As the title suggests, I am thinking about becoming a personal shopper - specifically focused on grocery shopping. I hear people talk about how there might be a market for providing shopping or errand running to certain groups, such as the elderly. However, I think the best target market might be the single parent or dual-income with kids families, who have some disposable income but can afford to outsource time-consuming errands. I don't just want to run around for $10/hour doing errands though - I'm imagining a more targeted business where I have a list of stores I will shop at on a schedule, and I can get to know what kind of consumer a regular client is in particular. So I'm thinking, survey clients to learn about shopping habits - would they spend money to purchase pre-chopped vegetables at a higher expense? What are the go-to meals that the family needs to keep stocked weekly? Do they like to try new things and want suggestions or is a standard list to keep stocked what they need? Maybe I could even bring the groceries in and stock the pantry, etc. for the clients while they are at work. Through such a service, the full-time working parent(s) can save some time and energy avoiding the typical weekly errands - Target, Whole Foods, etc. I know there are delivery services already but you still have to spend the time shopping online and put everything away, etc.
What do those in/near major metropolitan areas (read: HCOL) think about this idea? My idea is to target families who already have help but not this type of help, so perhaps a family with a nanny who does not do the shopping/cooking. And how to monetize this service? My thought is something like $20 per store, plus 15% of the total? I'd be thrilled if I could make somewhere around $30/hour for my time.
Feel free to share your ideas or offer suggestions about mine - I think it could be a decent side gig if I found a few clients and then let it develop through word of mouth. I should also mention, I happen to love grocery shopping and cooking, so this is an idea based on thinking of things I enjoy and then trying to find a way to create value out of that.
Thanks in advance for any feedback!