Side Hustle Spotlight: Personal Shopper

Blog | December 9th, 2021

Personal shopping is a great way to bring in some extra income. If you’re someone who enjoys running errands, excels at tackling a shopping list at the grocery store, and wants to make cash on the side, personal shopping might be the perfect side hustle for you.

Hiring someone to put together the grocery cart and bring it right to their car or doorstep saves them time and energy–and puts money in your pocket. Many people rely on the assistance of a personal shopper to help complete their weekly errands, and this is true now more than ever.

Being a personal shopper has a lot of flexibility. You can usually set your own schedule and wear whatever you want (forget stuffy uniforms!). There are dozens of businesses and service-based apps you can use to dive right into personal shopping today.

Some apps focus on groceries only, while other apps include other home goods or specialty items. This article will outline what you can expect as you get ready to take on this new venture.

How to Get Started

Getting started is easy and begins with finding out what apps or brands support personal shoppers in your area. The more popular options in your area are more likely to have a larger customer base, meaning more opportunities for you to earn and a higher likelihood of support from the app in case you run into any issues.

Some great services to look into are Instacart, Shipt, Curated, and Dumpling, to name a few. Grocery delivery opportunities can be especially lucrative around Christmas or other holidays when people are buying more ingredients for big meals and making emergency purchases for items they forgot to stock up on. There may be other local options in your area, so be sure to do your research to determine which service will best match what you’re looking for.

Training and Certifications

There is no specific training that is required to become a personal shopper. This is great news because it means as long as you meet the specifications outlined in the application, you can start earning in no time!

Rather than a specialized certificate or training program, most of the personal shopper apps share some basic parameters.

To be a personal shopper, you’ll need:

To be at least 18 years of age
A valid U.S. driver’s license and auto insurance

A reliable vehicle (some apps specify that it should be 1997 or newer)
An iPhone (iOS 10 or newer) or Android (5.1 or newer) smartphone
To pass a background check

Knowledge of produce and meat selection
The ability to lift up to 40 pounds

Make sure to bear these expectations in mind as you consider the application process.

Expected Return

Once you’ve submitted your application and passed your interview, you’ll download the app and login as an official personalized shopper. Congratulations! Now you can start raking in that side hustle cash.

Research shows that, on average, personal shoppers make around $12.24 per hour, and a range of annual pay is reported from $22,000 to $32,000.

How much you earn is going to depend on a few factors, including your location and how many orders you complete. Keep in mind, you are an independent contractor in this role, so be sure to tuck away the appropriate percentage of your earnings for taxes.

When your customers leave tips, you get to keep 100% of that money for most apps, so be sure to find ways you can go above and beyond to make your customers delighted.