Want 250 more profitable customers every day?

Truckers, brokers and DSD field workers could be an incremental customer base for supermarkets.

Truckers, brokers and DSD field staffs are in supermarkets each day. And they need to eat on the run to keep up with their demanding schedules. 

No one is in a better position to service their food needs than the stores they are servicing, we feel at The Lempert Report. If supermarkets make it convenient for these field workers to assemble their own food purchases, pay for them and immediately consume, the stores could capitalize on traffic they may currently be overlooking. University of Minnesota research suggests about 250 service people come to a supermarket each day.

The truckers especially have idle time while the store-receiving teams confirm the accuracy of orders. Why not sell to them with a mini-shop in the backroom? Maybe with a couple of small tables too? Make sure prepared foods are available, and possibly offer them a discount for being part of the community that makes the store work.

We think they’ll love it because they have trouble finding places to park their trucks and eat anywhere on the road. Supermarkets could offer them healthier choices than truck stops typically serve. They should also see this as an efficient way to fuel their bodies while filling their routes.

At a time when stores angle for every competitive edge, this is a captive audience they can no longer afford to ignore as potential customers.