Uber Eats Launches Shop for Me in Five Cities

The service lets users have a shopper buy items from any nearby store, including stores not listed on the Uber Eats app.

Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in Retail

Uber Eats Launches Shop for Me in Five Cities

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Would you pay someone to shop in-store for you through an app?

Uber Eats has launched Shop for Me in San Francisco, New York City, Phoenix, Dallas and Tampa. The service lets users request items from any store in their area, with a shopper paying in-store prices and delivering the goods to the user's door.

Why it matters

The feature extends Uber Eats beyond restaurant and partner-store delivery into general retail errands, making items from stores not on the app accessible through a single order. It reflects a broader push by delivery platforms to capture everyday shopping rather than only food orders.

Shop for Me launches in five initial cities and provides access to thousands of stores, with orders canceled if users do not respond within five minutes. The announcement does not disclose adoption figures or revenue expectations for the feature.

The players

Uber Eats

Uber Eats is the food and goods delivery platform operated by Uber Technologies, which connects customers with restaurants and retailers.

The details

Users open the Uber Eats app, tap the Shop for Me icon, select a store and describe the items they want, including color, price point, fit and size. The shopper sends a photo of each item and buys only what the user approves, with refunds available if the user requests one or does not respond in time.

Timeline

  1. April of the prior year: Uber revealed Shop for Me at its Go-Get product event.

  2. Tuesday, November 10: Shop for Me rolled out to five cities.

Market Landscape

Shop for Me extends the personal-shopper model that Instacart popularized, letting users request items from any store rather than a fixed partner list. The move places Uber Eats more directly against grocery and errand-delivery competitors in the same urban markets.

Shoppers in the five launch cities can now pay for items from any nearby store through Uber Eats, with the shopper charging in-store prices plus delivery. Users should approve each item in the five-minute window to avoid a canceled order.

The takeaway

Shop for Me shows delivery apps moving from restaurant meals toward general retail, which may change how shoppers use them for everyday errands. Users who try it should respond quickly to item photos to avoid cancellations.

Further reading

For more on how delivery platforms are reshaping shopping, see Retail coverage.

Source note: This article includes information reported by WWD.

Live Poll

Would you pay someone to shop in-store for you through an app?