Shipt Interview Questions and Answers: How to Pass With Flying Colors

Shipt requires all of its Shoppers to complete an online interview as the last step in its application process (Drivers don’t need to complete the interview — make sure to read about the differences between the two roles). If you’re invited to complete the interview, you’re in the homestretch: you’ve met Shipt’s Shopper requirements and already passed Shipt’s background check, and the interview is the last step. 

Although it’s commonly referred to as the “Shipt interview,” it’s not really an interview — you won’t speak to anyone face-to-face during the process. Instead, you’ll simply answer some multiple-choice questions, provide written responses to prompts, and take a few short videos talking about yourself and your experiences. 

Overall, the “Shipt interview” is more like the “Shipt entrance exam.” 

But there’s no need to get swept away with test anxiety — this exam is entirely open book, and you can take as much time as you need to complete the video response section (the multiple-choice and written response sections are timed though).  

James Tuliano, who has been working with Shipt since 2020, says, “it really is mostly common sense, so I wouldn't worry too much about studying or reading a lot of the documentation trying to memorize certain things. I don't remember any Shipt-specific policy questions on the exam. Just deliver things on time, don't purchase the wrong items, and treat your shop like you're shopping for yourself.”

Like any exam, cheating isn’t allowed, and Shipt changes its multiple-choice questions to prevent that. Similarly, you can’t just copy someone else’s written response or video answers, just like you can’t copy someone else’s essay. 

You can prepare for your interview though, and it won’t take hours of studying either. By the end of this post, you should have all the info you need to pass your Shipt interview with flying colors. 

Section 1: Multiple-choice questions

The Shipt interview starts with four multiple-choice questions. This part will fly by: you have 60 seconds to answer each question, which means the whole section will only take you four minutes or less. 

Each question covers a different aspect of the shopping process to test you on your ability to make good decisions while on the job. We’ll give you four example questions up front so that you can test yourself. When you’re finished, scroll down to find the answers and explanations. 

Question 1: Substitutions

The first question tests you on substitutions: if an item your customer ordered is out of stock, and they asked you to make a substitution, what should you do?

Here’s an example of a question you might be asked:

1. The customer orders one gallon of Horizon Organic Whole Milk, but the store is completely out. They have asked you to make a substitution. Which item do you choose?
   1. Horizon Organic Whole Chocolate Milk
   2. Whatever whole milk is on sale
   3. Horizon Organic 2% Milk
   4. Barber’s Organic Whole Milk

Question 2: Out-of-stock items

The second question tests what you’d do if an item were out of stock and the customer did not ask for a substitution. Here’s an example:

2. You are shopping for an order, and a requested item is not on the shelves. What is your first move?
   1. Don’t get the item and move on with the shop
   2. Ask an employee if there is any more stock of the item in the back
   3. Substitute the item with something on the shelf
   4. Text the customer and let them know the item isn’t available

Question 3: Weights and rounding

The third question tests you on your ability to round numbers and purchase appropriate quantities of items. 

3. The customer orders 1 pound of ground sirloin. These are the options you see. Please choose the one closest to the customer’s request. 
   1. 0.90 pounds of ground sirloin
   2. 0.97 pounds of ground sirloin
   3. 1.01 pounds of ground sirloin
   4. 1.09 pounds of ground sirloin 

Question 4: Time management

The fourth question tests your time management skills. 

4. Your order needs to be delivered at 5 p.m. It has an estimated shop time of 34 minutes and an estimated drive time of 15 minutes. What time would you arrive at the store to start shopping?
   1. 4:30 or so — I’m a quick shopper. 
   2. Probably 3:45, to give myself plenty of time. 
   3. Exactly 4:11. 
   4. Any time works. 

Answers and explanations

Here are the answers and explanations for the questions above:

Question 1

Answer: D

Explanation: A good substitution is a product that’s as close as possible to the customer’s request. In this situation, we know three things about the customer’s preferences: they want the brand Horizon, they want organic milk, and they want whole milk. Your job is to weigh these factors to choose the best possible substitute. 

Choice A keeps the brand the same, but chocolate milk is very different from whole milk — we should assume the customer wants regular milk, not chocolate milk. 

Choice B will give the customer whole milk, but it might not be organic, which is important to the customer. James adds that “not all items that are on sale in the store reflect on the Shipt app, the prices differ,” so the savings may not make it to the customer anyway. 

Choice C will get the customer the same brand, and the milk will be organic, but it won’t be whole milk. 

Choice D, however, will give the customer organic whole milk, but from a different brand. This is the best choice: chances are that the customer cares more about those two factors than the brand specifically. 

Keep in mind too that when customers ask for products that are organic, there may be ethical concerns on their mind as well. For that reason, requests for products that are organic, grass-fed, vegan, etc., should always take priority in substitutions. 

Question 2

Answer: B

Explanation: This question asks what your first move should be, so don’t get confused when you notice that several of these answers are good moves, just not good first moves. 

Choice A is a bad decision because you should make an effort to get the customer what they want — you shouldn’t give up immediately. Choice C would make sense if the customer had asked for a substitution, but they didn’t. Choice D would also make sense, but only after you’ve already exhausted your other options. 

Choice B is the correct answer because it makes the most sense as a first move: if you ask the employee to check in the back, you might find out that there is some of the product after all. If there isn’t, then you can text the customer to let them know it isn’t available and see what they want you to do — they might ask you to make a substitution, or they might ask you to move on with the shop and forget about the item. 

Question 3

Answer: C

Explanation: This question is testing your math skills — specifically, your ability to round numbers. Your goal here is to find the weight that is closest to the customer’s request (1 pound). To do so, you can subtract 1 pound from each of weights to get the difference, like so:

0.90 pounds - 1 pound = -0.10 pounds (the negative means it’s less than the requested weight)

0.97 pounds - 1 pound = -0.03 pounds

1.01 pounds - 1 pound = (+)0.01 pound (this is positive, so it’s more than the requested weight)

1.09 pounds - 1 pound = (+)0.09 pound

Now, we take the absolute value of the results, which just means we get rid of the + and - signs. That will tell us how far away from the request each of these results is, which is more important than whether it’s more than or less than the requested amount. That gives us:

0.10 pounds, 0.03 pounds, 0.01 pounds, 0.09 pounds

Now, we order these from least to greatest:

0.01 pounds < 0.03 pounds < 0.09 pounds < 0.10 pounds

0.01 pounds is the smallest deviation, which means it’s the closest to the customer’s request. Since that came from 1.01 pounds, we know that C is the correct answer. 

Question 4

Answer: B

Explanation: This question tests your time management skills, which are vital to success as a Shipt Shopper — if you’re late too often, your account will be deactivated. 

The question tells us that the delivery is due by 5 p.m. Its estimated drive time, which includes the time to go to the store and to drive from the store to the customer, is 15 minutes. Since the question doesn’t tell us how much time it takes for each of those (it could be 10 minutes to the store and 5 minutes to the customer or vice versa), we should play it safe and assume it takes 15 minutes to drive from the store to the customer — that way, we can be sure we won’t leave the store too late to make it to the customer by 5 p.m. Based on that, we should plan to leave the store by 4:45 p.m.

We also know that the estimated shop time is 34 minutes. So, we subtract 34 minutes from 4:45 p.m. to get 4:11 p.m. 

Here’s the trick: 4:11 p.m. is one of the answers (choice C). But the times we were given were just estimates — the shop could take longer or shorter than estimated. If it’s longer, then arriving at the store by 4:11 p.m. would make us late.

Because of that, the best choice is to arrive earlier than 4:11 p.m., and the only answer that’s earlier is B, 3:45 p.m. If you chose A, you’d likely be late, and if you chose C, there’s no way to tell if you’d be early, on-time, or late — this answer demonstrates a complete lack of time awareness and time management skills. 

Section 2: Written response questions

This section asks you to write a few short sentences in response to the questions asked. There’s no one right answer here — just think through the questions and write your best answer. 

Question 1: Produce selection skills

The purpose of this question is for Shipt to gain insight into your thought process when it comes to produce selection. Here’s an example of what one of these questions might ask:

What are three things you look for when picking a fresh apple for a customer?

Think through this for yourself: if you were picking up an apple to eat, what would you look for? Would it be the firmness of the apple? The texture? The color? A good answer might be something like:

“First, I would pick an apple that looks ripe. Then, I would check it for visible blemishes, such as cuts or bruises. Then, I would squeeze it to test the firmness and make sure it’s not going bad.” 

Question 2: Customer service skills

This question tests your ability to communicate with customers. Here’s an example of what you might be asked:

Your customer asks you to buy a carton of organic blueberries, but the only ones left in stock are moldy. What do you text the customer? 

Your goal is (1) to let the customer know that the blueberries are no good and (2) to ask them what they’d like you to do about that. In addition, you need to stay cordial and professional in your text. Here’s an example of a good text:

“Hey, this is [your name], your Shipt Shopper. The store is out of organic blueberries, there’s only one carton left, and it’s moldy. Would you like me to get some non-organic ones? Or is there something else you’d like me to substitute for them? Thanks!” 

Section 3: Video response questions 

For the final section, you’ll need to take short videos answering the questions. This part is the most like a traditional interview — the questions will focus on your experience and what you can bring to the table as a Shipt Shopper. 

James says that “you can re-record your responses and watch them as many times as you like, so if you stumble on your words or felt like you could have done better, you can easily redo it.”

Here are some questions along the lines of what you’ll be asked:

Question 1: Your previous experience

The first question may ask you about your previous experience:

What previous experience do you have that you think would make you a good Shipt Shopper?

Your answer will obviously depend on your personal circumstances — if you have experience in customer service, delivery, grocery, or anything along those lines, you should definitely mention them. 

If you don’t have any experience directly related to Shipt, try to find parts of your experience that relate in some way. For example, if you’re a student, you could talk about how you need to effectively manage your time to get good grades. If you’re a mom, you could mention that you need to have good interpersonal skills to manage your kid. And if you work an office job, you could talk about the problem-solving skills you’ve developed to help you in your work. 

Question 2: Your personality

Next, you’ll be asked to tell Shipt about yourself. The question may look something like this:

Tell us three traits of yours that will help you deliver a great customer service experience. 

There’s a lot you can say here — being responsible, friendly, and flexible are three examples of traits you might want to mention. 

You can mention practically any aspect of your personality here and be ok so long as you can spin it as related to your work for Shipt. 

Question 3: A success story

The last question will ask you to describe a specific event in your experience. It will likely be along these lines:

Tell us about a time you went above and beyond to please a customer or make someone’s day better. 

You don’t need to tell a dramatic story about delivering a pizza in the middle of a record-breaking blizzard to do well on this one. Just think about any time you went out of your way to do something nice for someone, whether it was giving your friend a last-minute ride to the airport or making a special order for a customer that was looking for a hard-to-find product. 

If you can directly relate your story to Shipt, that’s great — but if you can’t, that’s perfectly fine as well. 

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