Personal shopping in Des Moines and the surrounding area
Your shopper. Not a shopper.
Not a rotating stranger from an app. One person who shops for your household, learns how you like things, and remembers it the next time.
Rather talk to a person first? Call (319) 555-0199
- The same person, every time
- A photograph of every receipt
- No markup on the groceries
Des Moines and the surrounding area
Ian Walmsley
Owner, and probably your shopper
What a trip costs
$25a trip
Plus what the shopping actually cost, at the price on the receipt.
Call (319) 555-0199
How it works
Tell us what you need
A list, a photo of one, or "the usual plus something for tacos Friday". You do not have to tidy it up first — a person reads it.
Your shopper shops
The same person, every time. They already know you buy the 2 lb packs and that the bananas should be green. When something is out, they follow your rule for that item — or they ask.
You see the receipt
Store price for the merchandise, photographed receipt, and the service fee shown separately. No markup hidden in the milk.
What the first visit is like
Handing your shopping to somebody is a bigger thing than downloading an app, so here is exactly what happens the first time — who arrives, how far in they come, and what you have to do about it.
Somebody you picked, by name
You choose a preferred shopper and a backup. When the trip is accepted you are told which of them is coming, before they set off — not a notification that a stranger is outside.
They come to the door
Nobody comes into your house. Your address carries your own instructions — call on arrival, do not ring the bell, cold things in the garage fridge, side door by the carport — and that is what the delivery follows.
You do not have to be home
The person who pays and the person who opens the door can be two different people, and the one at the door needs no account, no app and no smartphone.
Nothing changes hands at the door
You are charged after the receipts are in, not on the doorstep — a card on file, or check, cash or Venmo if you would rather settle up that way.
The part that gets better every trip
Everything we learn about your household is written down, and your shopper sees it before they leave the house. You should never have to explain the same thing twice.
Brands and sizes
Heinz, not the store brand. Ground beef 90/10 in 2 lb packs. Generic is fine for pantry staples.
Stores, ranked
Meat and produce at one store, pantry at another, and the one you would rather we skip.
Substitution rules
Per item, not just per order: swap freely, same brand only, ask me first, or never substitute this.
How to reach the door
Call on arrival, do not ring the bell, cold things in the garage fridge, side door by the carport.
What it costs
$25a trip
Plus what the shopping actually cost, at the price on the receipt.
Merchandise is charged at the price on the store receipt — you get the photo of it. The service fee is its own line, mileage beyond the included distance is its own line, and nothing is marked up quietly. No markup hidden in the milk.
When a trip is finished its totals are locked, so nobody — including us — can quietly edit what you were charged after the fact.
Everything that can appear on the bill
- Service fee
- $25 a trip
- Mileage
- Included — we do not charge for the drive
- What you asked for
- Store price, from the receipt we photograph
- Tip
- Optional, and all of it goes to your shopper
Pay as you go — our standard rate. Households on an older or negotiated rate keep it, and it is shown on every one of their orders.
Who comes to your door
Every shopper has a real name, a face and a profile you can read before you pick them, and you keep the same one. If yours is off, your backup goes instead and you are told which — the job never quietly changes hands.
Ian Walmsley does the hiring, and still shops routes personally.
Where we go
- Des Moines
Not on the list? Ring us anyway — if you are close we will usually say yes, and if we cannot get to you we will say that instead of taking the booking.
You can order for someone else
Plenty of our accounts are set up by an adult child two states away, paying for a parent’s weekly groceries. The person who pays and the person who opens the door do not have to be the same person, and the one at the door does not need an account or a smartphone.
More than groceries
Groceries are most of it, but the errand is the unit of work: big-box runs, pharmacy pickups where the law allows, the hardware store, pet and household supplies, returns and exchanges, the forgot-one-thing run, and a route that hits three stores in an afternoon.
Start with one trip
There is nothing to commit to. Send one list, see the receipt, and decide from there whether you want the same person doing it every week.
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Rather talk to a person first? Call (319) 555-0199