Roche Bros. Helps Elderly, Disabled Shop More Easily
Roche Bros. and Sudbury Farms Supermarkets, banners with 18 stores in the greater Boston market and Cape Cod, have rolled out what they call “a new concept in grocery shopping”: a call-in service. Aimed at such transportation-compromised groups as the elderly, disabled and chronically ill, the new service enables shoppers to phone in grocery orders and have the items delivered to their homes.
By calling 781-694-5442, customers can select from the same products carried in their local Roche Bros. Supermarket stores.
In 2005, Wellesley Hills, Mass.-based Roche Bros. introduced a home delivery service offering online shopping for time-pressed shoppers, but the new service takes into account the fact that many elderly and disabled customers either don’t have access to a computer or don’t possess the technological knowledge to place online orders. To begin with, the call-in service will be available Monday and Wednesdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. to Boston-area customers, with deliveries carried out during the week. The service hasn’t rolled out yet to the grocer’s Mashpee location on Cape Cod.
“Roche Bros. has a long tradition of meeting the needs of the community,” said Roch Bros. director of marketing Arthur Ackles. “That means serving not just our core customers, but customers whose lifestyle may be compromised. This philosophy is at the heart of what Roche Bros is all about.” Ackles added that the service is helping such customers remain self-sufficient.
“It’s ironic that the people who would benefit most from our call-in service are also the people who are unable to use [the online delivery] service due to the required technology,” observed Roche Bros. home delivery manager Geoff Farrington. “They must rely on friends and family to bring them shopping, help them shop or help them place an order online. In response to the recent requests for a delivery service, Roche Bros. decided to launch a program to take orders over the telephone and deliver the grocery order to the customer.”