How To Launch A Grocery Shopping Service For Seniors

How to Launch a Grocery Shopping Service for Seniors

by

Chris Winslow

With almost 40 million seniors now over 65 and increasing by 10,000 per day, the need for senior service businesses is increasing quickly. Among the best and most popular senior services is a grocery buying service. Many seniors are homebound because of health or medical conditions or unable to drive. They need assistance with everyday errands, like shopping for groceries.

Combine that with the results of a recent national survey that found 60 % of consumers rated grocery shopping as one of the two least-liked chores, and you’ve got the recipe for an ideal business. Still, who prefers to wait in long lines or face congested stores and parking lots when you can simply pick up the phone and have someone do it for you. That’s why a grocery shopping business offers a valuable service to seniors or anyone short on time. So long as you have a reliable vehicle with room for groceries, a mobile phone and a personal computer for emails, the cost of starting a grocery shopping service is almost nothing – just a few dollars for flyers and business cards to let potential customers know about your business. Megan Ross began a grocery shopping service for seniors in the Seattle area five years ago as a part of her senior errand service. A single mom with two kids, Megan likes the independence and freedom of providing grocery shopping and errand services for local seniors, in addition to the satisfaction of helping seniors who genuinely appreciate her. She was amazed at how fast the word spread from each satisfied client to their friends. “One day, I was running errands for 3 seniors, and within a month, there were 32! And they all say they do don’t know how they got by before they found me.” Here are a few ideas for starting your own grocery shopping service: 1. Use a simple grocery shopping agreement to spell out the details, such as the cost of each trip, how to order, any payment, where to put groceries if client is not home et cetera. You’ll find a complete agreement in the forms section of How to Start a Profitable Senior Errand Service. 2. Pass out a several copies of a simple list to each client, divided into the sections found at most supermarkets, including produce, baked goods, meat, breakfast cereals, dairy, frozen foods, etc.. This makes it easier for them call to mind all the items they want you to buy. 3. Take the time to sit down with each new client before the first shopping trip to discuss personal preferences, such as brands, sizes and other details. Take notes, and keep this information handy when you’re shopping. 4. Put together a supply of re-useable shopping bags in different colors so, when you are purchasing for several clients at once, each client’s groceries are color-coded to prevent mix-ups. 5. Purchase each client’s groceries separately and get a duplicate receipt – one for the client and one for your files. 6. Carry your cell phone on every trip so you can call a client if an item on their list is not available, or not the size or brand they prefer, or not within their budget. Eventually, you’ll have a good idea of each client’s personal preferences. 7. Be firm about supplemental charges. Your time is income, and you do don’t need to wast it running from store to store to please a picky customer. If you ca can’t get an item at your regular store, charge for the extra time to go elsewhere. 8. Have a printed rate card so your clients know what the cost of a shopping trip will be. The most common is a standard fee to cover your vehicle expenses, $ 8 – $ 12 per order, for instance, plus a commission on the order total. A 15 % commission is typical. 9. Count on carrying a large cooler so cold or frozen foods stay that way until you reach the client’s home. Be sure someone will be there to put the groceries away, or have your client make other arrangements, such as a hidden key or a neighbor. It’s ideal to have a client home when you arrive with the groceries, as you’ll also have to get paid. Beginning a grocery shopping service, especially when combined with a senior errand service, can be your ticket to a successful part-time or full-time business with a low start-up cost and flexible hours. To learn more, read How to Start a Start a Profitable Senior Errand Service.

To learn more, read How to Start a Start a Profitable Senior Errand Service, available at: http://seniorerrandservice.com There, you can also subscribe for a free mini-course to help you start your own service.

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How to Launch a Grocery Shopping Service for Seniors