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Home » Delivery Gigs » Spark Drivers are Cashing in on Shopping and Delivery Orders

Spark Drivers are Cashing in on Shopping and Delivery Orders

Updated November 15, 2021 By Doug H3 Comments

Spark recently added a new order type called ‘shopping and delivery’ that is giving Spark drivers new opportunities to earn, and new challenges.

For shopping and delivery orders, Spark drivers go into Walmart to shop for a list of items, then deliver the order to the customer.

Sound familiar? It’s similar to shopping for Instacart or Shipt.

As shopping and delivery (sometimes called S&D for short) become more widely available, some Spark drivers are getting generous payouts:

  • “My shop and delivers today were ridiculously high paying!”
  • “Sometimes the delivery pays more than the item I’m delivering”
  • “How are they making profit while paying us so much? Lol”

But shopping and delivering orders aren’t without flaws. Some think it has a clunky UI, and others don’t like that the payouts don’t always measure up to the amount of work you have to do.

Read on to learn how shop and deliver works, how Spark drivers feel about it, and how to be a more efficient shopper.

What are Shopping and Delivery Orders on Spark?

Shopping and delivery is an order type on Spark where drivers go into Walmart to pick out a list of items, then deliver the completed order to a customer.

The Spark apps guides every step of the process, and you use your phone to scan items. The app tells you the aisle and section number to find each item.

Orders are prepaid, so Spark drivers only need to scan a QR code at checkout to finish the order.

Shop and deliver orders can come as a round robin order, or as a first-come-first-serve order.

Round robin orders are sent to individual drivers, and give you several minutes to accept. First come first serve orders go out to many drivers at the same time, giving you less time to accept.

You don’t have to opt in to do shopping and delivery orders. If it’s in your market, you’ll start receiving these orders automatically. There is no way to opt out of receiving this order type.

  • Related: How Spark works, more info about order types

How Does Pay Work for Shopping & Delivery Orders?

Before you accept a shopping and delivery order, you will see an estimated payout from Spark that includes any tip left at checkout by the customer.

Spark does not explain how their payout formula—called ‘Dynamic Pay’—is calculated. Instead, you will have to evaluate the order using the information that Spark offers to see if it will be worth your time.

Order requests show the store location, number of items, estimated payout including tips, and estimated driving distance.

You will receive additional pay for heavy and bulky items, such as cases of water or soda.

Spark delivery order payout page with a $38 order

$38 for 14 items. Not bad!

Tipping can be a major source of income for shopping and delivering. Customers can leave a tip pre delivery, which will show up in the estimated payout when you accept an order. Customers can tip you in cash at the time of delivery, and they can add a tip after the delivery is complete.

Incentives and bonuses apply to shopping and delivery orders, so you may be able to get lump sum bonuses, pay per trip, or any other incentives that Spark is offering in your area.

What Spark drivers say about shopping and delivery earnings

  • “I worked 930 AM to 3PM and I made $150 in that short time frame”
  • “The first one was for 11 items and paid $35 plus tip”
  • “A run for 3 boxes of cereal paid $14, $3 tip”
  • “I got a S&D for two 1 gal jugs of water and the run paid $15″
  • “The highest was $35 and I went to the store to grab two items for this guy”
  • “Last week I was paid $42 to deliver a pair of little boy sneakers that only cost $12.99 LOL”
More about Delivery App Earnings
  • See shopper earnings for: Uber Eats, Instacart, DoorDash

How to Do a Shopping and Delivering Order

Shopping and delivery orders appear in your trip offers in the same way that other offers appear. They will be labeled ‘shopping and delivery.’ You can tap to accept, or tap for more order information.

After you begin the order and arrive at the store, you’ll see a list of items. The app will direct you to each item. When you find the item, scan it using the app.

The app guides you through an ‘optimal’ shopping route. You can skip an item and return to it later in the trip if you want to pick out items in a different order.

Spark driver app showing a list of shopping items

Check the item list to plan your route

When an item is out of stock, the app will show you suggested replacement options if the customer has marked that they will accept replacements. If they don’t want replacements, an unavailable item will disappear from the shopping list after you mark it as unavailable.

When you’re done picking out items, go to the self checkout area to check out. Bag the items and scan a QR code to complete the order.

Next, load up your car and follow directions in the app to navigate to the customer. At this stage, the delivery process is the same as other Spark orders.

Some App UI Complaints from Drivers

Shopping and delivering is a relatively new feature on Spark, so many drivers have found that there are still kinks that need to be worked out.

One of the main complaints is that the app forces you to shop for items in a specific order and doesn’t make it easy enough to change the order.

That’s different from Instacart, which gives you a lot more flexibility to shop for items the way that you want.

And unlike Instacart, you can’t contact the customer while you shop. You can only contact customers once you start the delivery process. So if you have a question about a replacement, you won’t be able to ask your customer. That may lead to lots of unsatisfied customers who may have wanted to communicate about replacement items.

The other big complaint is glitches including: App freezes, signal issues, scanning issues, and getting stuck on a screen with no way to exit or reboot the app.

Some of the app issues can be solved by using the store’s wifi, or changing to a carrier that offers better reception in your area.

Tips for Efficient Shopping and Delivering

Your earnings per hour can significantly increase if you learn how to select the best orders and cut your shopping time down to a minimum.

Be picky about orders. Watch for red flags before you accept: Don’t accept orders that have too many items, no tip, or too many heavy/bulky items. You can see a list items in the order before you accept it if it is a round robin order.

Plan your own route, ignore the app: The app tries to force you to shop items in a preselected order. You can choose your own order by previewing the shopping list and skipping items that you want to do later. You can also pick out items without scanning them, then scan them later.

To skip an item, tap Help > Item Inaccessible > Skip item

Learn your store: Make a conscious effort to learn the layout of your local stores, and learn the exact location of all the common items.

More about Spark and Grocery Delivery Apps
  • Delivering for Spark? Requirements and Work Overview
  • Deactivated by Spark? How to get your account back
  • How to Shop for Instacart
  • Shipt: A Solid Grocery Delivery Gig

Originally Published November 15, 2021
Filed Under: Delivery Gigs, Spark

About Doug H

Gig economy driver, writer, and expert since 2013. I created Ridesharing Driver to help drivers navigate all of the challenges we face in the on-demand world!

Comments

  1. Mike says

    March 28, 2023 at 6:45 pm

    Problem I had. Listed item can not find. Store had move the item to a different location. Found item later, but could not add back. Need a method to do this. Especially when Walmart is remodeling store. Easy to redo if there is a substitution.

    Reply
  2. Hecc says

    January 20, 2023 at 2:27 pm

    The shopping and delivery using Walmart spark can be great, but no all the time. There is orders where they pay $15 for one or two items. But that’s not all the time. The app has so many glitches when it comes to shopping for a customer. One of many is the random order the app offers you when shopping. And yes you can choose what item you want to choose first, BUT if the item is out of stock, it doesn’t let you pick a substitution(if customer has one). The glitch when it comes to scanning items. You scan the product and for some reason it reads invalid, but if you pick another one of the same thing it scans. Also it doesn’t let you communicate with the customer. You cannot make calls or text. At certain times you can, but not all the time. Also I’ve had orders that pays 35-40 bucks for an XL order. And it’s 6 water cases with 12 boxes of soda, plus groceries. The app should let you know or pay you extra. At times it does but not all the time, why? I have no idea. So readers please don’t be deceived by the guys that wrote that they got paid $40 for a pair of shoes. That does not happen all the time. You gotta earn it, there is stuff out of our control. Also, and by the way I have 4.8 customer rating, I am helpful , friendly and willing to go the extra mile, and still Walmart Spark allow customers to rate us, even when at times some customers have bad intentions. Not all, but some. Like I had a guy that I did a shop and deliver, and dude wanted a receipt, and kindly and patiently I told bro that the order he made was prepaid and sure enough after a few days my rate went down. I wish they took that out.

    Reply
  3. Noela says

    April 4, 2022 at 4:36 am

    I drive for spark it was paying my bills. I truly believe in my area there are too many spark drivers and now they have the employees doing the shopping in store which I was making money doing myself. I will continue to keep my metrics in the green and hope I get some orders otherwise I will have to move on. I do enjoy driving for spark and hope to be able to afford to continue to do so.

    Reply

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