Earnings
Spark Shopping vs Curbside Orders
Compare Spark shopping orders and curbside delivery orders from a driver profit and mileage perspective.
Spark drivers may see different types of offers, including shopping and delivery orders and curbside pickup deliveries. The best order type depends on pay, time, miles, store speed, and how the order fits your zone.
Quick answer
Shopping orders can pay well but require more time in-store. Curbside orders can be faster but may involve waiting and more driving. Track pay, miles, and time to know which is better in your market.
Important note
This article is educational only. Spark offer types, pay, and availability can vary by market and time.
How shopping orders differ
Shopping orders usually require the driver to shop for items, checkout as instructed, and deliver to the customer.
They can be profitable when pay is strong, item count is reasonable, and the store is easy to shop.
They can become weak when items are hard to find, substitutions take time, checkout is slow, or the delivery is far away.
How curbside orders differ
Curbside orders usually involve pickup from the store and delivery to one or more customers.
They can be efficient when the store is fast and the route is reasonable.
They can become frustrating when pickup wait time is long or the route sends you far from your preferred zone.
Compare orders by real numbers
Do not compare only payout. Compare payout, miles, time, wait time, item count, apartment risk, and return miles.
A $35 shopping order that takes 90 minutes may not beat a $22 curbside order that takes 30 minutes with fewer miles.
Use your own records to compare order types in your market.
Use notes to compare order types
Use notes to mark whether a shift was mostly shopping, curbside, or mixed.
After a few weeks, you can see which order types are actually working for you.
The goal is to compare real outcomes, not just guess which order type feels better.
Powered by GigMiles
Track your Spark miles before tax season sneaks up on you.
GigMiles helps drivers organize mileage, expenses, earnings, shifts, and tax records in one simple app.
Sources
These sources were used to keep this guide grounded in official or primary information where possible.
- Spark Driver: Types of offers
Official Spark Driver page describing delivery and shopping offers.
- Spark Driver official website
Official Spark Driver website describing shopping, delivering, earning, and flexible offer acceptance.