Grocery shopping in today’s world definitely “ain’t” what it used to be. In fact, it continues to undergo some pretty big changes since supermarkets emerged in the 1940s, according to retail analysts. There was once a time when a single store served all of a shopper’s food and beverage needs. However, the internet continues to change how we shop.
One lowcountry couple hopes to harness the power of the web to make shopping for groceries a breeze while saving shoppers money and time. On May 9th, Tori Schallot and her husband, Peter, officially launched The Berry Dispatch, an online grocer and grocery delivery service that caters to the Charleston and surrounding area.
The Berry Dispatch not only delivers groceries to your home or office but has many options available in single-serve size. According to Tori, this allows customers to order smaller portions of food, reducing food and monetary waste while providing the convenience of delivery.
“So far the response has been great. We have started with just a fruits and vegetables but have already had requests for dairy products and meats,” stated Tori. “We are working with those distributors and local farms to try to provide them to our customers very soon.”
Tori says the idea for launching The Berry Dispatch came after doctors recommended a change in her diet. While trying out various
diets ranging from Paleo to Gluten-free, she and her husband noticed that they were wasting a lot of money and food.
“Some of the products were extremely expensive, and they just weren’t what we were looking for. I wanted to be able to buy some of these items in single-serve sizes instead of the large portions that grocery stores sell them in, but that isn’t really an option,” explained Tori.
At the same time, Tori says going to the grocery store became cumbersome and something her and her husband almost dreaded.
“We had to shop outside of normal working hours, which is also when the majority of other people go. So, we would have to fight traffic, be crammed into aisles that are decreasing in width every time we go; and then combat the family-size boxes, the free samples, and Buy One Get One deals that cause us to buy more than we need,” stated Tori.
Fed up, Tori and her husband sat down and figured out just how much time they were wasting on just grocery shopping each week. They concluded they were spending 3.5 hours every week traveling to various stores to get a deal on the specific items they needed. That’s 182 hours a year that they say they could be doing something less frustrating.
“We hunted around to see if there was a service in the Charleston area that would deliver groceries, and would provide the portion sizes that we were looking for, but we didn’t find anything,” explained Tori.
On a national level there are services that allow you to pay a subscription fee, and they will send you either packets of food to cook, or a box of fresh produce. FreshDirect.com is one such service. While they are very good services, Tori says she doesn’t want someone else dictating what she is going to eat each week.
“I want the fresh foods that my family desires that week, not what another company has as excess inventory,” stated Tori. “So, we started an online grocer that will not just deliver the fresh fruits and vegetables our customers need, but also will section out some of the items so that you only buy what you truly need. There’s no pressure to buy: just good food. And while we have started with just fruits, vegetables, and a few prepared meals, we will continue to expand our product offering as we grow.”
According to Tori, she believes in her company so much that she actually quit her job as the head of the software engineering division for a local company in order to launch and run The Berry Dispatch daily.
“My husband works nights and weekends to help me with the website,” stated Tori. “My parents go with us to local farmers markets and vendor showcases in order to try to get the word out about the business, and my mother-in-law provides recipes for some of the items the store carries.”
The Areas The Berry Dispatch Serves:
Right now, The Berry Dispatch delivers to the greater Charleston area, including: Charleston, North Charleston, Ladson, Summerville, Mt. Pleasant, West Ashley, Johns Island, and James Island.
For those in living in other areas, shoppers can still order their groceries and pick them up at The Berry Dispatch‘s pick-up location in North Charleston.
According to Tori, as the company continues to grow, they plan to add more delivery areas as well as more product offerings.
How To Use The Service:
The site is very simple to use:
– Customers go to www.BerryD.com
– Our online shop shows all of the items in stock. Simply click on a product and add it to your cart. For some of the items you can select a size or portion, such as half a head of lettuce, or 12oz of sliced jalapenos.
– When you are done shopping, you simply check-out. Which consists of paying for the items via credit card or Paypal. At that time you also select a delivery time of daytime (9am-3pm) or Evening (4pm-9pm) EST.
– If the order is received by 10pm EST, they process it and deliver it to you home, work, hotel, or vacation property the very next day.
There is no subscription fee to use the grocery service, and The Berry Dispatch also doesn’t charge a percentage of your total bill either. There is, however, a simple fee structure of $5 for daytime deliveries, and $7 for evening deliveries. Customers can order as much as they want as frequently as they would like, and their fees stay flat. There is a $15 minimum order.
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