Should I offer, and charge?

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GillianF
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Should I offer, and charge?

Post by GillianF »

A guest coming in August has just e-mailed to say they will not arrive in Calais until 11.00 a.m. on their arrival day and will, therefore, be a late arrival with us. Journey times from the Channel to us are usually 7 or 8 hours. We normally ask to be advised of a late arrival which we count as after 9.00 p.m. as they come to us and I take them to the house which is about 5 minutes' drive.

Given the prior warning of a late arrival I will give them directions directly to the house and information to find a key.

But, they have asked if there is a local supermarket which will deliver groceries for their arrival. There isn't - nor anything like it.

I'm not familiar with how supermarkets do this in the UK. If a local supermarket would deliver surely they'd expect someone to be at the house and that would have to be me? So, they are asking me to take delivery of items, check them, put them in the 'fridge etc. - even assuming delivery was whilst I was at the house.

I COULD offer to do some shopping for them if they gave me a list but feel I might be opening myself up to all sorts of problems. I'd have to make a special supermarket trip the day before, store it at home, take it to the house on changeover, take 'responsibility' for getting everything and getting it all right. If I did all this could I, reasonably, make a charge for my time/effort or should I just, politely point out there is no such supermarket delivery service and suggest they stop en route and do their own shopping?

I don't want to be unhelpful but it is 'self catering' and we aren't on site ...................

Gillian
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Fifi
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Post by Fifi »

Couldn't they just stop at a supermarket en-route?? They're bound to need to stop for petrol and pees at some stage.

I have been known to do shopping of the bread, milk,eggs variety (nothing which involves too much choice), but I am on site so nowhere near as complicated. I don't charge them a fee because I just bung it in with my own shopping, and I give them the till receipt to reimburse me. Most do round up and tell me to buy the dog a bone .......
People who arrive after 10pm, shouldn't expect a hug.....
rammy100
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Post by rammy100 »

Can't you just suggest that they call at a supermarket on the way down from Calais?
Here we go again........
Marta West
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Post by Marta West »

Good morning :-)

I often get late arrivals due to flight schedules.
When that is the case, I offer to do a small shopping for them, they just send me a list by email and I arrange that.
I never charge anything for this kind of service and they are always very happy with it...it´s just a little nice thing that makes your "welcome" much nicer :-)
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French Cricket
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Re: Should I offer, and charge?

Post by French Cricket »

GillianF wrote: I COULD offer to do some shopping for them if they gave me a list but feel I might be opening myself up to all sorts of problems. I'd have to make a special supermarket trip the day before, store it at home, take it to the house on changeover, take 'responsibility' for getting everything and getting it all right. If I did all this could I, reasonably, make a charge for my time/effort or should I just, politely point out there is no such supermarket delivery service and suggest they stop en route and do their own shopping?
Gillian
We quite often do a basic shop for people. I only visit a supermarket once a week so I make it clear that I can't get stuff with short use-by dates, but otherwise I'm quite happy to add their list to mine then give them an annotated copy of the till receipt. I don't charge as it doesn't involve me in any extra work, bar sorting the items and stashing them away; if I chose to do it as an 'extra' - ie additional trip to the shops, 16 km away - then I think it would be reasonable to make a charge.

Our guests get a loaf of home made bread and lots of store cupboard basics anyway - enough to make a scratch meal if they miss the shops altogether.

It's not something that many people take up, but this year we have many more guests driving down and interestingly it's those driving from the Channel ports that ask for it more - it's a long and stressful day if they're doing it in one stage so I can quite understand that stopping to shop is is just one thing too much.
GillianF
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Post by GillianF »

Thank you. My initial (gut) feeling was that they could/should stop en route and do their own shopping.

Most guests do that or arrive around 5.00 p.m., check in and then go off to the supermarket having got directions from me.

I could do a small shopping basket of essentials for breakfast on Sunday morning but my worry is that they'll give me a huge list of stuff for Saturday dinner, Sunday breakfast etc. etc.

I suppose the bottom line is that I don't want to do this and so, with your back up, I will politely suggest the stopping en route option. I feel that if they are pre-warned of it they will build it in to their trip.
SandyBeaches
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Post by SandyBeaches »

I think you have to draw the boundaries to start with as if you say 'yes' to the shopping you will be opening yourself up to all sorts.

Their question was whether a local supermarket would deliver. I would go back to them and say that sorry no they don't but that you would suggest stopping off at 'x' local supermarket on the way and provide them with details/directions and/or opening hours. That way they can do their own thing and you've set the boundaries if it's a service that you don't usually offer.
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greenbarn
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Post by greenbarn »

GillianF wrote: I suppose the bottom line is that I don't want to do this and so, with your back up, I will politely suggest the stopping en route option. I feel that if they are pre-warned of it they will build it in to their trip.

and
SandyBeaches wrote: Their question was whether a local supermarket would deliver. I would go back to them and say that sorry no they don't but that you would suggest stopping off at 'x' local supermarket on the way and provide them with details/directions and/or opening hours. That way they can do their own thing and you've set the boundaries if it's a service that you don't usually offer.
Sums up my thoughts. We wouldn't invite - unintentionally - a big shopping list to get wrong. Supermarkets here do deliver and we'd accept the delivery for the guest if necessary, but not take responsibility for checking every single item. Anyway, the motorway services near us on the M6 is independently owned and has its own farm shop and sells some of the best produce you'll find anywhere....... trouble is if you try suggesting to guests that they should pop in to the motorway services for top notch food they think you're taking the proverbial!
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Mouse
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Post by Mouse »

Gillian I do this quite a bit and over the years have never been given a huge list of things....just a short list that gets them over the weekend until they can go to the supermarket themselves.
People are ever so grateful when I offer (on noticing they have a late flight) and especially families with young children.
I don't charge.

You sound worried that it will take a special trip, long list etc. so why not suggest you can get in a few things to tide them over until they can hit the supermarket themselves and what would they like?

Mouse
x
p.s. what do you leave? I think it was helenb who said she always leaves pasta and a pasta sauce....which I think is a great idea for when shops are shut....as they last a long time in the cupboard.
We leave tea, coffee, juice etc so it is usually only breakfast things or late evening meal type stuff they need.
Could you offer a late arrival pack that you charge for?
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GillianF
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Post by GillianF »

I was thinking of explaining that the local supermarkets have no such thing as on line shopping and local delivery as we are so rural. The larger supermarkets would not deliver this far from their big town location. If I suggest they stop en route it would not be local enough to me to know too much about directions etc. as I suspect they will arrive too late for the local-ish closing times. I was going to give advice that they should stop at a supermarket en route and advise them that the local ones here close at 7.00 p.m. and open again Sunday morning and close at 12.00.

I did offer to do some shopping some years ago and the list was just bread, ham, some cheese, butter etc. and it wasn't too onerous but it was a bit of a pain sorting out the prices from my list and putting everything in the fridge etc. They paid up promptly. I'd be happy to do that sort of thing again but don't want to get involved in the quantities a supermarket delivery would entail.

Our 'welcome pack' is wine and some nibbles as a gesture towards their evening meal. If there are children in the group I add orange juice and biscuits. It's really only supposed to be a helpful addition to tea/keep the kids quiet or a little extra treat for grown-ups. We often get motorcyclists and I leave tea, coffee, sugar and milk for them with beers in the 'fridge.
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Normandie
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Re: Should I offer, and charge?

Post by Normandie »

GillianF wrote:I don't want to be unhelpful but it is 'self catering' and we aren't on site ...
It's up to you how much extra effort you want to make and there are two factors here: 1) they are in their own car so can bring things with them and 2) they can do a basic shop en route. It's slightly different if they are flying / car hiring because you don't want to be throwing containers of pasta or rice in with your hand luggage but in your own car... when we used to travel over on a Sunday with my parents, we brought a frozen casserole with us that defrosted over the journey and was ready to pop in the oven on arrival.

The downside of shopping en route is I hate leaving an obviously loaded 'holiday' car in a car park... call me Ms Neurotic but it always looks like an invitation to smash, grab as much as you can and run. But that's just me, perhaps. :wink:

If you don't want to shop for them (and it's perfectly reasonable if you don't) I would advise them of what local shops are open on Sunday mornings and where the Sunday morning markets are and leave directions and recommendations for them.
annedab
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Post by annedab »

If they are driving then there is no reason why they can't put a few things - like pasta and sauce as suggested previously - in with their packing to tide them over that evening. If they are going to be arriving that late anyway, I would have thought that they might stop to eat before arriving. Wouldn't imagine anyone wants to cook after a long, hot day in the car. Sunday morning trip to the bakery and then a quick supermarket shop. Sorted!
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Anne

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French Cricket
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Post by French Cricket »

It's all about expectation, isn't it?

I know that in the UK (and in France too) now there are a huge number of holiday cottages where the owners offer all sorts of services - receiving supermarket deliveries being one, pre-arrival shopping being another, including a welcome pack comprehensive enough to provide the first night's supper being yet another.

If these guests have stayed at cottages like that in the past then they might reasonably expect the same, which is probably why they're asking now.

As I see it, the ball sits firmly in each owner's court to decide where they want to be within the overall market. 'Strictly' self-catering, where the guests look after themselves 100% from start to finish; self-catering with all sorts of services beyond cleaning and keyholding; or somewhere in between.

There's a place for every approach, so long as the guest knows when they book exactly what is and isn't on offer. Like many others on here we choose the 'with services' approach - partly because it just 'fits' with who we are and we like doing it, and partly because a small gesture can generate happiness and goodwill in the guest far and away beyond the energy expended in doing it. For me it's a no brainer ... but it wouldn't be if we didn't actually want to do it in the first place!
tavi
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Post by tavi »

For my late arrivals I offer a fixed shopping list at a fixed price(includes a small fee for me). Take it or leave it. No shopping list to follow, no heavy drinks for me to carry, and no totting up to do. Occasionally people ask me to replace an item with something else for dietary reasons - which is easy to do.

It basically includes enough to make a light supper, a sandwich, or a breakfast the next morning, nothing special but it helps those arriving late, tired and hot :D
annedab
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Post by annedab »

French Cricket wrote:It's all about expectation, isn't it?

......For me it's a no brainer ... but it wouldn't be if we didn't actually want to do it in the first place!
I think you have hit the nail on the head there FC - it's all about managing expectations. Ours as well as the guests.
Regards

Anne

If there's no such thing as co-incidence, then why is there a word for it?
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