Idea:
Smart Grocery Store with goal of zero waste, organic food stuffs, and ultimately sustainability
Store Concept:
Food products available in wholesale bins not prepackaged with wasteful plastics, cardboard, and papers. Individuals will purchase a membership to the store/club and be given containers and bags to be reused with every store/use purchase?
Food Quality:
Where available and as often as cost-sensitively possible, food products will be locally-sourced, organic, in-season,
Issues:
People have become accustomed to having all types of foods available regardless of the season. The lack of availability of all foods in all seasons will be a draw-back for customers.
Containers:
Assumedly very few different types of containers would accomplish the feat of amply storage area for the different food products available. The containers should be stackable, non-petroleum-based, bio-degradable at the end or their life, convenient to carry, reusable for many many years, easy to clean, toxin-free, crush-resistant, and individually identified (with RFID?). The containers need to be as convenient for fluids as well as solids with the ability to pour easily as well as scoop from. These containers will need to have a standard weight, fluid measurement designation, and ability to be simply weighed.
Pre-filled Containers:
As is common-place in humanity, simplicity and ease often take precedent over cost savings. In order to aid individuals seeking non-time-intensive shopping, pre-filled store containers of the most popular sizes, amounts, and weights will be made available adjacent to bulk bins.
Use of Containers
Unless an effective method/incentive is developed for individuals to return the containers, containers will disappear left and right. Immediately the ideas are either a store credit for the return of each container (incentive may not be effective enough), or a limited number of containers for each person such that the return of each container affords you another, more can be purchased, and there is the possibility to be eligible for more containers after so many returns (shopping trips).
Store membership packages:
Individual
Six Containers
Couple
Ten Containers
Family of 5
Twenty Containers
Superstar
50+
Ability to add on at any level?
Receipts:
Upon signing up store members will be enrolled in the store’s online receipt database with the ability to check receipts and sign up for email or SMS notifications about purchases at time of purchase.
***Note: Please feel free to use, build upon, and take from these thoughts***
