Housebound seniors need to get goods delivered. Businesses, however, might not have the resources — vehicles, workers and money — to provide this service at low or no cost.
Based on a request from a housebound elder, I asked if any readers had experiences with businesses that delivered goods for free, or a reasonable rate, and were discreet about it. She apparently had a nosy neighbor.
Limited information surfaced. Plus, businesses that do deliver usually arrive in marked vehicles.
I did hear from more seniors looking for food delivery services to help bridge the gap between cooking at home and ordering Meals on Wheels.
One reader living south of 441 was frustrated that some Appleton restaurants won’t deliver past the highway.
Not all restaurants have $25 minimums for food delivery. Each one has different delivery requirements, minimums or fees. Driver tips are in addition to those costs.
The Bar locations in Appleton and Grand Chute, for example, have a $15 minimum food order and $2 delivery charge.
Muncheez Pizzeria in downtown Appleton has free delivery of pizza, subs, wings or salads with a minimum order of $12. While its prime delivery areas are Appleton and Grand Chute, it stretches south past 441 to Manitowoc and Airport roads. Average driver tips are $4.
“Our demographics tend to be younger because we’re open to 3 a.m., but we have all kinds of customers. We deliver to everyone,” said Muncheez owner Paul Vander Linden.
For general goods, home delivery will likely cost something unless the senior is savvy about accessing the Internet and ordering sufficient quantities to avoid shipping fees.
Rates for those delivery people are roughly $12 to $18 an hour depending on location, mileage and time. She also can connect seniors to for-fee concierge service companies that will do errands and shopping.
“If finances are an issue, I tell them to connect with their county’s Aging and Disability Resource Center to find out what pool of resources there might be for them,” she said.
She suggests seniors also check with neighborhood grocery stores, pharmacies, restaurants and shops that they use regularly to find out if delivery is an option. Smith Pharmacy in Little Chute, for example, has free mail or local prescription delivery service.