Online grocery store begins deliveries to students

By: Bethany Root

Posted: 11/10/04

When exams and term papers start piling up as high as the snow this winter, finding time and energy for grocery shopping will be a hassle for many college students.

But with the launch of a new online service, One Click Grocery, there is a way for them to get food without the fuss. The Web site, OneClickGrocery.com, allows students and anyone else living within a five-mile radius of campus to order groceries online and have orders delivered to their doorstep.

"We've only been open for a week and a half, but there has already been a huge response," said Adam Peruta, co-founder of One Click Grocery and an adjunct professor at Syracuse University's School of Information Studies.

Once students register on the Web site, they can order food and toiletries, create shopping lists or use one of the site's premade lists. Customers can browse through "aisles" such as "meats and poultry," "cookies, snacks and candy," and "health and beauty," putting desired items in their virtual shopping cart. Then, they fill out a contact form providing payment information and a home address.

Delivery is free unless students are not present when their groceries are dropped off, and the goods need to be redelivered. Some of the most popular items so far are staples like milk, bread, and "dorm food" like Pop-Tarts and bagel bites, Peruta said.

One limitation of the service is that orders cannot be fulfilled the same day. One Click Grocery only delivers purchases on Thursdays and Sundays, and customers must submit their orders by 6 p.m. the previous day in order to receive their items the next day.

But these restrictions have not discouraged Aubrey Adams, an alumna of Syracuse University and one of the service's first customers.

"I've already put in my second order," said Adams. "I live off campus, and they were more than happy to deliver to me. The fruit was fresh, everything was perfect, and I was very impressed."

One Click Grocery is the brainchild of three local entrepreneurs, all with previous experience in online business. Last summer, Peruta, who also owns RateMyClass.com, joined forces with Matthew Dacey and Matthew Duffley after the two decided to create a grocery delivery service modeled after their online movie rental business, One Click Video.

"We have a deal with a couple of different grocery stores, where we get the products slightly cheaper," Duffley said. "Adam focuses on the Web site right now, and Matt and I do the grocery shopping, but hopefully soon we'll be looking to hire employees to do that."

The company is also planning to launch One Click Grocery and One Click Video services at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Duffley's alma mater.

Overall, for students, the service's most potentially valuable feature is the option for parents to deposit money into their children's accounts, Peruta said.

"I remember when I was in college, every time I talked to my mom, she would ask, 'Are you eating OK? Do you have food?'" he said. "This way, parents can give students cash and not have to worry about if they are really buying food with it or if they're using it at the liquor store."

Another advantage of the service is that, unlike with university meal plans, money left over in a student's account is paid back at the end of the year.

"There are no real grocery stores for students, at least none with a good selection, and we thought there was a need for it on campus," said Dacey, who graduated from SU last spring. "It's a really simple and convenient way to do grocery shopping. Just trying it will change people's habits. It just frees up so much time."

The service may be especially useful for those who cannot easily make it to the store for reasons other than lack of time. Attila Berry, a magazine, newspaper and on-line journalism graduate student, broke her ankle in September and has since relied on crutches for transportation. She has only been to the grocery store once in the past seven weeks.

"My friend pushed me around in a wheelchair and I pointed at things and she put them in the cart," she said. "I definitely wouldn't want to do that again because people look at you funny."

Berry said that she would probably try One Click Grocery, if only because she would like to be able to get groceries without relying on the frozen food that her mother stocked in her fridge.

"I think I'll definitely use it," she said. "I feel bad having to call my friends and begging them to get me food."