The past few months have been challenging, as COVID-19 upended the way we work, shop and connect, and we began to adapt to the economic hardships and emotional toll of living in this new reality.

And most recently, our nation is gripped by the aftermath of the tragic death of George Floyd, compounding the trauma of decades of acts of violence against African Americans.

With these events occurring across the nation, including places I have and do call home, we are all connected to this upheaval. But regardless of where you are, these tragedies, and the emotions they evoke, affect all of us.

There is no place for racial injustice in our world today. We believe that all of us can make a difference, and for us, that starts with our own backyard.

And that starts with looking at ourselves: as a company, we must do more. When I became Shipt's CEO, I set a 50% diversity goal in every hiring pool - meaning interviews don't start until we have both a qualified and diverse candidate pool. And while we have much more work to do, we've already seen that commitment lead to greater diversity at every level of the company, including our executive team. We have to lead by example.

Our customers and Shipt Shoppers have given us a platform, and we choose to use that platform for good in the midst of this time. I'd like to share the action Shipt is taking to support this movement, in an effort to encourage others within the retail industry to do the same.

  • Protecting our people. Shipt Shoppers are on the front lines, and it's imperative that we do everything we can to ensure their safety. Shipt is suspending service or altering service availability in areas of unrest or curfew to protect its shopper community.
  • Listening to our people. As a company, we owe it to our team members to provide a safe environment in which our people can express their concerns and ask the hard questions. Throughout the last few days, we've conducted virtual listening sessions. The more we listen, the more we learn. And the more we're equipped to do better.
  • Putting our money where our mouth is. Words are important, but we've felt compelled to support organizations already doing great work in this area, as well. Shipt is donating $150,000 to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) at the national level and to the Alabama affiliate in support of their ongoing efforts to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to all people in this country, and specifically to their racial justice work. Additionally, we will be matching the donations of our team members and shoppers to several organizations working towards change in our nation today.

As a delivery service, we must continue to do what we do best: bring the store to our customers' door quickly, safely, and efficiently. But we must do more. We must listen to and amplify the voices of those doing the work. We must identify ways to support underserved communities. We must continue to increase diversity at all levels of our business.

We are listening, we are learning, and we are committed to doing good. We encourage our peers to join us.

We're in this together.