Shipt to add thousands of shoppers for COVID-19 surge

A Target-owned online grocery service is hiring thousands of temporary employees in seven major U.S. metro areas.

In response to increased consumer demand for deliveries of grocery, household items, and medications due to the COVID-19 virus, Shipt is hiring shoppers in the metropolitan areas of Boston, Washington, D.C., Miami, New York City, Minneapolis, and Atlanta. Shipt seeks to add hundreds of shoppers each in Boston, Washington, D.C. and New York City; 1,000 shoppers in Atlanta; 2,000 shoppers each in Miami and Minneapolis; and 3,000 shoppers in Detroit. 

Shipt provides home delivery from local retailers offering groceries, household essentials and medications. The company says it will ensure the latest CDC guidelines and recommendations are embedded in new and existing shopper resources, giving shoppers access to the knowledge they need to deliver safely and efficiently. Given the current environment, Shipt says it is enabling "social distancing" by encouraging shoppers to complete deliveries by dropping orders at the door, avoiding physical contact.

"At Shipt, we're committed to providing a safe experience for our customers and Shipt shoppers, and I'm proud of the important role shoppers have played in helping our communities access food, essentials, and medications without leaving their homes," said Kelly Caruso, CEO of Shipt. "Bringing additional shoppers onto the Shipt platform will allow us to meet the increased demand for the communities we serve."

Shipt is an independently operated, wholly-owned subsidiary of Target Corp. Founded and headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., Shipt also maintains an office in San Francisco. Providing personal shopping and delivery, Shipt is available to 70% of households in more than 5,000 U.S. cities.