Frequently Asked Questions

Shelvian charges a 12% platform fee on top of the shift rate you set. There are no subscription fees, no retainers, and no charges for unfilled or cancelled shifts (with more than 48 hours notice). You only pay when a shift is completed.

Every shift includes GPS-verified check-in at the store location, timestamped photo uploads, and an AI-powered live transcript of shopper interactions. You receive a complete post-shift report including check-in time, duration, photos, conversation transcripts, and a sentiment summary.

Yes. When you post a shift, you'll receive a list of matched ambassadors sorted by proximity, rating, and category experience. You approve who shows up before anyone is confirmed. You can also invite specific ambassadors you've worked with before.

Shelvian works across all major grocery and specialty food retailers including Whole Foods, Sprouts, Erewhon, H-E-B, Wegmans, Central Market, Bristol Farms, Gelson's, Ralphs, Kroger, and more. Our ambassadors are pre-vetted and familiar with specific retailer compliance requirements.

No minimums. You can post a single shift or run a nationwide 100-store campaign. Shelvian scales to your needs without any contract requirements.

Payouts are processed via Stripe within 24 hours of shift completion and verification. You'll need a Stripe-connected bank account to receive payments. Shelvian retains an 8% platform fee — the shift rate you see is what you'll earn minus that fee.

Required certifications vary by shift. Many food demo shifts require a valid Food Handler certificate or ServSafe certification. You can add your certifications to your profile and they'll be automatically matched to eligible shifts. Shelvian also offers its own ambassador training program to help you qualify for more opportunities.

You can cancel a shift with no penalty more than 24 hours before it starts. Cancellations within 12 hours may result in a rating penalty. No-shows will result in a temporary account suspension. Reliability is a core part of your ambassador rating and affects your access to premium shifts.

Once you check in via the app, the AI assistant begins tracking your shift. It captures key talking points, shopper interactions, and photo submissions in real time. At the end of your shift, you'll submit a brief summary and the AI generates the full report automatically. You don't need to write anything — just do the demo.

Your rating is based on punctuality, shift completion, brand compliance scores, photo quality, and brand feedback. Show up on time, follow the product brief, submit quality photos, and complete the required AI check-ins. Ambassadors with ratings above 4.8 unlock access to higher-paying premium brand campaigns.

Shelvian currently operates in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Austin, Houston, Denver, Miami, Atlanta, Boston, San Francisco, Seattle, and Dallas. We're expanding rapidly — view the full cities list or sign up to be notified when we launch in your area.

You can request account deletion by emailing privacy@shelvian.co. We'll process your request within 30 days. Note that deletion of your account will remove all shift history and ratings.