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grocery shopping

Posted: Dec 29, 2009

I am just wondering about an idea I have had and wanted some feedback to see if it a workable plan in your mind.

I am thinking of starting to be a personal shopper for people for their groceries and household items. I am thinking that I can make money this way by taking their shopping lists and buying the groceries using coupons and then they still just pay their grocery bill and I make my money by whatever coupons I can come up with toward their orders.

What do you think? Would people be interested in letting me buy their groceries and deliver to them if it is not going to cost them a single penny out of pocket and they gain their time back or am I just having fanciful ideas?

Any feedback would be appreciated!

;

I would hire you in a heartbeat - OCD

[ In Reply To ..]
I HATE grocery shopping.

I wait until we are Mother-Hubbarding it around here and I absolutely have to go, then it ends up taking me two hours and costing a fortune in one whack instead of that expense being spread out.

I tried online and having it delivered but that didn't work well to my specs.

I would even be willing to pay you a fee for doing it.

There are people all over the place that hire for this - and that, me being one of them

[ In Reply To ..]
I would rather work and hire housekeeper than do it myself and that I do. I think your idea is good. People do not have the time (or want to take the time like me) to clean, cook, shop, etc. Your idea is fine.

My thoughts - RubySoho

[ In Reply To ..]
I lived in a small coastal town that had a small family-owned grocery store, along with the a couple of the larger chain grocery stores.

The smaller store was maybe 1-2% higher on their prices than the chain stores. However, they offered phone-in and delivery of groceries. If you called by 10 a.m. with your grocery list (or faxed it over by 10 a.m.), they would deliver your order between 3-3:30 p.m.

I lived in a third floor walkup, and not only did they deliver my groceries, they carried all of the heavy boxes up all of those stairs into my dining room, unboxed everything, and after the first couple of deliveries, even began to help me put things away.

The charge for this? NADA.

I always gave the delivery person a very generous tip, as I was working 3 jobs and what I saved on time was priceless to him.

TRY IT...I think if you advertise it right, people will happy to utilize your service, and probably tip you nicely.

Try it! - love to shop

[ In Reply To ..]
Personally, I wouldn't hire you because I'm one of those strange birds who loves to grocery shop, find deals with coupons, and then cook for hours on end. So, maybe I should work for you if your business booms and you need to hire help!

However, I do think that there is definitely a segment of the population who would hire you. Most people who would consider a shopper in this situation are not coupon users, so they wouldn't mind letting you keep the difference. I know that when I shop, I usually save $30 or more dollars on my average order. If you can do that or better in an hour's trip at the grocery store, that's not bad.

A little bit of advice. I have a business degree and used to consult for a Small Business Development Center. You should come up with a business plan, a road map for how you will do this, what your goals are, how much it will cost you, estimates on what you may make. If you so an internet search for the US Small Business Administration, you may find that there is even a Small Business Development Center in your area. I worked for them back in the early 1980s, and at that time, consulting was done for free. The people who came in were folks like you; people who had good ideas but needed to develop them into actual businesses that made a profit. Your chances of making this idea work for you are greatly increased if you develop a business plan. I would think that this sort of service would not require a whole lot of start-up cash... maybe some local advertising, printing of business cards, etc. So your risk shouldn't be that great. I say, give it a try!

And don't underestimate your expenses and time. For each order, you will have to spend time searching for and organizing coupons. Be sure to estimate your fuel costs, and wear and tear on your vehicle. You'll need to keep careful track of your finances for your tax return. Also, you should find out about your local laws regarding business licenses and sales tax. In my state, nearly every service except accounting and legal services, are subject to sales tax. I had to charge sales tax for transcription services back when I had my own business.

Definitely check into the Small Business Development Centers. They could help you quite a bit.

anon - Betti

[ In Reply To ..]
I wonder how much money you could possibly make? I use coupons when I shop and save 5 - $15 dollars at a time, shop for about 1 1/2 hours... How many shopping trips are you going to make in a day? How much you gonna spend on GAS?

You should charge a flat rate per trip per customer THEN your coupon profit.

p.s. In my town that's what they do and it's a very competitive market, especially with the high school kids. Home caretakers do it also. Research the need for this service in your town, send out feelers gauging the viability of such a business and then see what people are willing to pay. I think you're going to find that unless you charge a flat rate and plan on doing A LOT of shopping, you're not going to make that much.

I would totally pay someone 10.00 or more - Gumby

[ In Reply To ..]
to shop for me weekly (this includes grocery store and the Dollar General store). I HATE shopping; however, I LOVE cooking. As a result, I would have very specific items and brands on my list that may seem out of the norm, but then again, some items that can be whatever brand and I wouldn't care.

I suggest getting really familiar with your area grocery stores and Dollar stores. I would imagine that just as it is with MT'ing, time is money.

Good luck!!

Do it! - siren

[ In Reply To ..]
Definitely give it a try. There is no money out of your pocket for start up just the fuel for your vehicle. I have a friend who has literally supported his family by doing this for the past 20 some years. He also has a band, but of course, the income there is iffy. He has flyers up at our local grocery stores, meat market, K-Mart, etc. Then it is word of mouth. I, like others, would definitely hire you to do this. I hate grocery shopping, and there are times when time is limited. What are ya out?

Me again! - siren

[ In Reply To ..]
An addendum. My friend uses his time wisely too. He has all those that are his regular customers on a regular schedule; so, he may pick up groceries for 3 to 4 customers at a time. Of course, he has a van for pickup and delivery. He even shops for our high school home economics class and for banquets etc for the schools. It has been a very good business for him. I run in to him a lot when I grocery shop. All the employees know him by name -- hee hee. He walks in and a store employee walks out with him to his van to get boxes out, which he then leaves at the front of the store. He checks out, loads up, and delivers.

What do I think? - Vikefantam

[ In Reply To ..]
I'd hire you yesterday. To avoid the hassles of snow, rain, cold, crowds, traffic, etc. etc. etc. to have someone buy my groceries and deliver them? Heck, I'd meet you at your car and carry them in myself (unless you like being molested by pugs). And I'd leave you with a nice tip. What about the cost of your gas, though?

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