Same-day delivery company Shipt is stepping up in North Texas amid the COVID-19 outbreak with a hefty hiring push.
The business plans to bring on about 2,000 “shoppers” in Dallas, in an apparent reference to the overall metro area, according to a statement. It’s the biggest effort in Texas with Houston, San Antonio and Austin set to get 1,000 each.
Shipt, which was acquired by Target Corp. (NYSE: TGT) at the end of 2017 for about $550 million, is investing in areas around the country as people increasingly turn to home deliveries while they work from home to help curtail the spread of COVID-19. The company cited rising demand amid the spread of the pandemic.
In addition to Texas, Shipt is adding shoppers in cities such as Chicago, where it’s looking to hire 2,000 in that metro.
Online giant Amazon is investing in North Texas as well. Earlier this month, a company spokesperson said it’s looking to hire about 5,900 in the Dallas area, the most of any city in the state, as it looks to hire for about 100,000 full- and part-time positions in the U.S.
Shipt, which unveiled its same-day option in the Dallas area more than two years ago, provides home delivery from local retailers offering groceries, household essentials and medications. They can come in as little as one hour, its website said. While part of Target, it also will pick up items at other stores, as well, such as Costco, CVS, Petco and H-E-B.
Amid concerns about the coronavirus, Shipt is enabling social distancing by encouraging its shoppers to complete deliveries by dropping orders at customers’ doors and avoiding physical contact.
The Shipt “shoppers” join the company after, among other things, a review of driving records, background checks and vehicle inspections. The service, which is available through a smartphone app, costs $99 a year, and members get free delivery for orders over $35.
