AIBU Would You Pay For This?

[lottieproc1]

Hello everyone I'm looking for your opinion I am about to start a business offering a personal shopping service for people within my 8 mile area for supermarkets that don't offer home delivery so Aldi for instance. I plan to charge £10 for a weekly, £15 for a Fortnightly & £20 for a monthly. I would also run errands (post office, Click & collect etc) for £1 each when booked with the shop. I plan to offer discounts, refer a friend get a free delivery, share the cost with a neighbor
I have discussed this with friends & family, some think it's a really good idea but a few have said they think I'm charging too much & wouldn't pay for it.
What are your thoughts?? TIA

If you don't take the money until afterwards there's a very high risk that you'll be out of pocket. When you choose the wrong brand and they refuse to pay, or they just change their mind about what they wanted or simply don't have the cash. All completely unreasonable of course, but IME not unusual when you're shopping for the elderly.

I'd also have concerns about your motives. Even if you weren't stealing the shopping money, what other scams might you b1e running, what "gifts" might you be persuading them to give you now or in their will. I'm not saying you would, but this kind of thing is depressingly common.

Seems like hard work

I don't really understand your pricing. Is £10 for a weekly shop £10 per shop? And is £20 for a monthly shop £20 for one shop per month? It's way too expensive. Aldi does do some home delivery now and also click and collect. I agree with what others have said about your prices removing the point of shopping somewhere cheaper like Aldi. People may aswell change to Asda or Tesco and pay less for delivery but more for items as overall it would be cheaper. I don't even have a subscription for delivery at Asda as they do so many £1 delivery options that I can just use them adhoc.

I may use your service for errands only but not tied to a food shop. And tbh £1 for an errand isnt making you any money at all given your time and fuel. And that's likely even if you were tagging it onto the end of a food shop.

What you're probably better off doing, especially if you worked in social work, is getting public indemnity insurance and offering yourself as a support worker. Charge £10ph and do any errands, shops and befriending type of service that people are looking for.

Problem with deliveries is it's a saturated market with big companies who have far more resources than you and can offer cheap fees but still turn a profit. You cant take on as much work as one person, buying refrigeration would put you at a deficit, and your fees are way too high to attract custom. You cant compete with big business.

Support work you would still need to compete with care agencies but you have a better chance at turning a profit as a one man band. Your other skills and experience would make it worth paying for your time and would add more value to your service as you could do a quick shop or take someone to a shop and have a coffee with them etc and get them out of the house. I would happily pay someone to take an elderly relative out if I didnt have time and trusted the person and their service. I would also be happy to pay for such a service myself as an elderly person if it kept me in my own home longer and not isolated

"I wasn't planning on taking payment until the shopping was delivered. "

Ask anyone whose worked with the public, or has tried to help with shopping and you'll be lucky if a % isn't rejected because it wasn't good enough, in terms of fruit/veg.

"How about hiring yourself out by the hour as a 'personal shopping admin assistant?'. So help people set up their own online shopping with supermarkets? You could also arrange to be there to receive the delivery and unpack for them."

I did home care via the Council. The amount of allegations we had against us was staggering. This could bring life as you know it to an end.

You think people are reasonable and sane, then you meet 'the general public'.

Funnily enough DH and I had this idea long before supermarkets started delivering. We did market research to find out if there was a demand, produced flyers, contacted police and S Services and the council for registration. Then we found out about all the legalities - insurances, refrigerated van, logistics etc then decided it wasn't worth it. What if we bought the wrong brand? The wrong size? Alternatives? Allergies?
Too much of a minefield then.

Obviously you'd need a DBS check. It would also really help if there was some way of getting yourself accredited by the local authority, or other known, reliable service agency.

Also ideally you should get some safeguarding training, you're going to need it.

I think that such a minority of people would be interested in this that you would be working at a loss.

Aldi does online and delivery and click and collect. I see the vans everywhere! I think it’s a bit costly.

@Frazzledd

I think this is where DBS might be important for this type of business OP.

Yes I would definitely update my PVG check

How long are you anticipating that a weekly shop is going to take you?

Because I think by the time you've factored in insurance, fuel, tax and marketing you'll be lucky to be paying yourself £2 an hour, and that's before all of the unbillable hours of admin.

With the 'internet shopping admin assistant' idea, there are enough people who are physically capable but a bit wary of the internet, that you could meet them in a public place for your initial 'setting up' meeting. Then run it remotely. You wouldn't have to go into their home at all.

With your social work background I definitely think ‘personal assistant’ is a way to go. I’m sure there’s a better title. Helping hand?
My mum lives on a street of bungalows all elderly. They have money/decent public sector pensions and are used to paying for services - gardening, cleaner etc. You would be in same category. They don’t want a volunteer/charity. They don’t need in home care.
It could be short term eg if just out of hospital and not fully mobile or a regular daily/weekly thing.
I’d charge at a similar rate to a cleaner.

Most places have volunteer services for th elderly/infirm snd many people who do all this free of charge. If you wish to shop in th places who don’t do delivery, let’s face it your doing it becaus it’s cheaper so unlikely to wish to spend a tenner on a delivery service.

I think there is a percentage who will pay for this service, maybe as they have agoraphobia or really busy, and will pay for someone to go pick up a prescription or post a letter, but I’m not sure they would pay a tenner for it.

The rest I think if you want your shopping delivered you’re more likely to just place an order with Asda or Tesco and get it cheaper.

I think it's a good idea, but too expensive.

There are people doing it for free in several towns and cities ,
I wouldn’t personally want to be involved, people can throw blame at you for faulty packing, lost items etc etc.

I’m sorry but I don’t like the internet shopping assistant idea either, if you’ve got their password and their card details are stored you’re putting yourself at risk of being accused of ordering things they haven’t asked for or if their card details get stolen another way they could think you had something to do with it.

I know I sound really pessimistic on this thread but you’ve got to put safeguarding first when you’re dealing with vulnerable people.

You still haven't explained your pricing ? I get free delivery from Waitrose if I spend 40 pounds .

What about setting yourself up as a “friend of the elderly/lonely” with your social care background.

I live too far away from my grandma to see her very much and before she went into a home I know she was lonely and didn’t see many people day to day. I’d 100% have paid for someone to take her out once a week, just to another town to look around the shops or to the cinema or to bingo etc.

No I wouldn't and I'm household a lot so already get my prescriptions delivered for free, I never know when I can get out so never chose click and collect. Coop do same day delivery, Morrisons on Amazon, and a lot of supermarkets are now on the various apps. And when I do mail stuff I tik the collect from me option with a courier company and the days I can get out there's a click and collect 30 seconds away.

I'd be looking towards something like peer support tbh. My nan would have loved that as she couldn't go out unless supported and her waste of space children couldn't be bothered so would do as you are suggesting. Giving lists and handing over payments like that she felt that she had her independence stolen for her. A part of going shopping for her was the interaction with random people and friends having a meet up in the cafe. I used to take her out shopping (moved her in with me) and we'd come back in empty handed most of the time. And some days a walk to the nursery was enough or a walk in the park with or without the kids in tow.

I didn't fully understand then what she meant about feeling caged in and an emptiness deep inside. And although it was nice to see x once a week at home might as well just watched the paint dry. Conversations became one sided because of her limited access to the world. And if your not online your world is really cut off.
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Research what care agencies there are in your area and see if they've got all bases covered. What some people are suggesting is usually available via them. the agencies I've worked under all offered your service, one woman hired us for an hour a week to take her to her husband's grave. People want accountability and agencies have that. For your set up costs and time, you'll probably make more signing up to an agency for the hours you want.

Yeah if I heard one of my elderly relatives was contacted by someone like this I'd definitely think it was dangerous. Either you're going to turn up with cheaper or missing items and over charge, or you're just looking for vulnerable people with alot of money, perfect for burgling.
I also think you are majorly over charging. For 20quid you could get a taxi to my asda and back.

Do you really live somewhere where a grocery shopping chain does not do deliveries?

@Canigooutyet

No I wouldn't and I'm household a lot so already get my prescriptions delivered for free, I never know when I can get out so never chose click and collect. Coop do same day delivery, Morrisons on Amazon, and a lot of supermarkets are now on the various apps. And when I do mail stuff I tik the collect from me option with a courier company and the days I can get out there's a click and collect 30 seconds away.

I'd be looking towards something like peer support tbh. My nan would have loved that as she couldn't go out unless supported and her waste of space children couldn't be bothered so would do as you are suggesting. Giving lists and handing over payments like that she felt that she had her independence stolen for her. A part of going shopping for her was the interaction with random people and friends having a meet up in the cafe. I used to take her out shopping (moved her in with me) and we'd come back in empty handed most of the time. And some days a walk to the nursery was enough or a walk in the park with or without the kids in tow.

I didn't fully understand then what she meant about feeling caged in and an emptiness deep inside. And although it was nice to see x once a week at home might as well just watched the paint dry. Conversations became one sided because of her limited access to the world. And if your not online your world is really cut off.
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Aw that's a lovely thing you did I wish I could have done the same with my Grandma. After reading the feedback I think I was defiantly looking in the wrong direction. The personal assistant type ole and accommodating people who are lonely and unable to get out is the way to go.

I wasn't planning on taking payment until the shopping was delivered when lockdowed started there were looooads of threads on here about CFs not paying people back for shopping or refusing items.