Spark Drivers Deliver From More Than Walmart

Spark delivery drivers are independent contractors who deliver for Spark. While most delivery drivers know that Walmart is the developer and owner of Spark, they wrongfully assume that all deliveries will be from Walmart. We’ll discuss what to expect from Walmart deliveries as well as the many other stores from which Spark drivers deliver.

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Walmart developed Spark as its own delivery platform. Over the years Walmart has used several delivery platforms to deliver from its stores including DoorDash, Uber Eats, Uber Connect, Roadie, and a few localized companies such as Point Pickup. Walmart stores still use some of these delivery platforms but the main focus is on Spark.

Spark originally hired drivers as independent contractors through Delivery Drivers Inc, or DDI. Once DDI successfully proved that it could handle the volume of deliveries Walmart puts out, Walmart acquired DDI and gradually morphed everything into the Spark app. Spark Drivers now work independently for Walmart. At the end of the year your 1099 will come from Walmart, Inc.

In some areas it takes months to become a Spark driver due to a waiting list of other drivers hoping to join the platform. There are posts in several social media Spark driver groups from members who claim they’ve been on the waiting list for months. In other areas, drivers are accepted almost immediately and can start delivering as soon as they complete the onboarding process.

As a warning that it might take months for an opening in your area, Spark mentions the following¹: “While your information is being processed and openings in your zone are being confirmed, you can visit your account to review your status. Once your zone opens, you’ll get an email and a text message with information on how to get started on the Spark Driver app.” We italicized the notable words. Openings in your zone are being confirmed? Once your zone opens? Obviously Spark doesn’t want you knowing if there’s a waiting list for your zone until after you apply.

Writing this article is somewhat difficult because Walmart is currently making major changes to Spark. Base pay is dropping again. Walmart recently lowered the recommended customer tip from 10% to 8%. Drivers immediately noticed the drop in earnings. On average a full-time driver is receiving $150 less per week in tips and upwards of $100 per week less base pay. For us Admins to say that two of us made over $2,000 last week may be moot and outdated since this week we’re earning considerably less.

To be clear, we are PRO-Spark. It’s a great gig and currently one of the highest paying platforms. Several of us Admins do Spark, either full-time, part-time, or an occasional general merchandise batch. An average general merchandise can put a quick $70-$80 in your pocket in just a couple hours.

Advance Auto Parts

Some deliveries from Advance Auto Parts are the absolutely best paying deliveries on Spark!!! Unfortunately, Advance Auto also uses DoorDash and Uber Eats for delivery, so it’s rare to see one on Spark. An average delivery going less than 10 miles usually pays in the $30 range.

Advance Auto Parts deliveries are usually pickup ASAP and they’re Express orders. The customer needs the part NOW and is paying extra for the service. These deliveries will start surging within minutes. It’s not unusual for AAP delivery to surge from $16 to $35 in less than 30 minutes. If the delivery doesn’t surge right away then it’s not an Express delivery and probably won’t go up a cent.

The best advice we can give if you’re hoping to snag Advance Auto deliveries is to be as close to the store as possible. They will go out as a Round Robin offer to the driver closest to the store. Some Spark drivers who primarily do Walmart deliveries never see offers from Advance Auto because they’re in the Walmart parking lot and nowhere near Advance Auto.

CosmoProf

As a general rule deliveries from CosmoProf don’t pay squat. The average base pay is $7 and there’s almost never a tip. You’ll be picking up beauty supplies and delivering them to either a salon or to a hairdresser’s home address, which conveniently also has a salon. Since the pandemic, many hairdressers have opened their own salons so they work at their own place and never have to leave home.

GameStop

GameStop deliveries usually fall into the category of “are they serious?” Most of the deliveries pay a flat $7 with no tip. The pay does increase with mileage, same as almost every gig. GameStop usually ships from the closest store that has the item(s) in stock. It’s not unusual to see a GameStop delivery to be picked up in one city and delivered to another city that has its own GameStop.

During new releases of gaming consoles or new games, keep an eye open for GameStop deliveries. Other than Christmas when everyone is feeling generous, serious gamers tend to tip considerably more when new releases come out. You might get lucky and catch a $50 tip for delivering the latest release of the customer’s favorite game.

Sally Beauty Supply

Deliveries from Sally Beauty Supply are the same as CosmoProf. The biggest difference is that Sally Beauty Supply deliveries usually go to homes. You might have one or two go to a salon but the majority will be to individual customers. Don’t expect to see many deliveries from these stores. The base pay is almost always $7 and there’s rarely a tip.

Sam’s Club

If you’re lucky enough to live near a Sam’s Club consider yourself in a Golden Zone. You’re probably in one of the highest earning Spark zones in your area. Just make sure you view every item in the list. That’s a joke because Sam’s Club doesn’t list most of the items. If you’re lucky you’ll see the number of items, dimensions, and total weight of the entire order.

Sam’s Club deliveries are usually batches of 2 or 3 separate deliveries. If you’ve been to a Sam’s Club you know how huge some of the items can be. To make bank every day you’ll need an SUV or pickup truck. Many of the “items’ will be cases, not individual items. For Walmart you might deliver 3 cans of corn. From Sam’s Club you’ll be delivering an entire case. And that’s considered one single item!

The good thing about Spark is you can change your zone any time you want. If you’re feeling lucky and have a Sam’s Club nearby, switch to that zone and give it a try. It’s not unusual for Spark drivers to travel an hour just to deliver from Sam’s Club. Of course, if the club is in a poor area then you probably won’t receive many tips. No tip – no trip!

Sherwin-Williams

Deliveries from Sherwin-Williams are few and far between. If you see one, be sure to check the items in the delivery! Usually the deliveries go to a customer or perhaps a contractor. Occasionally you’ll be moving paint from one Sherwin-Williams location to another. Those are usually a pain in the butt. I once took a delivery for $330 that I thought was 16 gallons of paint. There were 16 items but they were 5-gallon buckets of paint going to a Sherwin-Williams warehouse in one of the most dangerous areas I’ve ever encountered. Total weight was nearly 1,200 pounds.

The Home Depot

Home Depot was the first national chain to join the Walmart delivery platform. The Home Depot officially announced its partnership with Walmart in October 2021². Walmart also operates a delivery service called GoLocal, which Home Depot is part of. Walmart describes GoLocal as “our white-label, delivery-as-a-service offering. Through Walmart GoLocal, drivers on the Spark Driver platform make deliveries for other leading retailers³.”

Spark Home Depot deliveries can be super easy or insanely heavy. Super easy usually means the delivery doesn’t pay squat. The best paying gigs usually require a large SUV or pickup truck. You could be picking up a single small item such as a pair of work gloves or pack of toilet paper. During the spring you can expect to see lots of deliveries for potting soil. During the summer you’ll see 50-pound bags of mulch and even gas grills. By clicking on the items list you’ll be able to see exactly what’s in the order.

Home Depot deliveries are tricky if you don’t watch the pickup time. In most zones the orders are released at :15 but can’t be picked up until :55. That means you’ll have to sit around for 40 minutes before you can even start the pickup. This is the sole reason why most drivers won’t take a Home Depot order unless it can be picked up ASAP.

In our opinion some Spark Home Depot orders are the best paying gigs available. A small order going only a few miles usually pays a flat $7. The same tiny order going 30 miles might pay $35+. The money is in the mileage. The further the delivery goes, the more the pay increases. Batched deliveries also pay considerably more than single deliveries, primarily because of the mileage. Below is a screenshot of a recent Home Depot order one of our Admins did.

Walmart

If you’re doing Spark, Walmart deliveries will most likely be your bread and butter. After all, Walmart owns Spark and has the most deliveries by far. During an average day Sparking, you’ll see 97% Walmart deliveries, 2% Home Depot, and 1% from other stores.

Spark Walmart deliveries have a lengthy learning curve. We’ve devoted a separate article just to Walmart deliveries through Spark. See our detailed article on Walmart Spark Deliveries – The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.

Source¹: Spark Driver – Enrolling on the Spark Driver Platform

Source²: Home Depot Partnerships News

Source³: Walmart Corporate

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