Courier services gain popularity as local drivers bring groceries, supplies from out-of-town stores

By Gary Crawford

The Tri-Cities has long said it would love to welcome a

Trader Joe’s, a second Costco and an IKEA furniture store.

But until that happens, consider hiring a courier to do runs

to your favorite store for you.

Two local drivers have found their niche and started their

own independent courier services.

Nick Black of Richland started his side hustling early in

2018 by driving for Uber and Lyft. 

But his eureka moment came while he was driving for

UberEats.

“I had a customer who ordered a $7 coffee but was willing to

pay $12 extra for delivery,” he said.

This realization of the premium some people will pay for convenience started him on the road to launching Top One Solutions.

Black, a teacher by day at Chiawana High School, heads to

Portland about once a month, on Friday nights, to pick up customer orders at

IKEA and shop on their behalf at Trader Joe’s. 

His minimum charge for IKEA runs is $25 per order, for

orders up to $125. For orders more than $125, he charges a sliding scale. For

example, 25 percent for orders up to $750, 23 percent on orders from $751 to

$1,200, and 20 percent for orders above $1201.

For Trader Joe’s runs, he charges a $15 base service charge,

plus 10 percent of the cost of the groceries.

It’s a price many are happy to pay to save themselves the

time and gas driving to Portland or Seattle, Black said.

For IKEA orders, Black has customers buy from IKEA in

advance and gives instructions to the store that he will pick up the items on

their behalf.

The orders are waiting when he arrives and he can load with

minimum fuss.

Black noted that IKEA does have shipping available, but it

contracts the shipping to a freight hauler.

Most of Black’s repeat clients are Trader Joe’s customers,

but he admits that fulfilling them is time consuming since he takes a more

hands-on approach.

Trader Joe’s does not offer online ordering.

For Black, this means consolidating several shopping lists,

navigating the store aisles and long checkout lines.

After leaving the store, he loads frozen and perishable

items in chests with cold packs before heading back to the Tri-Cities.

Repeat customers for IKEA are infrequent except for a small

cohort of “maker ladies” who have crafting side hustles. They place repeat

orders for welcome mats and throw pillows that they personalize and resell,

Black said.

Black said that as Top One Solutions evolves, he is looking

at ways to increase his profits and add more services.

He now offers monthly wine club pickup from Prosser and

Walla Walla wineries, with home delivery, a service that ranges from $20 to

$25.

This is a welcome departure from the 400-mile roundtrip to

Portland, especially when hauling with his trailer means averaging 7 miles per

gallon, which has hurt his bottom line due to the recent increases in gas

prices, he said.

Michael Wilcsek founded Walla Walla to Costco to You in 2007 as a shopping and delivery service for people or businesses in Walla Walla who appreciate Costco’s prices and quality but find the time driving back and forth daunting.

Wilcsek, who has worked for Costco since 1984, currently in

the receiving department, moved to Walla Walla about 12 years ago.

When his neighbors started asking him to pick up items at

the Kennewick membership-only warehouse store to save them the trip, he

realized that this could turn into a side business that would pay for his

commuting costs, while also putting extra dollars in his pocket. 

He charges $15 for orders up to $100, and then $5 for every

$50 above the $100 threshold.

His has a base of about 100 customers. 

His typical customers are the elderly or young families who

do not have the means or time to make the two-hour roundtrip. 

Michael said that for many people in Walla Walla, a trip to

Costco becomes an “event day that includes additional shopping and lunch at the

Olive Garden.”

Also, while most of his customers are in Walla Walla, he

will deliver to communities along his commute home. He also services customers

in Dayton and Athena, Oregon.

Customers can place orders by emailing him, and payment can

be made by cash or check.

Wilcsek works a 4 a.m. to noon shift at Costco and does his

customer shopping after his shift ends.

A typical shopping list includes meat, dairy and produce,

but he anticipates upticks based on the season.

For example, he has delivered big items like gazebos in the

spring and flat screen televisions in advance of Super Bowl games. 

He also has several wineries which order disposable wine

glasses and cheese platters in advance of their events.

When asked about the future of his business, Wilcsek said he

plans “to continue it until he retires in about 10 years, or until Costco

decides to build a store in Walla Walla, whichever comes first.”

Top One Solutions: toponesolutions.info; toponesolutions2018@gmail.com;509-531-5060.

Walla Walla to Costco to You: costcotoyou.com; 509-522-4625.