed one shopper’s records showing a substantial week-to-week decline. Shipt disputed the broader characterization, saying pay was consistent overall or higher in some markets. The accounts do not prove a universal cut, and they do not describe present-day earnings.

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Shipt’s current guidance explains its stated pay and expense practices, but the official information cited here does not provide an independent market-by-market calculation of shoppers’ net earnings. To assess a specific offer or period, a shopper would need to distinguish offer pay, tips, and bonuses; count hours as well as orders; and account for costs such as gas, data, and taxes. Gross earnings and take-home income are different measures.

Sources: Avery Ellis, Gizmodo, February 12, 2020; Shipt Help, “Being a shopper”; Shipt, “A refresher and improvements that make pay easier to understand” (2022); Shipt Help, “How much do I tip?”.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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