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Tombo46

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About Tombo46

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  1. Thanks a lot for the replies everyone. I think to explain to people what we are already doing I should describe the service and my reasoning behind it. It seems there are a few business heads on here who will benefit from knowing how we intend to operate! To everyone that took the time to tell me what they like/dislike about their current deliveries thank you =] Right! As said before we have been around a while and already run a successful business (been established 30 years) but we have noticed over the past few years more and more people saying that they wish they struggle to find the time to get to us and/or they struggle to park when they happen to be passing. It has become clear that convenience is becoming a large part of peoples shopping habits. As people said before one of the obvious things to do is to open later. After all most professionals work 9 - 5 so we attempted late opening which turned out to be a waste of time. We found that the trade just spread across the day and takings were only very marginally up. Usually with this sort of thing you have to stick by it to see results and we did. I think that if the whole block had done it then maybe it would have worked but on our own we had no chance. So we decided to try and cater for the customers who were busy by making the shopping as easy as possible for them. After a bit of research nearly every customer we spoke to said they would like an evening delivery. This tied in well with what we do as it reduces cannibalisation on my current trade and also makes the service reliable. With the shop closed, even if drivers let me down I am always there to fall back on. I did some research and travelled around the country to speak to people who had already done similar things and they had been successful. As we are all pretty friendly in the fruit and veg game they were all more than happy to talk to me and let me pick their brains. After these chats we had a pretty clear direction is where we wanted to head. We decided on a name and worked from there. The name is simple and say's what we do and also allows for expansion. We decided that instead of putting the produce in to boxes that we would instead use jute bags which can be returned on a repeat order. Our intention is that if the customer does not want another order they can keep the bag(s) and use them how they like. This is to serve as a reminder that we are there and also provide the customer with something they can use. To get the business off the ground we have had 50,000 leaflets printed which will be delivered in 5000 batches to ease us in to the business. Obviously everyone who has a first order may not stick around so we are going to expand and make people aware as it suits us. I'm not in the habit of employing staff based on false promise so I will only employ to suit the business as it grows. The incentives for a first order are that we offer free delivery (with about a £10 minimum order) as well as 20% off your first order. This pretty much earns us nothing on your first order however we are confident we can provide quality produce and a good service so we are just buying a chance to show this. As well as fruit and veg we are supplying other things from the shop and some things that are not. We also stock Locally baked bread (baked to order for the deliveries), Cakes/Biscuits, Preserves, Milk, Local Eggs, our own fresh orange juice and Longley farm dairy products which a lot of the supermarkets reduced their range of due to it not having a high enough profit margin. Other things we are going to offer are hand tied bouquets (and other flowers/plants) which we have been doing for years and also fruit baskets. Everything we do basically as it doesn't hurt to have it available! On top of this we have collaborated with the butcher next door and also a local fishmonger so hopefully the average spends will be higher and it will allow the customer to buy fresher. The website is being built professionally and will accept orders up until 9pm for delivery the next day. I have put a massive amount of effort and money in to this and really have not cut any corners. I decided that I wanted EVERY SINGLE PHOTO on the website to be taken by myself. I bought a light box to take photo's in but built a much larger one to take photo's of the bags/flowers etc. We are having a commercial video shot in the next couple of weeks which will explain what we do etc which will be the first thing new customers see. Signed in customers will see the usual scrolling banner etc. We had the van wrapped early for this purpose. Let's just say you won't be able to miss it haha. I get up at 2am every morning to go and buy my produce and the video guys are going down with me to film the process from start to finish. We are going to pay a visit to the baker too all being well! I have tried to work with a "local shopping" ethos by using local suppliers. My web developer is local right through to the people who print my bags and distribute my leaflets. I want people to know that by shopping locally with us they are supporting other local businesses. What it all boils down to in the end really is the basic needs of people. That is quality produce at the right price delivered at the right time. I am trying to create a happy medium between the supermarkets and the organic guys. We won't be as cheap as the supermarkets but cheaper than the organic guys. The produce will also be of superior quality/taste. I am also steering clear of forcing people into buying what they don't need. No "BOGOF's" or "2 for's" or anything like that, just simply priced produce sold in small quantities that you want, not what we want you to buy. Fresh produce is not fresh if it's been sat in your fridge for 2 weeks because you were made to feel like you were missing out if you didn't buy that 3rd item. I'll be pricing things like "hand full of sprouts" or "1 carrot" with approximate weights so the customer can order exactly what they want like they would if they came in to the shop personally. Also because the people doing the packing and delivering actually care we should have very little complaint and any problems that do arise can be sorted personally. At present me and my partner work the shop mostly but we do employ staff. Just for the hell of it I'll pop a few photo's up. Every one of these is our own stock and taken by yours truly. I'm hoping people knowing this will be a good selling point. Even the "proper" stock images for the confectionery etc were not good enough so I took my own haha. This was my "light box" I made to take pictures of larger things... Some Bread and eggs etc... Aaaaaand the "good stuff" ; )
  2. You'll have to forgive me for not getting the pun first time around...I'm still getting over an extremely busy Mothers Day...
  3. To be honest I also prefer to trade this way unfortunately the on-line sector is growing and those that don't move forwards get left behind =( Which supplier was it that send you the small over ripe melons out of interest? Cheers, Tom
  4. Ello everyone. I'm looking for some peoples good honest accounts of their on-line shopping experiences. Particularly when it comes to fresh produce. I'm interested in peoples experience of both the higher end of the market such as your organic delivery services (Abel & Cole, Riverford etc) and also peoples opinion of the service offered by the supermarkets particularly when it comes to fresh produce. I own a Greengrocers and we have been working for the past year on moving into on-line based home delivery. We are looking to supply a small local catchment area of about a 5 mile radius so not on a massive scale (yet!). I want to give the best service I possibly can which is the reason for this thread. I want to avoid the things people dislike and try to strive for the things people do like so I'm interested in peoples likes/dislikes about their current on-line ordering arrangement. Anything at all will be a help. The common complaints we hear with the supermarkets are things such as poor quality produce, being forced to buy more than they need (bogof's etc) and replacement item's not being anything like what they ordered. Positives usually include things like being able to choose specific delivery slots and generally low pricing. As for the organic services most people complain about the longevity and price of the produce and only being able to deliver once a week whereas people like the taste and the fact that it's organic. Any experiences good or bad I'm really interested in hearing so I can shape the business to suit peoples needs instead of what I think they want. I won't promote the business on here as I would imagine it's against forum rules! Thanks in advance to anyone who can take the time to share their experience with me. All the best, Tom
  5. My main worry is the effect it would have on the Spar. I understand a lot of people would welcome the Sainbury's and I'll be happy to go toe to toe with them on price and quality. It's the things that are out of my control that worry me. I'll be going to the meeting on the 26th to see what's cracking. At the moment I'm more worried about the impending road works. The last lot on Bradway road took a lot of trade from us =( As for the "famous" hanging baskets...It varies each year when we start with them. It's all dependant on the weather like most things! I'll be contacting the chap who makes them in the next couple of weeks to catch up and see how they are looking. It's amazing how much they can come on with a week of good weather. Warm nights are the most important thing for growth so fingers crossed! To give you an idea of dates though...here's the dates we started with them in the past. 2009 - 30th April 2010 - 28th April 2011 - 7th April 2012 - 9th May As you can see late April/early May is a safe bet but if we do get some cracking weather early on (fingers crossed) we may at it early like in 2011! Keep an eye out on the big 12ft Chalkboard at the front of my shop. There will be a massive Hanging Basket sign up there hopefully for when we start with them. Thanks for the compliment =] Even though I know we aren't perfect it is nice to hear a few compliments. There's been a lot of pessimism floating around this past few years with the recession and whatnot so it comes as a much needed boost! Glad you like the bread too. We are doing better with it than I had imagined and I've heard a lot of positives. Hopefully we can increase trade on it and get a nice steady stream of customers coming to us! Thanks again! Tom Makinson
  6. Wow! Thank you for the kind words! I was reading down and as I got to "The Greengrocer" I thought there were some brutal truths coming my way haha. I try my best but the business is far from where I want it to be to be honest. Things are looking better so far this year so hopefully we can start pushing forwards again! Make yourself known to me when you're next in, you can have a free bunch of daffies for making me smile : ) There is a meeting on the 26th in which we are hoping Sainsbury's are going to attend. We have to accept that even though 99% of my customers do not want the Sainsbury's there will be many who do. The majority of my customers believe in supporting the little man so the view we get from most people is always going to be biased. My main worry is how it's going to affect the block on a whole. I believe the Spar is under serious threat from them due to them being a direct competitor. If we lose the Spar we also lose the post office that resides within which is a worry to me. I've always been a bit of a worryer though so I'm just trying to chill out and take a calm and calculated approach. A lot of people have asked me to set up a petition. I'm going to wait until after the meeting to figure out how we are going to proceed. Unfortunately while I know my fruit and flowers, I'm at a complete loss as to how to contest something like this! I'd hate to get all the signatures sorted and send it to the wrong place! Again, thanks for the kind words. I'm going to see if I can fit my head through my living room door now...
  7. I spoke to Nigel (owner of Just Natural) about this as I remember when they were opening he was starting to panic just like me. He said not to worry about it. I am slightly worried about the Spar shutting down though. I don't shop there anymore for personal reasons however the post office is a big draw to the area. We lost a fair bit of trade when the bank closed. A lot more than expected anyway. Maybe I was too arrogant to think it wouldn't affect us haha. I agree with the whole smoking outside the doors thing. The "old" manager is back now so I have a feeling she will put a stop to it. I think the shop in general should improve actually.
  8. Ello there. I'm Tom Makinson, owner of Makinsons fruit and flowers at the top of twentywell lane. As you can imagine, next to the weather, the rumours of what is happening to the Bradway Hotel (and the bank next to my shop) are rife. I have learned to ignore such rumours until I have some solid proof as I have found myself getting caught up in it all and worrying unnecessarily. As you can imagine. The prospect of a Sainsbury's opening up and closing down my block of shops is a terrifying one. Especially after we have been successfully trading for over 30 years. To the OP. I couldn't help but notice your username "Skink". Do you keep reptiles? I only know 1 other person in the Bradway area that does. I keep quite a few (only lizards) and I believe I am the largest breeder of Tokay Geckos in Europe at the moment. My website is http://www.TokayGecko.co.uk if you're at all interested! Fingers crossed for Bradway though. The only information I have is from someone who talked to the guys who were drilling. They said the depth they were going to was indicative of something residential or maybe a hotel of some sort. Other than that I got nothing!
  9. Ello people. I was wondering if you could all help me get an idea of how far along Christmas tree trade is this year. I own a Greengrocers and so far this year has broken to mould considerably. Ordinarily next weekend is "the big one" however today saw my shop take record takings. I've done a few things to promote my christmas trees this year and I'm trying to guage whether it is this that has made me sell more or if people are just buying earlier this year (I suspect it's a bit of both). I buy 250 trees as my main bulk and pick up 50 of so afterwards if I'm feeling brave. It's really important I get it right as the trees have very low profit margins so it's incredibly easy to get it wrong! I currently have 69 tree's left so I'll need to buy more but....I need you to help me decide how many! So if you fancy helping a guy out with some market research it would be much appreciated ; ) I'll attach a poll above with the choices. Thanks in advance for anyone's help!
  10. My shop has been selling Christmas tree's for over 30 years. We now only stock a premium grade Nordman (non-drop). We are a small family run independent Greengrocers and have based our trade on good reputation. We buy in approximately 300 Christmas tree's every year which for such a small shop is a very very large amount. We sell so many as we have a lot of repeat customers. We have a lot of tree's already un-netted for customers to look at and are always happy to open more. We also have a netting machine to re-net it so you can manage it easier. We have earned our reputation through selling quality tree's not cheap tree's. in all honesty you will probably find us around about £5 dearer than places such as B&Q etc. I've always believed that if you can get a mediocre tree at £35, why not spend the extra fiver and buy a premium grade tree? When you're looking at a cheap nasty tree in your living room you aren't thinking about that £5 you saved. We are based at the top of Twentywell Lane in Bradway (S17 4QH). Just look for the sign (and the hundreds of trees!)
  11. Andy called it quits last Friday. We had a bit of a bust up a few months back after he tried to open up a shop opposite a good friend of mine. The shop has been bought by another Greengrocer however.
  12. I took this picture just before I set off back to the shop this morning...
  13. My only memory of the "old" market is the fish market. The rest of it is just a blur. The new market however is fresh in my memory from when it was built. I own a Greengrocers in Bradway so I'm there early every morning. Absolutely cracking place, I love it and doing my buying is one of the highlights of my job.
  14. Spoke to the farmer today (he's a friend of mine). Like some have said, it is a bird scarer as he's been losing a lot of corn to crows. You can see them flying over Bradway earlyish in the morning. The police and environmental health have been round after several conplaints and found he is acting well within the law (it is a necessary evil). The good news is it will be over shortly. The corn has just about taken so just put up with it for a short while longer : ) Also, for those that have complained about it keeping them awake all night. I must be something else as the bird scarer is on a timer and doesn't operate during the night.
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