 In Search of Convenience Fine Foods: Convenience! Convenience! Convenience! Savvy business operators know that in today's marketplace making it easy on
customers makes it easier for them to stay in business. It is all about making good on the service that is expected. Hassle-free
transactions are as desirable as being too thin. Today's pursuit of ultimate convenience is focuses on-of all things-grocery shopping?
The purpose here is to dispel two assumptions with one report. There is no such thing as a hassle-free trip to a grocery store is first up.
Secondly, home-delivered gourmet food cannot possibly be as good as what can be bought from a good old brick-and-mortar. However,
with the utilization of advanced technology and a ubiquitous commitment to service, this is the dawning of a new era of deluxe conveniences.
Grocery Shopping
While it may be a tad difficult to get too excited about something as mundane as a supermarket, the Bloom chain
of supermarkets is a glimpse of what grocery shopping will be like in the future. The establishment puts forth a commendable effort to
provide ultimate convenience to its customers. Patrons can generate an online shopping list at the market's Web site and then print it out
upon arriving at the store.
Inside the superior-designed markets, wider aisles and items placed on easier to reach lower shelves make navigating through the store easy
for shoppers of all sizes. There are touch-screen displays at kiosks positioned throughout the stores that provide price-checks, price
comparisons, which aisle to find an item, recipes, and even wine suggestions. Check-out is simpler, too, as customers can sign up for a
membership card that entitles them to carry a handheld barcode reader that tallies items while they shop. It is electronic multitasking at
its finest. Beyond the high-tech atmosphere, Bloom has more in-store staff than most stores, including chefs on hand to answer questions on
menu selections and preparations.
Even Bloom's parking lots are designed to offer ultimate convenience. Space in the front of the lots is reserved for families with small
children and in-and-out shoppers. There are more than 50 of these convenient supermarkets in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern states.
Fine Food Delivery
While dining in a five-star restaurant is an exquisite experience, wouldn't it be wonderfully convenient to savor those culinary delights
from the casual atmosphere of home sweet home? An entire meal with appropriate appetizers and wine can be delivered almost as simply as
ordering a pizza from
Dean & Deluca with a little advanced planning. Most orders can be shipped the next day.
All perishable items are automatically sent with one-day shipping provisions. 
The extensive list of fine foods and Napa Valley wines would impress the most astute epicureans, gourmands and wine aficionados alike.
The finest cuts of meats, cured seafood, side dishes, cheeses, and caviars are just a click away. Glassware, dinnerware, cookware and
cooking tools also are available.
Dean & Deluca is a frontrunner in the emerging fine-food delivery industry. The company also has 14 retail markets across the country and
offers catering in select areas.
These companies are gaining popularity because they put forth the extra effort to make shopping with them as convenient as possible for
customers. Cranking up the service is churning up the sales for businesses focused on their customers' convenience.
For LxM James Rothaar
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