The Internet SHOULD be “the place to shop” for low-carb dieters, diabetics, celiacs, and anyone else on a special diet. The posted prices are well below those in retail stores, the variety is greater, you are dealing with firms whose specialty is dealing with your need, and the products for sale are described fully in type that is designed to be read (isn’t that a pleasant contrast to the packages you see in your local store.)
The bad news, of course, is the shipping charge that is attached to every order. Shortly after being diagnosed with celiac disease, I ordered a box of breakfast cereal ($4.00) on-line and paid a $7.00 shipping charge. I learned from the experience that $11.00 box of cereal.
My solution stems from the fact that the cost of shipping items drops dramatically with the size of the total order. For example, the Gluten-Free Pantry charges $6.85 to ship a single but will ship $499.00 worth of merchandise for less than twice that much. At Bob’s Red Mill, the shipping charge depends on the weight of the total shipment and depends on where you live, but in my particular ZIP code, a single item ships for $7.39. A 34 pound shipment would cost $13.43. You can probably find similar examples by browsing through the web sites you would like to patronize.
The strategy is to order as much as you can in a single shipment. Don’t throw money away, of course, but do everything that you can to increase the size of the order and thereby decrease the cost of shipping each individual items. Work with people who share your diet. The only requirement is that the entire order be sent to the same place and paid for with the same credit card.
Good luck. Eat well. Obviously, internet shopping is easier for persons who are ordering big-ticket items where the shipping cost is largely insignificant. But the system I have just described works.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Sunday, March 15, 2009
How To Start a Home-Based Grocery Shopping Service?
Is anyone busy today? Dumb question right, we are all busy to some degree or another. They say time is money and for many people that is so true, for some saved time does equal an amount in money, but how about some sanity. Give me an hour of time to myself to relax and I give you a more refreshed and happy person.
So, there are some that are busy and need the help of added services in their lives, but on the other side of the coin there are those that just need some help to get through the day. Think about our seniors, many of them may not be able to get out to the store as often as they would like. It may be that they are just too old to get about, but more practically speaking it may be due to the harshness of the weather in their region of the country.
This is where you come in, ready to make money from opportunity. I am sure you are, and the home grocery delivery business can be a wonderful opportunity for you to start a home-based grocery shopping service.
This is how the grocery shopping service business works, customers will contact you by calling you, faxing you or emailing you their shopping lists. You shop for those items at a local grocery store and deliver them back to the customer's homes.
Before you start, you should consider drawing up a brief business plan to aid you in implementing this home business.
Advertising - This is the only setup costs you will incur. Start by advertising your service in local newspapers in the area. You can begin by placing a larger aid in the middle sections of the paper announcing your new home business. The following weeks you can downsize your advertising to the cheaper classifieds. Other places to consider advertising in are senior citizen newspapers and newsletters.
Payment - Try to obtain payment upfront from customers as to keeping open credit accounts. You can consider a credit account for your best customers but this should only happen after many months of service and then an extra service charge can be considered. Collecting cash can be accomplished in a number of ways, collect cash after your last delivery of the week or month, ask customers to mail in checks or even for the more savvy internet user, you can setup a PayPal account and effectively have money wired into your account. The cool thing about collecting money upfront from customers is that you can run the float on the cash by charging everything to your credit card, which will earn you points, or cash rebates.
Add on services - This is the next level to take your business. Once you have established a solid customer base you can begin to sell menu-planning services. You may need some food skills in this area and if not you should take some classes to obtain those skills. There are two broad types of menu-plans you can start out designing, the regular sit down breakfast, lunch and dinners and the express meals, those being meals that can be whipped up in less than 15-minutes.
Pricing - Pricing is a combination of what you believe your service is worth and the amount the market can bear. Before you price your service, ask yourself how much realistically you would like to make each year, and then divide that amount by your time. If you spend, 3-hours shopping for one customer and you charge $20 per hour and you do this three times per week. That would amount to 9-hours of work per week multiplied by 50 weeks, equaling $9,000 per year.
So, there are some that are busy and need the help of added services in their lives, but on the other side of the coin there are those that just need some help to get through the day. Think about our seniors, many of them may not be able to get out to the store as often as they would like. It may be that they are just too old to get about, but more practically speaking it may be due to the harshness of the weather in their region of the country.
This is where you come in, ready to make money from opportunity. I am sure you are, and the home grocery delivery business can be a wonderful opportunity for you to start a home-based grocery shopping service.
This is how the grocery shopping service business works, customers will contact you by calling you, faxing you or emailing you their shopping lists. You shop for those items at a local grocery store and deliver them back to the customer's homes.
Before you start, you should consider drawing up a brief business plan to aid you in implementing this home business.
Advertising - This is the only setup costs you will incur. Start by advertising your service in local newspapers in the area. You can begin by placing a larger aid in the middle sections of the paper announcing your new home business. The following weeks you can downsize your advertising to the cheaper classifieds. Other places to consider advertising in are senior citizen newspapers and newsletters.
Payment - Try to obtain payment upfront from customers as to keeping open credit accounts. You can consider a credit account for your best customers but this should only happen after many months of service and then an extra service charge can be considered. Collecting cash can be accomplished in a number of ways, collect cash after your last delivery of the week or month, ask customers to mail in checks or even for the more savvy internet user, you can setup a PayPal account and effectively have money wired into your account. The cool thing about collecting money upfront from customers is that you can run the float on the cash by charging everything to your credit card, which will earn you points, or cash rebates.
Add on services - This is the next level to take your business. Once you have established a solid customer base you can begin to sell menu-planning services. You may need some food skills in this area and if not you should take some classes to obtain those skills. There are two broad types of menu-plans you can start out designing, the regular sit down breakfast, lunch and dinners and the express meals, those being meals that can be whipped up in less than 15-minutes.
Pricing - Pricing is a combination of what you believe your service is worth and the amount the market can bear. Before you price your service, ask yourself how much realistically you would like to make each year, and then divide that amount by your time. If you spend, 3-hours shopping for one customer and you charge $20 per hour and you do this three times per week. That would amount to 9-hours of work per week multiplied by 50 weeks, equaling $9,000 per year.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Tips for Online Shopping
Shopping online has become more and more popular in America as we are all looking to save a little time and money. E-commerce sales are growing at astronomical numbers ranging from 20-25% per year. And according to Forrester Research, 40% of households are using coupons in their web shopping. The huge increases are obvious: the online savings and discounts are impossible to match by traditional stores constrained by the overhead costs of employees, rent, and insurance. By using some of the tips and tricks mentioned below, you’ll be able to take further advantage of a new American pastime: saving with online shopping!
Tip #1: Don’t buy Ebay. We all know online auctions seem like such a great deal, and it’s easy to get caught up in the emotion of auction. Thing is, auction sites like Ebay and Ubid have become saturated with buyers AND sellers, so virtually any discount found is quickly sought by re-distributors who then add their own markups to your purchase. The online marketplace has enough people out there that you can end up spending hundreds of extra dollars for the same things found in your local mall! Don’t let your emotions get involved – these are not the right places for the aware shopper.
Tip #2: Never pay retail. Take this scenario: You find something you want to buy, maybe the latest craze or fad such as the Ipod. Should you really pay the price that Apple is offering? No! You can find many deals and coupons for the same purchase just by typing, for example, “ipod coupons” into Google. Spend a little time searching through the top ten to twenty results, you’re sure to find the same product for a significant discount. Sometimes, by filling out a survey or signing up for an email list, you’ll get additional savings and many times you can even get your product for free!
Tip #3: Get over your instant gratification desire. Just admit it, buying something always gives you a good feeling and you can’t wait to take pleasure in that new purchase. Anything you’re buying at the mall for that same good feeling can usually be found for a huge discount online. You just have to be willing to wait for the short 2-5 days that it takes for shipping. It’s definitely worth the savings to able to control your emotions and hold off until it arrives via UPS!
Tip #4: Watch out for excessive shipping charges. Many times retailers slash their costs to get the sale but then charge more for shipping. Make sure to check the final cost to ensure you didn’t receive any unwarranted charges. You should also find a free shipping deal at any of the online coupon sites. Sometimes the shipping can cost more than your purchase!
Tip #5: http://www.couponchief.com”>Online coupons : Were you aware of online coupon websites that have discount and promotion codes to nearly all internet stores? These types of websites always have up to date discount offers arranged by category or store, so you can always find something on sale. It’s not only a way to get a good deal but you can also find some of the free shipping offers listed in tip #4. Just be careful to check for a coupon code before making any internet purchase. It’s a simple way to find extra savings.
Tip #1: Don’t buy Ebay. We all know online auctions seem like such a great deal, and it’s easy to get caught up in the emotion of auction. Thing is, auction sites like Ebay and Ubid have become saturated with buyers AND sellers, so virtually any discount found is quickly sought by re-distributors who then add their own markups to your purchase. The online marketplace has enough people out there that you can end up spending hundreds of extra dollars for the same things found in your local mall! Don’t let your emotions get involved – these are not the right places for the aware shopper.
Tip #2: Never pay retail. Take this scenario: You find something you want to buy, maybe the latest craze or fad such as the Ipod. Should you really pay the price that Apple is offering? No! You can find many deals and coupons for the same purchase just by typing, for example, “ipod coupons” into Google. Spend a little time searching through the top ten to twenty results, you’re sure to find the same product for a significant discount. Sometimes, by filling out a survey or signing up for an email list, you’ll get additional savings and many times you can even get your product for free!
Tip #3: Get over your instant gratification desire. Just admit it, buying something always gives you a good feeling and you can’t wait to take pleasure in that new purchase. Anything you’re buying at the mall for that same good feeling can usually be found for a huge discount online. You just have to be willing to wait for the short 2-5 days that it takes for shipping. It’s definitely worth the savings to able to control your emotions and hold off until it arrives via UPS!
Tip #4: Watch out for excessive shipping charges. Many times retailers slash their costs to get the sale but then charge more for shipping. Make sure to check the final cost to ensure you didn’t receive any unwarranted charges. You should also find a free shipping deal at any of the online coupon sites. Sometimes the shipping can cost more than your purchase!
Tip #5: http://www.couponchief.com”>Online coupons : Were you aware of online coupon websites that have discount and promotion codes to nearly all internet stores? These types of websites always have up to date discount offers arranged by category or store, so you can always find something on sale. It’s not only a way to get a good deal but you can also find some of the free shipping offers listed in tip #4. Just be careful to check for a coupon code before making any internet purchase. It’s a simple way to find extra savings.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Dollars Shopping
Having spent over 2 years in the Retail Industry I can tell you from experience that Mystery Shoppers really do exist. They play an important part in evaluating all aspects of a retail stores performance. They evaluate things such as store appearance, merchandising, customer service, how knowledgeable is the staff, whether transactions were handled properly and more.
The companies that I worked for put a lot of emphasis on the mystery shoppers reports. It was even included in the managers performance reviews.
What makes this so effective is that it is totally anonymous. No one knows who the mystery shopper is because they are ordinary customers like you and me.
And it is not just retail stores that have mystery shoppers. Restaurant chains, fast food restaurants and amusement parks also use mystery shoppers to evaluate their performance.
If you love to shop, or eat out, this is a great way to make some extra money. You won’t get rich doing this but why not get paid for doing something that you love to do and would be doing anyway.
This is how it usually works.
1.You sign up with a company that supplies mystery shoppers to these establishments. Here is a http://www.takeonlinesurveys.com/mysteryshoppers.html> list of companies that supply mystery shoppers.
2.You will then receive assignments based on where you live and how far you want to travel.
3.You shop the store you were assigned within a given time frame. This way you can do it at your convenience.
4.You submit a report (this is supplied by the company).
5.You get paid for your time and are reimbursed for the items that you purchased or for the meal that you ate.
It's that simple.
The companies that I worked for put a lot of emphasis on the mystery shoppers reports. It was even included in the managers performance reviews.
What makes this so effective is that it is totally anonymous. No one knows who the mystery shopper is because they are ordinary customers like you and me.
And it is not just retail stores that have mystery shoppers. Restaurant chains, fast food restaurants and amusement parks also use mystery shoppers to evaluate their performance.
If you love to shop, or eat out, this is a great way to make some extra money. You won’t get rich doing this but why not get paid for doing something that you love to do and would be doing anyway.
This is how it usually works.
1.You sign up with a company that supplies mystery shoppers to these establishments. Here is a http://www.takeonlinesurveys.com/mysteryshoppers.html> list of companies that supply mystery shoppers.
2.You will then receive assignments based on where you live and how far you want to travel.
3.You shop the store you were assigned within a given time frame. This way you can do it at your convenience.
4.You submit a report (this is supplied by the company).
5.You get paid for your time and are reimbursed for the items that you purchased or for the meal that you ate.
It's that simple.
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