Market Research: Would you pay to have your groceries/ other daily goods delivered?

Considering the rising costs of fuel, and the increasingly hectic lives we live, and traffic snarls... could grocery delivery services be a small part of the solution? One vehicle going to the store to pick up food for multiple households rather than each individual driving themselves?





If you think this might be a valid idea, what do you think would be a reasonable amount to charge, considering the money you would be saving people in fuel costs, and the time they would save as well.





Just looking for some friendly input. :)

Market Research: Would you pay to have your groceries/ other daily goods delivered?
This is a great idea, it's not your fault it's already been thought of. As the other answers point out, this is already available in many markets, although I'd be curious to know what the market penetration is. 50% 80%? It's certainly available in Manhattan where I live.





It's possible more people would use the service more if there were better quality control, large clear pictures on websites, a better interactive experience etc. The service is relatively new and perhaps the idea hasn't been executed or advertised as well as it could be (or will be).
Reply:many people like to shop since they are so used to it. Its extremely difficult to change consumers behavior. Theyre used to going food shopping at the store and figuring out what they need there. Plus with gas the cost for services like Stop %26amp; Shops Peapod deliver service have to be going up big time. I dont know if it's that profitable or more of a addon service to pick up more customers by providing more service. There's people out there that will use it, but reaching them will be difficult, maybe try talking to people in condo or apartment complexes so you can do one direct mass delivery instead of home to home all over the place. Goodluck!
Reply:Everything old is new again!





*ALL* grocery stores used to gather and deliver items to their customers, until the Piggly Wiggly stores were created in 1916. Puiggly Wiggly allowed you to enter the store and actually choose the products you wanted... before this, you set up deliveries by stopping by the store's office and filling out a form with the items you wanted, when you wanted them delivered, and how much you were willing to spend. Each delivery had a fresh copy of the list that you returned to the store if you wanted something special. ("No bacon this week," or "We need an extra quart of milk next week.")
Reply:WOW tha'ts a great idea. I would be happy to pay for a grocery delivery service. Some major stores like woolworths and coles already offer such services, so you may have to offer some extra features or cheaper prices. Costs vary from country to country. But maybe doing some online shopping yourself and tabulate costs and prices for comparison. Maybe using more fuel efficient delivery systems like hybrid cars could help lower long term costs and emissions. It would have a higher capital cost but it can provide a competitive advantage by advertising greener delivery alternatives. Great idea Joe.





:)
Reply:My uncle and cousin own a grocery store in a small town in Colorado. They have delivered grocery orders for years and years. They mostly deliver to shut-ins and elderly, but they would take orders from anyone, I'm sure.





I do not know what they charge for the service, but when they go out, they have a route to make the trip as short as possible.





With the internet, it should be possible to key in your shopping list from home. I think they used to take most of the orders over the phone, or people would fill out a slip and have a neighbor bring it in when she came in to do her own shopping.
Reply:I would say that that would be a great idea. You could have energy efficient cars to deliver the groceries. In today's economy, I would charge about ($5-15) extra to the groceries. I would start a membership program and you could save money by using delivered grocies all the time. It just might work.
Reply:I think it's a great idea. It's a service that has already been around for years. My grandmother used to have it done and she died 6 years ago. I wouldn't do it because the grocery store is about 2 miles from my house but if I lived far I would consider it. I would charge an extra 15-20 bucks. I think that is reasonable. You would have to see what competitors are charging though.
Reply:Vons grocery store was running a deal in my area for a little while for free delivery with online purchases (delivery is about $12 otherwise). So...I did it. It was okay, but honestly...I like going to the grocery store better. First of all, it's a block away, so I don't use much gas to get there and back. Second, I don't have a lot of money....so the weekly trip to the grocery store is the one time of the week that I can actually "shop" and not feel bad about it. Finally, I like looking at and touching the food....when we ordered online, I bought a five pound bag of potatoes, and they came all bruised and rooty...if I had had the option to choose in the store, I would have found a better bag. Same with the steaks I ordered....the had a lot of fat on them, and I would have liked the chance to look over my options in the store before purchasing.
Reply:HEY,THIS IS A TERRIFFIC IDEA .i DONT HAVE TO DO ONE THING JUST CALL IN THE ORDER.mAYBE WE COULD ORDER ON THE NET AND PAY ON THE NET OR IN PERSON FOR THOSE WHO FORGOT TO BUY A COMPUTER FOR THE GOLDEN YEARS.YES I WOULD WELCOME DOING HOME SHOPPIN.WE HAVE A STORE HERE IN MY TOWN THAT DELIVERS FOR 6.00 IN THE AREA.iTS A HY-VEE STORE THEY ARE REALLY NICE .bUT MORE OF THIS AND IT WOULD BE A WINNER WITH FOLKS AND SOMEONE COULD CASH IN ON A GREAT DEAL THIS WAY.GOOD THINKING
Reply:Schnucks stores do this in select markets. So yes, you could definately find people willing to pay to have groceries delivered.
Reply:I would be willing to pay $5 for delivery, and I'd probably tip the driver $2.
Reply:Capital thought. 10 - 15 % of the bill or, by weight.
Reply:There are times when I would like to have my groceries delivered since I am disabled, but on a regular basis, I think it would cause more problems than it is worth. I try to only go to the store every couple of weeks as it is and I am only a few blocks from the store.





I like to be able to choose my own fresh foods. Grocery stores would have a tendency to deliver the products that are not selling in the stores, like bruised fruits and veggies and fatty meats, to get them sold without having to mark them down or throw them away.





That being said, canned goods and paper products, pet foods, toiletries, and sodas would be great candidates for delivery.





There are co-ops that can deliver fresh produce on a weekly basis. They will deliver what is in season, and just enough for a week at a time so you don't have a lot of waste. It is a little more expensive than at the grocery, but it is generally all locally grown so it is a lot fresher and hasn't been shipped across the country.





I don't know that I would pay much more for delivery than if I went my self. Maybe $5-$7 depending on how much I ordered and I would tip the driver.

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