CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The COVID-19 pandemic changed how people get groceries, increasing the demand for deliveries. Predictions by Capital One Shopping Research indicate that more than half of online grocery sales will be for delivery by 2026.

One Concord resident left her full-time job as a paralegal to join the demand, switching careers to deliver groceries.

What You Need To Know

  • Online grocery deliveries and in-store pickups reached $5.7 billion, according to Grocery Dive

  • The number of consumers shopping for groceries online has increased 72% since before the pandemic, according to a study from Power Reviews

  • Predictions by Capital One Shopping Research indicate that by 2026, more than half of online grocery sales will be for delivery

“I was a paralegal for 13 years. I moved to North Carolina from Columbia, South Carolina, and was just going to do it until I found another paralegal job. Five years later, here I am,” said Jessica Fazio, grocery shopper for Shipt and Instacart.

According to Grocery Dive, online grocery deliveries and in-store pickups reached $5.7 billion this year.

Fazio has seen the change during her time in the business and reached 10,000 deliveries in 2023.

“I always said after I hit my 10,000 deliveries I would start more seriously looking for something else. So eventually I will do it because I've literally only had ten days off so far this year,” Fazio said.

Fazio enjoys the flexibility but said it’s the interactions that keep her in the business.

“My good customers that I really love and that I've built a relationship with because you do hit it off with a few people really well,” said Fazio.

One customer Fazio regularly delivers to puts in an online order almost every week. As a musician, Shirley Gilpin works around the clock composing pieces at home and teaching, but also caring for her husband.

“I’m pretty much with him full time, except in the mornings. I do have help, I have caregivers but that's a very small amount of time for me to get some things done and I don't have time to go to the grocery store in the morning," said Gilpin.

Gilpin saves time by getting her groceries delivered through Shipt. The number of consumers shopping for groceries online has increased 72% compared to before the pandemic, according to a survey from Power Reviews.

“It just is fabulous to be able to just make a list, you know, get on my iPad, and then Jessica [Fazio] usually gets my order. so I've just been using that ever since,” Gilpin said.

According to Grocery Dive, grocery sales are predicted to grow up to $148 billion this year, representing 15.3% of the total grocery market.