| -- End Ad Box ---> | | | | Note: Use card sized flyers for low cost advertising. |
| Vital Information: | | | | Pay kids to deliver them. |
| Start-up Investment: | | | | Choosing Customers for your Grocery Shopping |
| Low - $2000 (advertising costs) | | | | Business |
| High - $20,000 (includes a van) | | | | You will want to target your potential area carefully. |
| Break-even time Two week to one year | | | | Look for affluent neighborhoods where both spouses |
| Estimate of Annual Revenue and Profit: Revenue | | | | are working, neighborhoods populated by executives, |
| $15,000 - $1 million (solo at low end, with employees at | | | | Computer programmers....Foster/Adult care Homes. |
| high end) | | | | Note: Get your hands on a Cole's Directory. Often, |
| Profit (Pre-tax ) $12,000 - $500,000 | | | | you'll find them in your local Library. You can also lease |
| Food for Thought (and Profit) | | | | them directly from Cole's. Anyhow, within the Cole's |
| In this age of two-income families, it is a rarity to find a | | | | Directory, you can look up addresses within it. The |
| woman who has time to manage both her career and | | | | Beauty is that Cole's lists the average income for the |
| her home with the finesse that she would like. | | | | particular neighborhood. Advertising your Home Based |
| As the number of frozen meals and fast food | | | | Grocery Business |
| restaurants multiply, families are becoming increasingly | | | | You can either hire kids to hand deliver the flyers in the |
| dependent on them. | | | | specified neighborhoods or utilize bulk mail to send your |
| Consequently, people are consuming substantial | | | | flyers to a particular zip code. |
| amounts of "empty calories". The result? ... obesity. | | | | I've paid kids .05 cents per door. Neighborhood |
| Another? Children with behavioral problems. | | | | newspapers and pennysavers are often an |
| On the flip side, people are becoming more aware of | | | | economical place to advertise. |
| the value of "whole foods" as opposed to | | | | You might want to speak with the management at the |
| prepackaged. | | | | supermarket you plan to utilize to see if you can post |
| Not only families with busy parents use "Personal | | | | a notice in the store on the bulletin board or pass out |
| Grocery Shoppers, but executives use them also. | | | | brochures or flyers in the parking lot or at the door of |
| With technology advancing as rapidly as it is... | | | | the sore. |
| executives are increasingly required to produce more | | | | Continue to be warm and friendly but don't confuse |
| projects given the same amount of time. They simply | | | | this with friendship development. In other words, don't |
| don't have the time to go to the grocery store and | | | | make it a habit to hang around too long after your job |
| carefully choose healthy foods. | | | | is done. Keep it light, warm and professional. Don't |
| Don't forget about the elderly and those with physical | | | | become their psychologist. |
| challenges. Many Senior's as well as others who are | | | | Once you've developed trust, ask for referrals. You |
| physically challenged require "Grocery Shopping" | | | | can design a referral program too. |
| services. | | | | Other than advertising costs, the only start-up cost you |
| Also, consider Adult Family Homes and Foster Homes. | | | | will really need is a vehicle (a roomy station wagon or |
| Often, it is difficult for care providers to schedule in | | | | van) that can accommodate your orders. |
| time to grocery shop. | | | | Other Business Considerations |
| I've learned that with both Adult Family Homes as well | | | | If you don't have such a vehicle and money is tight, |
| as with Foster Homes, that the care provider's are | | | | you can explore the possibility of leasing one. If you |
| required to have a liscenced person remain with clients | | | | lease an automobile under your business name, you |
| in the event that the care provider needs to leave the | | | | can write the monthly payments off. Of course you |
| home...Obviously, a hidden cost. | | | | don't have to concern yourself with auto repair |
| Keep in mind that there are NUMEROUS Adult Family | | | | hassles...by leasing. |
| Homes and Foster Homes that are run by couples as | | | | As business picks up, consider adding coolers to keep |
| well as singles. Contrary to popular thought, most of | | | | perishables on ice so that you can lengthen your |
| these homes are small operations. | | | | delivery route. |
| You can contract with Foster Homes and Adult Family | | | | Another thought... turn your baseme or extra bedroom |
| Homes and do the shopping for them. | | | | into warehouse so you can stock high profit bulky |
| How can you Cash in on the Grocery Shopping | | | | items like sodas or disposable diapers. |
| Business? | | | | This way you can purchase in quantity from a |
| Grocery shopping is one of the newest and potentially | | | | wholesaler or food warehouse, increasing your profits. |
| lucrative services now being offered to the American | | | | Designing your Grocery Shopping Business |
| consumer. Why not capitalize on this ever increasing | | | | Some shopping services ask their customers to place |
| industry? | | | | orders on a regimented schedule; one each week or |
| Who, What, Where... | | | | every ten days. |
| There are many different types of grocery-shopping | | | | It's also common that customers are requested to |
| services popping up all over the country. Some are | | | | check off their items on a pre-printed shopping list. You |
| attached to large supermarket chains; a division of the | | | | can design the list so that "Produce" is in one section, |
| parent company or someone leasing space as a | | | | "Meats" in another, and so on. |
| concession. | | | | This method guarantees a minimum number of orders |
| At the other end of the spectrum are homemakers, | | | | per week and allows for long range scheduling. |
| singles, and college students who Earn a living by doing | | | | Other services are more flexible by allowing |
| the grocery shopping for others. | | | | customers to "call in" to order on as-needed basis. This |
| Benefits To Owning A Home Based Grocery | | | | method maybe harder to schedule but could pull in |
| Business | | | | more business because of increased frequency or |
| · A Home Based Grocery Business allows for a | | | | impulse buying. |
| flexable work schedule. · Can be performed...even if | | | | Because it is not a very good idea to carry a lot of |
| you have young children. | | | | cash around with you, it may be a good idea for your |
| · Opportunity to meet people | | | | company to pay for the order as you purchase them |
| · Low start up | | | | and then collect a check from your customers upon |
| · Low overhead | | | | delivery. |
| · Simple | | | | You will probably want to choose one particular |
| · Lucrative | | | | supermarket in which to do all your shopping. Not only |
| No matter what form the service takes, the | | | | do you become familiar with the location of all the |
| opportunities can be mind-boggling. Even the single | | | | items you need, but you can become familiar with the |
| enterprising shopper can make a good living for the | | | | store's personnel. A friendly "hello" how are you", may |
| next dozen years or so... until supermarket chains | | | | be the little boost you need to be able to get the best |
| catch on... | | | | cuts of beef from the butcher or the best produce |
| Once more supermarkets catch on, it may be possible | | | | from the produce manager. |
| to present your existing service to the supermarket | | | | Time Is Money |
| chain as an established service. | | | | If you are only shopping for prepackaged food, you |
| By contracting your services with a grocery store | | | | can really move through the supermarket, but if you |
| chain, you can cash in. Of course, at that point, it's likely | | | | have to inspect produce, meats, or fish, the time you |
| that you will have employees doing the shopping for | | | | spend is going to be greatly increased. So, charge |
| you. | | | | accordingly. |
| Since there are so few grocery shopping companies | | | | You may also want to consider shopping in stores |
| around, you will have to decide for yourself what the | | | | other than supermarkets. Customers may want you to |
| market will be when setting your prices. | | | | stop by the liquor store, deli or carry-out. |
| You will probably want to break down your prices to | | | | You may wish to increase your fees for this additional |
| reflect the dollar amount of the order, the distance for | | | | service or charge the same as you do for groceries. |
| delivery and whether you can handle several orders at | | | | It's up to you. |
| the same time. (For example: $10 for a $50 order | | | | Note: if you base your pricing on the dollar volume for |
| within a 5 mile radius). | | | | the delivery, the more expensive price tags at those |
| Keep in mind, the bottom line in this business is volume. | | | | specialty stores will make it worthwhile to make the |
| The more orders you can fill at one time and the | | | | extra stops. |
| fewer miles you have to travel, the more lucrative | | | | Organizational ability is the key to a successful grocery |
| your business will be. | | | | shopping service. It is a challenge to keep orders |
| Start-Up Costs For your Grocery Shopping Business | | | | straight since you will probably be shopping for several |
| All you really need to start a shopping service is | | | | accounts at once. |
| customers. You can use word of mouth advertising to | | | | Bridging the Gap between Opportunity and Success, |
| start, if money is seriously tight. | | | | Shawn Price |
| Investing in flyers and peppering the neighborhoods you | | | | Copyright 2005 OwnABizToday. |
| choose may be the place to start. | | | | |