The holiday season is upon us and our to-do lists are getting longer each day. 'Tis the season to delegate. And what better thing to delegate than your holiday shopping! Everything from kids' snacks, dinners, and appetizers to new decor, clothing, and small appliances can now be shopped and delivered to your door.
Having someone shop and deliver your groceries is the ultimate convenience - you don't have to bring the kids to the store, no waiting in lines, and no driving around.
Here are 11 Tips to help make your shopping delivery (or pick-up) order experience amazing:
- Utilize ordering on the store website. Many times they will save orders for quick reorder next time. Some apps even have recipes listed that allow you to add the ingredients right to your list - so you can try something new at your holiday meal!
- Using a shopping app on your phone allows you to create your order on the go.
- When creating your order online, take time to choose substitutions in advance. This saves time during the shopping process and allows your shopper to make choices without having to contact you for each out-of-stock item.
- If you're unsure about how many items you'll receive, leave a comment or message your shopper when they start. For example - if your app says "Bananas 5" and you're not sure if that will get you five single bananas or five bunches, put a note that you want five bananas.
- Be available to chat with your shopper. Check that your notifications are on in the app so you receive messages and updates about your order. A great shopper will let you know when they've started, when they have questions, when they start to check out, and then let you know they are on their way and an approximate arrival time.
- Make sure your house number can be seen from the street. Reflective numbers in contrasting colors work best and should be close to the street, or near your driveway entrance or mailbox. Try pulling up to your home at night and checking to see if you can see your number.
- Clear a path for your delivery person and light your walkway. Carrying items to and from your front door should be a safe experience.
- Leave detailed instructions for delivery - front door, apartment #, floor #, how to get access if in an apartment building or gated community, if it's ok to leave items in the lobby, in the garage, or inside their porch. If weather will impact your delivery, let your shopper know the best place to put items so they are left safe.
- Take advantage of special promotions like free delivery from each delivery service. Services and stores will vary based on your location.
- Shoppers know the store layout and can shop quickly. For some stores, they can even skip the standard checkout line!
- When it comes to ratings, feedback, and tipping - show your shopper some love. Your rating is about the Shopper. Did they communicate with you? Did they find what you needed? Try not to base your rating on the availability of items at the store, or things that are out of their control. During a busy day of shopping and delivering, seeing a kind comment can make their day!
And of course, be patient. We all know the holidays mean more people out shopping, and less stock in stores. Know that your shopper is doing their best to meet your needs and deliver excellent customer service.
So go ahead and delegate that shopping list - you can order just about anything from home decor, clothing, toiletries, food and more.
The options are endless, and it's VERY convenient!
