Churchill resident Lisa Hildreth was working her way through nursing school at Waynesburg University when she hit upon a better way to help those in need.
She started her own company, Best Grocery Delivery, an online service that serves the elderly, handicapped and college students, those most challenged when it comes to the physical task of getting to and from the store with a heavy load of food. In the first three months, she has quadrupled her customer base and plans to hire another full-time person to help with the shopping.
Most of her business is word of mouth, through the health fairs she has done at senior care centers and the support she has received from the Pennsylvania Center for the Blind as well as Internet searches and college directories. It’s amazing how quickly the word is spreading on college campuses, she says.
“I have children calling me up to order groceries for their parents; parents calling me up to order for their college kids,” she says. “I am happy to service anyone. I’m providing a great service for a great price. I do what I say and say what I do.”
Best Grocery delivers within 15 miles of downtown Pittsburgh, within 15 miles of Washington, Canonsburg, and Bridgeville and has a satellite office in Key West, Florida. (But that’s another story.)
Unlike other online grocery services, which tend to only sell their products, Hildreth will go to several different grocers and shop for the best prices. Best Grocery tracks the weekly specials at most grocery stores in the region.
“You don’t have to go to five stores to get the best deals, we’ll do it for you,” she says. The delivery fee runs $8 per $50 to $200 order. Customers generally pay 5 to 10% above store price on items.
Best Grocery offers 10,000 items from kosher to organic. Register on the website and shop. Groceries are delivered the next day.
Source: Lisa Hildreth, Best Grocery Delivery
Writer: Deb Smit
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