Shipt Reveals Most-Requested Shoppers Across Country

Seven outstanding shoppers with Shipt build personal connections in their communities – demonstrated by their more than 3,700 preferred customer connections – and share unique stories

BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Oct. 8, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- In honor of Customer Service Week (October 7-11), Shipt is thrilled to reveal seven of the most-requested shoppers who work on the Shipt platform, identified by their own customers for their commitment to providing exemplary service with a personal touch. Those recognized  – who have completed a combined 102,000 shops – were named by nearly 4,000 of Shipt's customers as a "preferred shopper," which is a special feature in Shipt's app that allows customers to select their favorite shoppers.

These shoppers consistently go above and beyond to forge connections with customers while providing a valuable service to members of their communities. This is more important than ever as communities across the country face a new epidemic of loneliness – an issue the U.S. Surgeon General has identified as a public health crisis that affects our mental, physical, and societal health.

"We see and hear every day about the level of care and extraordinary standard of service that shoppers bring to customers and retail partners," said Shipt Chief Operating Officer Raj Kapoor. "That extra human touch and special connection is what sets shoppers with Shipt apart, and we are proud that so many customers have recognized these shoppers for their contributions to the communities they serve."

These top shoppers represent the metro areas of Dallas-Fort Worth, South Florida, Birmingham, Ala., Atlanta, Minneapolis, Washington, D.C. and Detroit.

Read more about these incredible shoppers:

Malaika Barlow (Minneapolis) is a motivated young shopper who sets the gold standard for customer service. Through Malaika's continued commitment to exemplary customer service, she's not only the top preferred shopper in her state, but has the most preferred customer connections of all shoppers with Shipt across the country – more than 900. Last year, Malaika's dedication to providing excellent customer service was reported by CBS News Minnesota. In that story, Malaika discussed her relationship with one of her shoppers, Josephine Vaughn. The two became close after the pandemic when Malaika realized that Josephine was lonely and lacking physical connections. Malaika is still in contact with Josephine, visiting her and texting words of encouragement while Josephine went through a major life event. This is a testament to Malaika's warm nature and how she lives one of Shipt's core values of supporting community members.

Holly Ary (Dallas-Fort Worth) is a shopper whose work with Shipt brought her community and friendship during a difficult time. When Holly started shopping with Shipt four years ago, she was passionate about building relationships with customers and other shoppers in the area. Before Holly's daughter Lauren passed away in November 2022, some of Holly's customers visited her in the ICU, providing invaluable support during a challenging time. Additionally, another local shopper will travel to Paris soon and will bring pictures of Lauren to take photos of "Lauren in Paris," as it was Lauren's dream to one day visit the City of Light. One of Holly's favorite connections is a family she became close to after shopping for them weekly for five years – Lauren even babysat for the couple's 18-month-old twins. The enduring sense of community that Holly has built through shopping with Shipt is a testament to her friendly personality and compassion for others.

Rhonda Johnson (South Florida) is a shopper who exemplifies Shipt's commitment to quality service. Rhonda believes that community can be formed anywhere, which is why she makes a point to foster friendships with store employees and her fellow Shipt shoppers. She says that "most of the shoppers in [South Florida] are great and we have our own camaraderie between us, and we share customer preferences with each other to ensure customer satisfaction." Rhonda also treats each customer like they are family, saying that she would never buy anything that she wouldn't buy for her own family. Rhonda's warm, familial nature has also resulted in her forming close friendships with some of her customers over her 12,000+ shops with Shipt. She often makes deliveries to a senior living facility and will occasionally give those customers rides to their hair appointments. She has even met up socially with customers who have since become friends.

Henry Sawyer (Birmingham, Ala.) is a shopper whose love of flexibility and family drives him to be a compassionate top shopper. Shopping with Shipt has given Henry "life-changing" flexibility to do more for his kids and his mother, and is one of the reasons he "gets up every day to strive to be the best person" that he can be. And he truly is valued by his customers with Shipt, with more than 900 preferred customer connections. One of Henry's regular customers is in a wheelchair, and shopping for this customer has given Henry a new perspective on the good work that Shipt does. To Henry, shopping with Shipt is not just a source of income – he is providing an essential service for his community. Henry says that interacting with his customers is like "interacting with my family every day."

Travon Heard (Atlanta) is a shopper who understands the importance of customer service with a personal touch. Over more than four years of shopping with Shipt, Travon developed his own unique approach to customer service through Bitmojis, which are customizable avatars. For example, when he tells customers he is on his way with an order, he'll also send a Bitmoji in a red car. Once an order is delivered, he will always thank customers for "being the best part of Shipt" and will send a waving Bitmoji. Travon also makes it a point to communicate with customers during his shops and will always follow up with customers while he's at the store to remind them they can add any items they've forgotten – and yes, he'll usually add a Bitmoji to that message. Travon's warm personality perfectly exemplifies Shipt's goal of adding a personal touch to every interaction.

Divina Fisher (Washington, D.C.) is a shopper with high integrity and strong values. In just two short years, Divina's community-minded attitude has skyrocketed her to the top of Washington, D.C.'s preferred shopper list. She loves providing a service for her neighbors and has a penchant for taking all types of orders including those with heavy items or from past non-tipping customers. She understands that these orders are often for customers with mobility issues, fixed incomes, or other challenges that make it difficult for them to shop for themselves. She loves doing these deliveries because "it blesses me to be able to shop and get out there and do for people that just honestly cannot do for themselves."

Kathryn Jackson (Detroit) is a shopper who began working with Shipt during the COVID-19 pandemic to provide a service to her community. She greatly enjoys being a shopper for the flexibility it offers, allowing her to choose her own hours while providing an important service – and racking up more than 8,000 shops along the way. Kathryn has formed personal relationships with many of her customers and will go to several stores to find the products they need. Shopping with Shipt has also allowed Kathryn to strike up a friendship with her next-door neighbor; they pick up each other's mail and check on each other's houses when the other goes out of town. Kathryn's dedication to her customers and neighbors is a strong reflection of Shipt's community-minded values.

About Shipt

Shipt is a retail tech company that connects people to reliable, high-quality delivery with a personal touch. Through the power of technology, Shipt connects customers to the things they want from the stores they love, workers to new earning opportunities, and retail businesses to more satisfied customers. Headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, Shipt brings people the flexible solutions they need with the above-and-beyond service they expect. Shipt is an independently operated subsidiary of Target Corp. and is available to 80% of the U.S population. For more information, please visit Shipt's Newsroom.

SOURCE Shipt