Cornershop App Review: Is it Better Than Instacart?

Over the past year and a half, last-mile delivery services have seen an explosion in demand and there are many great gig jobs for workers to choose from. Today, we are featuring Cornershop by Uber, a grocery delivery service that is expanding rapidly in the United States. If you’re ready to give it a try, sign up to shop with Cornershop here.

According to our latest Uber driver survey, over 50% of gig workers are driving for more than one app these days. So it’s no surprise that drivers are constantly looking for a new platform that offers better pay with the same flexibility they get from Uber, Lyft and other food delivery companies.

Cornershop by Uber is one of the newest options, and they specialize in grocery delivery. The company debuted in 2015 in Latin America, and is now expanding quickly into the United States. In this Cornershop app review, we will cover what delivering with Cornershop is like and how you can earn more.

This post is sponsored by Cornershop but, as always, opinions are our own.

Quick summary:

  • Cornershop by Uber is a new on-demand grocery delivery service expanding rapidly in the United States
  • Sign up with Cornershop here
  • Shoppers like Cornershop because there are less miles put on your vehicle, no face to face passenger interaction and customers tip well for quality service.

Brief Background of Cornershop

Cornershop started out as an on-demand grocery delivery service in Latin America, specifically Santiago, Chile and Mexico City, Mexico in 2015.

In 2019, a majority stake of Cornershop was acquired by Uber as the San Francisco-based technology company looked to boost its last-mile delivery options.

Cornershop by Uber takes customers’ grocery and specialty store (think butcher shops, seafood merchants, etc.) orders, and then sends those orders to a shopper for shopping and delivery.

cornershop reviewIn May 2020, Cornershop entered the US market, beginning with operations in Dallas and Miami. Cornershop is now available in Miami, NYC, Dallas, Washington DC, North Jersey, New Orleans, Houston, Austin, Orlando, Tampa and Jacksonville with plans to expand to other major metros across the US soon.

In fact, Cornershop will soon be launching in San Francisco, so make sure to stay tuned and sign up with Cornershop when they are live in SF!

If you live in one of the cities above, now is your time to sign up with Cornershop! We’ll get into the benefits and strategies to earn more with Cornershop below, but if you:

  • Want to earn money on your own schedule
  • Need to stay within a certain area (less driving and a more predictable schedule!)
  • Prefer grocery shopping to rideshare driving

Cornershop is an excellent opportunity. And as always, here at RSG, we recommend you sign up with multiple gig work apps just to make sure you’re consistently earning while on the road. When one app gets quiet, you can hop on another one, make some money, and choose the best gigs for you.

Signing Up for Cornershop

Ready to get started with Cornershop? Signing up is easy!

You can sign up to shop and deliver for Cornershop here. The homepage will pop up and ask you to sign up:

cornershop review

From there, it will prompt you to fill out information such as your city, locality, your vehicle of choice (newer than 1999), and later name, and email:

cornershop review

cornershop review

The next steps in the process are adding a profile picture, uploading images of my driver’s license, proof of work eligibility, vehicle insurance and proof of insurance to upload:

cornershop review

Shopping for Cornershop

Recently, we spoke with Dallas-based Cornershop delivery driver, David, about his experience shopping and delivering with Cornershop. Cornershop is not the first delivery service David has worked with, so he was familiar with the sign-up and delivery process.

Overall, David shared he enjoys driving for Cornershop. When it became available in David’s market, he received a message telling him to check out Cornershop as another way to earn money.

“It has fit my schedule decently well,” said David of Cornershop. He started delivering for them about three months ago.

“In the DFW area, it’s 90 to 95% groceries,” explained David.

When comparing Cornershop to Uber driving, David said, “You kind of need to stay within a certain area. Uber can take you sort of far away. Cornershop is staying within a smaller area.”

“I enjoy doing it,” he said. “I didn’t know groceries as much, but I sure learned them. It’s fun, especially if I’ve gotten to know a little understanding of where things are. Big jobs are nice, as well as, at certain times of the day they’ll give multipliers to make more money.”

Earnings with Cornershop

When it comes to earnings, David acknowledges the app is still new and requests can fluctuate weekly and even daily. David said he earns roughly a few hundred dollars per week with Cornershop. As Cornershop has become more known in his area, he’s noticed an increase in demand in his market for it.

One benefit of Cornershop David has found? Roughly half of Cornershop customers leave tips, which is more than typically do for rideshare driving.

On the job board site Indeed.com, it says that drivers for Cornershop report earning an average of $16.43 an hour. On Glassdoor, drivers have reported earning around $18 an hour, though it is unclear if this is before or after expenses such as gas and car maintenance.

SimplyHired.com gives a range from $8.25-$24.75 an hour for Cornershop delivery drivers, with the average around $16.50 an hour. Your earnings will vary depending on where you drive and how busy you are with Cornershop orders.

When I signed up for Cornershop, they said, “The following is considered for the calculation of your commissions: $0.50 per product, $0.65 per mile, in addition to the total weight and a base for accepting one or more orders.”

cornershop review

Courier Strategies for Shopping for Cornershop

“Do a few and you’ll get to learn the stores,” said David. “Then you’ll start getting to know if that’s something you want to do. I would say, compared to Uber, Cornershop is a lot more walking, a lot more picking and maybe not as many miles on the car.”

David said, “Of the apps that I have done, Cornershop is the only one that has given me a call out of the blue thanking me for my driving and pointing out the good things that I’m doing that they are hearing about, as well as suggesting a couple of things that I can do differently. Which is pretty amazing to me.”

“I would never be able to make a living doing it and nothing else,” David admitted. “And sure, any of them have their challenges, but it has been a good addition for me.”

The main takeaways for Cornershop in 2021? Until customer demand increases, Cornershop will need to be one of many delivery apps you work for, unless you simply want to deliver with Cornershop casually. Don’t expect Cornershop to make up the bulk of your earnings right now.

However, you’ll drive a lot less with Cornershop requests, helping you beat those rising gas prices, and if you like grocery delivery, you’ll quickly get to know the stores in your market.

FAQs: Cornershop App Review

Is Cornershop owned by Uber?

Yes, as of 2019, Cornershop is owned by Uber.

How does Cornershop work?

Cornershop is very similar to Instacart. Customers can order products through the Cornershop app, check out, and then those shopping requests are sent to Cornershop delivery drivers. Simply accept the requests that work for you and get shopping!

cornershop app review

What stores use Cornershop?

According to the Cornershop app, the following stores are available through Cornershop: Albersons, Winn-Dixie, Tom Thumb, Randalls, Fiesta Mart, Fresco y Más, Westside Market, Gristedes, The Body Shop, Sedanos, Morton Williams and more.

How much does Cornershop pay drivers/couriers?

Cornershop drivers earn $16-18 an hour.

Do Cornershop drivers keep their tips?

Cornershop drivers keep 100% of their tips.

Have you heard of Cornershop? Would you try the Cornershop app out when it comes to your market?

-Paula @ RSG