Why many gig drivers avoid shopping orders—and what retailers and apps could do better.
By Bill W. and Chadᴬᴵ G.
When customers place a grocery order through DoorDash, Uber Eats, or another delivery platform, the shopping part often looks simple. In reality, even a small order can become a surprisingly complex task because of dozens of small sources of friction.
Key Findings
- The biggest challenge is not carrying groceries—it’s finding them efficiently.
- A ten-item order can easily become a thirty-minute shopping trip.
- Many small delays combine into a significant loss of time.
Walmart
- Aisle and section numbers are provided, but many are not clearly marked.
- Sale items are often moved to front displays while normal shelf locations remain empty.
- Employees with handheld devices can locate products quickly, but not every employee has one.
Superstore
- Only broad product categories are usually provided.
- Staffing is often leaner, making assistance harder to find.
- Employees frequently rely on phones or intercoms to reach departments.
App Friction
- Apps require photos of empty shelves but may not remember them during troubleshooting.
- Apps rarely suggest intelligent substitutions.
- DoorDash generally requires customers to add substitutions before shoppers can select them.
- Produce weights require repeated trips to limited scales.
Impact
- Drivers cannot accurately predict how long shopping orders will take.
- Many decline shopping orders because the hidden work is too uncertain.
- Customers may see ‘Unavailable’ when the real issue was the time required to keep searching.
Ideas for Improvement
- Clearly marked aisles and sections.
- Smarter substitution suggestions.
- Better staff communication tools.
- Apps that remember completed troubleshooting steps.
- Customer-facing store maps.
Conclusion
Improving grocery shopping orders is less about making shoppers work faster and more about removing unnecessary friction. Small improvements by retailers and delivery apps could significantly improve the experience for customers and shoppers alike.
