(Credit:
CNET / Josh Lowensohn)
Grocery comparison site Grocio is inching closer to a public launch. On Monday it opened up its doors to beta users in Tulsa, Okla.
The site, which helps people comparison shop for goods at local grocery stores, is still a long ways from being available nationwide. Its methodology, though, is sound. Each week founder Gerald Buckley sends out scans of the latest grocery circulars--yes, the ones that turn Sunday's paper into a phonebook-size behemoth, to Amazon's Mechanical Turk. Once there, they're transcribed into text files that Grocio's search engine can use to do its magic.
The whole process takes about two hours. After which, users can see how much the items on their grocery list would cost, then pick out the lowest-priced store--complete with any coupons that they'd need to print out and bring with them.
Getting that pricing and coupon information from the circulars is not exactly the fastest or most cost-effective method, but so far it's been one of the only ways to play. Buckley says that since its launch, grocers have perceived Grocio one of two ways: some have gladly handed over the latest pricing information, while others look at the service as a threat--something that could chase away potential customers.
Despite the fact that most shoppers aren't likely to go across town to pick up the other half of their shopping list, some grocers worry that Grocio's system means they won't come at all if they're getting an all-around better price elsewhere.
When Grocio figures out how much you'll save, it tells you how much you're saving, where to go, and gives you a printout of your shopping list and any coupons you need to bring.
(Credit: Grocio)Part of Buckley's strategy at winning both sides has been to start low, and to play them off each other. He's gunned for the "value-leaders," or stores that are running big sales on what they're selling. Getting these stores into the system means shoppers will have to compare those prices to the higher-margin competition, who in turn have to step it up to get noticed.
To augment that, last month Buckley introduced... Read more
Based on the growing size of our layoff tracker and the number of pitches we get starting with "in today's tough economic climate..." it's a great time to launch a service that helps save people cash. Grocio is no stranger to that idea, and lets you comparison shop for groceries without even having to leave the house.
Assuming you're the kind of person who sticks to their shopping list, and nothing but what's on that list this could end up being an incredibly handy service. It plugs into pricing provided by local retailers (including any coupons you might have on hand) to let you know which store has the lowest price, along with how much your shopping list will cost at each retailer.
The service hasn't launched yet, and is rolling out in limited markets to begin with, but you can see a demo of how it works here. Something tells me this would be a huge hit with college students if you could narrow it down to just beer and snacks.
Related: GroceryGuide: Local food deals and sales database extraordinaire
(via Alternate Search Engines)
Add items to your list and price check them at various retailers with Grocio.
(Credit: Grocio)
- prev
- 1
- next
