SAN ANTONIO – If the fridge is empty, it might be time to order pizza, or possibly groceries.
The grocery-delivery service Shipt launched in San Antonio on Wednesday in a partnership with H-E-B. The app is the latest new age service of its kind to hit the Alamo City.
Customers pay an annual subscription fee of $99 or a monthly payment of $14. They can order H-E-B or Central Market items on the app that are priced slightly higher than in-store prices or about $5 more for every $35.
As long as the order exceeds $35, the delivery, which is scheduled during a one-hour window, comes at no extra charge.
"It's about the time back you can get to do other things, like spend time with your family, work on something at home, even get in a little bit more time at work," Shipt Community Manager Anne Adams said.
Shipt isn't the only service to offer this kind of convenience. It's just the latest one.
Just weeks ago, Instacart launched in San Antonio, using a different fee structure. Unlike Shipt, which has partnered exclusively with H-E-B and Central Market, Instacart is partnered with H-E-B, Central Market, Whole Foods, Costco, Petco, Spec's and Total Wine.
Amazon's Prime Now delivery service has also been offering some groceries since October.
Austin-based Burpy has been delivering groceries in San Antonio since late 2013, although CEO Aseem Ali doesn't begrudge new competition. The more companies that come to town, he said, the more attention it draws to the fact these services even exist.
"When Instacart launched about a month ago in the San Antonio market, we've seen actually a 10 percent growth for our number of orders in the San Antonio market," he said.
Tech Bloc CEO David Heard said consumer-driven apps, not just grocery delivery but anything that offers a good or service online, are only going to get more popular and their existence in San Antonio is a good barometer of the city's tech ecosystem.
"That's the future," he said. "It's happening in San Antonio. We're not on the leading edge of American cities, but there's growth here and I think it's good news for us."
View the map below to see where Shipt delivers.