TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Shop N Drop SXM

We will be in SXM in March and are considering using Shop N Drop for our initial stocking of snacks, fruit and adult beverages. We thought it would be worth the 15% charge for delivery to our condo and would save us the initial trip to the store given we are not familiar with the local stores and I am sure once we get to condo, we will be drawn directly to the beach. The reviews on their website are all very positive. Has anyone used this service? If so, any feedback on your experience or recommendations?

Three yrs in a row, no qualms to recommend. You unlock your door, reach in the fridge for a cold drink and have ahh ahh moment - all due to Jeannie
Seriously, maybe a little more than doing itself, but you are paying someone to do the shopping so of course a cost. To us worth it for the convenience, time saved and the piece of mind it will be done right.
You can make special requests when you order ie please place the wine in the fridge etc. When you arrive the list of what you ordered will be on the counter checked off.
Excellent service
J&B

Many of us have used Jeannie's service multiple times. You won't be disappointed.

We've had the pleasure of using Jeannie's services every year twice a year since she started and I've yet to have any problems with any of the items or stocking. She is extremely conscientious about her business and her business reputation and genuinely wants to please her clients.

We usually have her provide essential items along with those hard to find things we might want in quantities for the whole trip and the everyday items that will get us through the first few days - lunch or dinner on arrival day and breakfast the next morning, including fresh baguettes and pastries from one of the best spots on the island. I really don't want to have to spend half a day traveling and then have to deal with all that stuff, too!!

Every so often she might refuse to purchase perishable items because they aren't up to her specs - not a problem for me, and one time she substitued a can of regular lemonade because the pink lemonade I requested was out of stock. I guess some might have a problem with that but I thanked her for thinking outside the box. And in both of these cases, she offered to make adjustments on our bill where they might have been called for if we weren't satisfied with our choices. You can't ask for more than that, or not in my opinion anyway. And besides all that, I can't tell you how much effort she made to provide us with a very specific but equally hard to find (on the island, anyway) NA beer. Jeannie's business is a very labor intensive one and she still manages to be hands on with every order.

She does charge a percentage fee of the order for the overall service and the prices she charges are not the lowest on the island but they're reasonable and you do know what they are in advance. For the convenience, I will pay them. Tipping is totally up to you but I know it's always appreciated.

And since I'm one who would rather stick pencils in my eyes than grocery shop anywhere but most specifically on the island while on vacation, it's probably the best thing I spend my vacation dollars on - besides dining out of course!! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

She is great. Even contacted the house manager of property she hadn't served before to make arrangements on our behalf.

We use Jeannie's service twice a year, and consider the value worth every penny. Jeannie goes out of her way to make sure you have exactly what you want and will go out of her way to find anything not on her list.

Wonderful service. The beer is cold in the refrigerator when we arrive! Yes, there is a fee but well worth it to me. The prices on some items are a bit higher than Market Garden or Peli Deli but the work is done. We love Shop'n Drop.

Jeannie has been a sponsor here for several years and everyone raves about her service! Yes, you pay extra for the service, but people pay for the convenience. And she goes totally out of her way to satisfy her customers.

Love her service for the very reason you mentioned! When we get to the villa we just want to relax and enjoy! Jeannie gets everything we need so that can happen! Have used her many times and well worth the extra money!! A large group of us traveled down in July. Those of us who used her could get started on our vacation right away! The others had to go to the store to get provisions! Think they were a bit jealous but didn't want to spend the extra money!

Jeannie's service is beyond spectacular! We have used Shop n Drop since this business first began in SXM and have always been happy with the service. Jeannie is totally concerned about her customers and delivers the products requested in a timely manner and always with a smile.You have made a great decision in choosing this service!

Does Jeannie deliver to Club O? If so, does she deliver to your unit? How does she know which unit you're getting? If not how does she handle such deliveries? Does she deliver after your arrival or just before?

You need to check with Jeannie as far as delivery to Club O, as it USED to be that you had to make advance arrangements to meet her somewhere.

For Orient Village (and Club O) there is another option for food delivery, which is from Petit Casino, the grocery store in the Village, owned by Bruno from Dreams, and formerly Le Cottage. With regard to delivery within Club O itself, not sure how that works with Bruno either, but you can contact him on his website for info. They are on the sponsors page.

When we ran into Jeannie at Karakter in November, she was busy expanding her service to St Bart's.
She's a busy girl!

Jeannie is the absolute best. So caring! Just a great person as well as professional.

Jeannie will meet you at Club O and deliver your groceries upon arrival. They apparently won't let her do it before your arrival since they have their own grocery store on site. I guess they don't appreciate the competition.

Hi Everyone,
Thank you for your kinds words once again... Every year I get busier and busier.
I am trying my very best to keep the standard of service I like to offer and make sure every order get the required attention.
Club O- Nothing has changed. Generally after you place the order you need to provide me your flight arrival details we show up at the time you register and once you have checked in the security will put all the groceries in the golf cart and assist us to bring it to your room...
I sometimes gets emails asking about the price points ... My recommendation is please do not compare our prices to grocery store prices. This is a service of convenience and it is not only a labor intensive job but a challenging one at that.
Please bear with me but I want to take some time and explain here why the cost are higher and what the surcharge covers for me...

From the time you place the order to the time it gets into the villa /resort, the process goes through several steps. In any given week we receive about 20 -25 orders per week with the exception of Christmas week when we received 32 orders on Saturday and 38 on Sunday ( which is not our typical order number ).
I then consolidate the list for shopping and one of my staff members goes to shop for the heavy items and the alcohol and another team your regular groceries.
We try to buy everything that is dry prior to delivery date and visit several shops to accomplish this task. While we are shopping new orders come in as well and then I have to go through similar process to complete the shopping for those additional orders all over again… the rest of the shopping is done on the date of delivery. The list then gets detailed out as to what needs to be purchased on the date of delivery like meats, vegetables and diary etc .

In the background I call the villas / resorts to arrange for pre- stocking and this by itself is a huge challenge for us as there is check in/check out situation and we have deliveries all over the island on both sides. Timing for delivery is critical as people are not always available at the time we want to delivery so we have to go early sometimes as early as 7:00 AM when the maids are there.

When we have about 15- 20 deliveries in a day this is a challenge by itself considering we deliver all over the island. Each company we work with have different rules and regulations and we have to be flexible to abide my their rules to ensure we can get the deliveries done ... Often we are told the room will not be ready till 1:00 PM or later especially the time share resorts in which case it is a waiting game...

All the orders needs to then go through quality control ... we then have to email clients with items we cannot find after checking various stores and suggest alternatives.

On the day of delivery my team meets at the ware house sometimes as early as 6:00 AM, we prepare the orders while one person is shopping at the grocery store to buy the fresh items... All cold items are individually placed in cooler bags with ice packs and then the delivery team comes to pick up the orders ...They then go in different directions based on the route and start delivering.

Believe me since I have done it all I know the challenges they face... They will go to resort and the kitchen is not cleaned ... Mount Vernon hotel condos a challenge of its own… if you have stayed in one of those condos you know what I am talking about… we often have to wait for the villas to be ready and rush to the next villa to ensure we are not keeping people waiting… as the arrangements have already been made for specific times , , traffic delays and several other scenarios that will take me too long to mention( road conditions etc…)
Bottom line we go through a lot of challenges not just physical labor but the all the co-ordination and attention to detail we need to adhere to ensure the client experience is a good one....
End result: Our guest walk into their villa / resort after a long day of travel and can enjoy a cold beer / snack etc and start their vacation in style!
I took the time to explain this because often I am told my prices a higher and all of this work and cost of labor has to be paid and I still need to remain profitable...
I am there every step of the way to ensure everything goes according to plan and to ensure mistakes are identified, customers contacted and problems fixed if any...
I then come home and spend at least two hours answering emails and getting ready for the next day deliveries
I do hope you can understand now why we have to surcharge in order to ensure we can offer the service that I offer.

Awesome service! And not to forget the genuine sweetness of Jeannie herself!!

Jeannie's explanation is a good one. From the outside most business's seem simple, but as most of us know, working on the inside, life is not so simple. Replicating a consistent postive customer experience is a challenge that requires constant effort and hard work.
In my own work world, I strive for that. In return, when as a consumer when I find that same effort I want to reward that effort with my business, however large or small that is
Seems simple, reward a job well done
J&B

Many customers have no idea what goes on behind the scenes. You have explained this very well and I am sure people will have a better understanding and appreciation for your business.To spend your days like this and still always have a smile on your face shows your love and dedication for your business. Best wishes for continued success!

<img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Thumbsup.gif" alt="" />with all due respect... If you want to walk into where ever you are staying after how many hours pre flight. Flight and after flight and go directly to wherever yor are going. And open the fridge to grab a cold...... Whatever suck it up and start your vacation and thank Jeannie for letting you do so.... If NOT. Your on your own and I don't care to hear about it. JUST. sAYING <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

Yes, the woman is running a business not a charity. After reading what she goes through fighting traffic, buying, storing, keeping goods cool or fresh, delivery, employing people to help her,vehicle cost, maintenance, gas, I am honestly surprised with her mark up. I would expect it to be more. You are paying a mark up fee for the convenience and time it saves you.

We can also highly endorse Jeannie. We have used her services many times and will use her again. I can only agree with all the positive comments everyone has already posted.

You really didn't need to but since you have I hope you save it for future reference because you have explained it beautifully!

Jeannie,

I hope you follow wofan's suggestion and save your response above for future reference. It's a great one and explains your service beautifully. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

Maybe I'm missing something, but nowhere in this thread did I read anyone complaining, or questioning the markup. Any reasonable person (and we're all reasonable here!) knows you pay for service.

Wow! I think I can conclude this is a service that is well worth the cost and of high quality. I've already started our order. Thank all of you for your resounding endorsements. One less thing to be concerned about and will likely add several hours to our vacation not having to hunt down groceries and libations. We are really looking forward to the SXM experience.

I know what's involved, Jeannie (from talking to you) and still - after reading what's required for you to conduct your business - I feel that I need a nap. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/jester.gif" alt="" />

I can't speak highly enough of your dedication to satisfy all of your customers. I think I order from you each year more for the opportunity to connect with you than for the convenience -- you've become a highlight of my time in St. M <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/circle.gif" alt="" />

You are absolutely right no one was complaining about the mark up... I just responded only because a thread was started and I know and hear that there may be a general perception that my prices a high and how do I justify it...

So I took this opportunity explain that’s all as transparency in business is critical for it's success and gaining customer confidence. Many of you who have used my service know I never remove price tags on items that have them like cold cuts, meats, cheeses etc. Reason when I deliver I want my customers to know where i bought it and how much I paid for it ...

Jeannie, if only every business were run like yours! The world would be a far better place. See you in March!

Used Shop N Drop last April. Excellent service. Looking forward to using again in April. Tremendous convenience.

Jeannie is wonderful
I was one of her first customers many years ago
She is trustworthy , which is the most important and does try and get u all u want

We have used Jeannie's services for several years and have been extremely pleased. Nothing like having the basics when we arrive so I do not have to run right out and shop after early morning wake up and flights. Hubby loves having his soda ready and cold. It is worth the extra for a peaceful first few days! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Clapping.gif" alt="" />

SO glad I perused this thread. What a great concept.
And I loved Jeannie's explanation. You are an awesome owner of a business. Just sent in our first order! Cheers!

So after getting stranded in Miami by Jonas, then getting sick on the AA flgiht from AA and settling into speed back here in NY, Ihave to give MAJOR props to Jeannie.

I just ran across this thread a few days before our trip and it was a homerun. I LOVE how Jeannie goes into detail outlining her business and the costs involved to run the business. I really respect that as a fellow business owner.

Got to our place at La terasse to all items delivered with one substitution. Excellent concept and execution.

Until the next time, Thank you Jeannie and your crew!

Thank you for your kind words... I don't say this often and now a days due to time constrains I don't communicate often on this board...

Just a quick nostalgic recap ...

TTOL is exactly where I started ( a kind soul who passed away Ray Minelli introduced me and my business concept 6 years ago on TTOL).

At the beginning I had many skeptical followers as no one knew who I was and did not want to take the chance to do an online transaction and pay online before delivery to someone no one had heard of ...

The few who did just trusted Rays's words and tried my service... reviews poured in one by one and now I have more customers than I can service... and most importantly many customers and business owners who have become my close friends and continue to support me ... Thank you

What touches me even more is I have a few customers who order just to see me or support my business even when they love to shop... I am grateful to you all... and thank you for continuing to trust me and giving me the opportunity to be of service to all of you...

Ray I am thinking of you and I know you will be very proud of me!!!!

Jeannie,

<img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Clapping.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Clapping.gif" alt="" />