Groceries PLEASE!!!

[counter]

I agree if you want your local stores to use Bitcoin then it would be a good idea to take the time to contact them and let them know just that.  Don't think letting feelings on the issue is going to make this happen any sooner so you best get on it asap.  Try and get others in your area to do the same thing so the message has a bigger impact, best of luck.

[Baitty]

I used to know a service which would purchase from any site for a $3 fee on top of the payment. its a little more expensive of course but good in some cases. I think it was called bitsumo or something and I don't know if they are still in business.

[franky1]

I used to know a service which would purchase from any site for a $3 fee on top of the payment. its a little more expensive of course but good in some cases. I think it was called bitsumo or something and I don't know if they are still in business.

there is a service in my town that purchases from anywhere and delivers, whether its clothes, food, even mdconalds and they deliver it within 1 hour for $5. (not recommended for small purchases like a single cheesebuger or a pair of socks) but it does help those that cant get around EG disabled old and lazy to get things locally. and they accept bitcoin.

there are many ways around it, the world is your oyster of ways to get bitcoin implemented locally in your town. but if people want it in THEIR town THEY have to do it. after all someone thousands of miles away in a different state/country wont help YOUR town

[Baitty]

I used to know a service which would purchase from any site for a $3 fee on top of the payment. its a little more expensive of course but good in some cases. I think it was called bitsumo or something and I don't know if they are still in business.

there is a service in my town that purchases from anywhere and delivers, whether its clothes, food, even mdconalds and they deliver it within 1 hour for $5. (not recommended for small purchases like a single cheesebuger or a pair of socks) but it does help those that cant get around EG disabled old and lazy to get things locally. and they accept bitcoin.

there are many ways around it, the world is your oyster of ways to get bitcoin implemented locally in your town. but if people want it in THEIR town THEY have to do it. after all someone thousands of miles away in a different state/country wont help YOUR town

Does that business get many people using them? I would be interested in my local town but I don't think many others would be.

[allthingsluxury]

Don't worry, the day is coming.

[RenegadeMind]

I don't like the "middleman" idea.

I don't either, but I'm willing to support the companies that are building bridges now in the hopes that one day we won't need those bridges.

Good point. While it might be a bit of a sucky solution, it's still better than nothing.

Why do you want to buy food for BTC OP? It will have way higher value than your fiat and u'll reget it.

I'd like to continue buying bitcoins and use them. i.e. Cycle my purchasing power through Bitcoin instead of fiat.

And...

Why do you want to buy food for BTC OP? It will have way higher value than your fiat and u'll reget it.

If we all stockpile on bitcoins and nobody uses them , their value will be 0 in a matter of months.

That.

A lot of my spending is on simple things - food & gas, etc. By buying more bitcoins and using them to purchase food, I can contribute to the Bitcoin economy in a much more meaningful way. Instead, I'm pretty much stuck in a fiat economy with few options. There are few opportunities at the moment for me to spend. Groceries is a large expense, and one that I would particularly love to spend bitcoins on. Everybody eats, every day. Imagine the boost to the BTC economy if we could buy food with it. Electronics & online services & charity & remittance are all great and wonderful, but I'm hungry.

[RenegadeMind]

Professional literature would be useful though, I think most bitcoin users would help someone else get started but getting folks comfortable with how it works can be difficult (understatement of the year).

That probably would help. Offhand I'm thinking of a 2-fold, 6-panel, A4 sized pamphlet explaining the business and financial advantages of using Bitcoin. Something to appeal to the selfishness of the business.

[franky1]

Imagine the boost to the BTC economy if we could buy food with it.

i can order food, clothing toiletries, household appliances, all with bitcoin (and not with gyft).

i havnt had to use my ATM card in months. i just use my bank wire transfer to pay those irritating government bills and landlords that are stuck in the past.

if you want YOUR local area to be the same YOU have to make an effort

[franky1]

if you want to know the fastest way to convince a shop to take bitcoin, here is how (i done this and it works)

1. set up a website where a user inputs a dollar amount, and it converts to a favorable bitcoin amount that you would accept (basically the price for you to cash out with a bit of commission)

2. say this to a merchant
"here X ill set you up with bitcoin right now and you dont have to worry about converting, because here is a $200 bartab upfront. all you have to do when someone asks to pay by bitcoin, is simply to total up the sale as normal. then type that total into the website i made and it will tell you a bitcoin amount to tell your customer. show them this (my) QR code. and then know you can take that total off the bartab. if the bartab gets low ill come in and refill it with more money. if its zero. you simply say to the customer sorry your not accepting bitcoin at this moment"

basically agreeing the shop gets prepaid. and my site logs the bitcoin and dollar amounts so i know when to refill the tab. i keep the bitcoin/ or cash out, meaning the shop has no worries about the getting money side of it or the main details.

there job done.

now for the afterstory

later once he is used to it and see's that people are using bitcoin, i comeback and mention that he can sticking with the same exchange rate, he can accept bitcoin and keep the difference himself by setting up a coinbase account linked to his bank and using their QR code, or offer customers a better rate but has fee's with bitpay, all of which are still better then credit cards. leaving him free to become self sufficient or continue using me. (although i love getting bitcoin this way, i dont like having too many bar tabs all over the place so i prefer they get self sufficient so that i can concentrate on the next shop to adopt bitcoin)

then i tell him about getting local press to make a story about how "bitcoin has come to town" that customers can use bitcoin at his business to drum up more business for him

[jubalix]

im sorry, but arnt YOU the closest person that lives near YOUR grocery store, ..

.. may i suggest YOU talk to YOUR local grocery store to accept bitcoins. as im pretty sure no on else wil travel all th way to YOUR town to talk to YOUR local grocer..

if YOU want a grocery store near YOU to accept bitcoins, then its kind of obvious that YOU need to help YOURSELF to make things in YOUR town change. YOU live there after all..


i am bringing change to my town. so dont sit there and whing on a forum. instead ask for the best way to introduce it, the bst way to get your grocer to accept it. and dont just hope someone else will change your town while you sit on your sofa. get involved, be the change that you want

hey Frank1, Its hard to find a thread without you it....do you 24/7 BTC forum?

[franky1]

hey Frank1, Its hard to find a thread without you it....do you 24/7 BTC forum?

nope. just a few minutes now and again between real world stuff and trading. i dont reply to all forum threads, probably 30%..(the ones that actually count that dont get lost to the archive of page 2 onwards)

usually find me messaging in the afternoon and evening times, it doesnt take much to get upto date on forum messages, and in most cases it dosnt take me long to get to the root of peoples actual problem and offer a solution.. if i did however spend more time, i would do it in a more ass kissing manner to please th OP and to be their best friend. but most of the time people need the clear honest truth of how to get things done, rather then a pitty party and a sorry.

i prefer to offer objectionable advice and constructive criticisms. no point jumping aboard someones band wagon if it has a flaw. and no point shying away from that flaw if it can save that person time/money, and saves wasting other peoples time/money too.

in the case of this topic the harsh truth that this guy wants his local grocery store to accept bitcoins, but it wont become a reality by screaming about it on a forum, he needs to be talking to his local grocer.

if he asked me questions about how to sell the idea of bitcoin, i would help. if he told me the objections the grocer told him, id try to think up solutions. but simply to use this forum as his chatroom of random thought and no action.. is not what bitcoin should be about

[hollowframe]

if you want to know the fastest way to convince a shop to take bitcoin, here is how (i done this and it works)

1. set up a website where a user inputs a dollar amount, and it converts to a favorable bitcoin amount that you would accept (basically the price for you to cash out with a bit of commission)

2. say this to a merchant
"here X ill set you up with bitcoin right now and you dont have to worry about converting, because here is a $200 bartab upfront. all you have to do when someone asks to pay by bitcoin, is simply to total up the sale as normal. then type that total into the website i made and it will tell you a bitcoin amount to tell your customer. show them this (my) QR code. and then know you can take that total off the bartab. if the bartab gets low ill come in and refill it with more money. if its zero. you simply say to the customer sorry your not accepting bitcoin at this moment"

basically agreeing the shop gets prepaid. and my site logs the bitcoin and dollar amounts so i know when to refill the tab. i keep the bitcoin/ or cash out, meaning the shop has no worries about the getting money side of it or the main details.

I think the "tab" would need to be a lot more then $200 as this could potentially be only one customer's weekly grocery bill for a family.

Another issue is the customer service aspect of things. Anytime a store rejects a payment method for whatever reason it looks very bad for the store. If the "tab" were to run out too often then accepting bitcoin would do more harm then good as customers would come into the store expecting to pay via bitcoin and end up not being able to pay, this would create bad customer experiences.

[franky1]

if you want to know the fastest way to convince a shop to take bitcoin, here is how (i done this and it works)

1. set up a website where a user inputs a dollar amount, and it converts to a favorable bitcoin amount that you would accept (basically the price for you to cash out with a bit of commission)

2. say this to a merchant
"here X ill set you up with bitcoin right now and you dont have to worry about converting, because here is a $200 bartab upfront. all you have to do when someone asks to pay by bitcoin, is simply to total up the sale as normal. then type that total into the website i made and it will tell you a bitcoin amount to tell your customer. show them this (my) QR code. and then know you can take that total off the bartab. if the bartab gets low ill come in and refill it with more money. if its zero. you simply say to the customer sorry your not accepting bitcoin at this moment"

basically agreeing the shop gets prepaid. and my site logs the bitcoin and dollar amounts so i know when to refill the tab. i keep the bitcoin/ or cash out, meaning the shop has no worries about the getting money side of it or the main details.

I think the "tab" would need to be a lot more then $200 as this could potentially be only one customer's weekly grocery bill for a family.

Another issue is the customer service aspect of things. Anytime a store rejects a payment method for whatever reason it looks very bad for the store. If the "tab" were to run out too often then accepting bitcoin would do more harm then good as customers would come into the store expecting to pay via bitcoin and end up not being able to pay, this would create bad customer experiences.

well i dont do it at superstores (as i know they are usually national chains, which we as a community should be persuading, and also the store manager of local superstores dont have decision making powers to add new payments... thats left for the CFO/CEO/COO at the super stores HQ to decide) i do it at the small independent/convenience stores, where most people just spend $10-$40 a time.. and because not every customer knows of bitcoin, the tab does not run out every 5th customer.. more like every 3000th at the moment (about a week) giving me plenty of time to pop down to the shop with a handful of money.

as for the tab running out, my tabs never have. ijust say it as a way of saying, there is no force or contract that the merchant has to be part of, he can stop accepting bitcoins whenever he likes. but i do it in the subtle way that also suggests that when he see's customers wanting to pay by bitcoin, its in his own interest to become self sufficient and learn bitcoin to not have to rely on me... its all about the wording and being subtle.

usually by the first tab refil the merchant is starting to see the benefits and says how easy it is. and by the second refill their ready to bcome self sufficient, meaning i can move on and use that $200 tab on another business and that shop is now using bitay/coinbase or self managing for investment or profit using other means. i NEVER leave them empty handed. but i subtly suggest that they should become self sufficient

[hellscabane]

I feel like some sort of transactor for smaller grocery stores and convenient stores (like the mom and pop sort of thing) that can deal in bitcoin would be highly beneficial in this arena. I feel like the amount of penetration that could be gotten in that market is quite substantial. I feel that going with the larger grocery chains would be a disadvantageous in the short to medium term at the moment.

[Ron~Popeil]

if you want to know the fastest way to convince a shop to take bitcoin, here is how (i done this and it works)

1. set up a website where a user inputs a dollar amount, and it converts to a favorable bitcoin amount that you would accept (basically the price for you to cash out with a bit of commission)

2. say this to a merchant
"here X ill set you up with bitcoin right now and you dont have to worry about converting, because here is a $200 bartab upfront. all you have to do when someone asks to pay by bitcoin, is simply to total up the sale as normal. then type that total into the website i made and it will tell you a bitcoin amount to tell your customer. show them this (my) QR code. and then know you can take that total off the bartab. if the bartab gets low ill come in and refill it with more money. if its zero. you simply say to the customer sorry your not accepting bitcoin at this moment"

basically agreeing the shop gets prepaid. and my site logs the bitcoin and dollar amounts so i know when to refill the tab. i keep the bitcoin/ or cash out, meaning the shop has no worries about the getting money side of it or the main details.

there job done.

now for the afterstory

later once he is used to it and see's that people are using bitcoin, i comeback and mention that he can sticking with the same exchange rate, he can accept bitcoin and keep the difference himself by setting up a coinbase account linked to his bank and using their QR code, or offer customers a better rate but has fee's with bitpay, all of which are still better then credit cards. leaving him free to become self sufficient or continue using me. (although i love getting bitcoin this way, i dont like having too many bar tabs all over the place so i prefer they get self sufficient so that i can concentrate on the next shop to adopt bitcoin)

then i tell him about getting local press to make a story about how "bitcoin has come to town" that customers can use bitcoin at his business to drum up more business for him

That is a genuinely awesome idea. I have a friend that does web design. Just need some business cards and literature.

[hollowframe]

if you want to know the fastest way to convince a shop to take bitcoin, here is how (i done this and it works)

1. set up a website where a user inputs a dollar amount, and it converts to a favorable bitcoin amount that you would accept (basically the price for you to cash out with a bit of commission)

2. say this to a merchant
"here X ill set you up with bitcoin right now and you dont have to worry about converting, because here is a $200 bartab upfront. all you have to do when someone asks to pay by bitcoin, is simply to total up the sale as normal. then type that total into the website i made and it will tell you a bitcoin amount to tell your customer. show them this (my) QR code. and then know you can take that total off the bartab. if the bartab gets low ill come in and refill it with more money. if its zero. you simply say to the customer sorry your not accepting bitcoin at this moment"

basically agreeing the shop gets prepaid. and my site logs the bitcoin and dollar amounts so i know when to refill the tab. i keep the bitcoin/ or cash out, meaning the shop has no worries about the getting money side of it or the main details.

I think the "tab" would need to be a lot more then $200 as this could potentially be only one customer's weekly grocery bill for a family.

Another issue is the customer service aspect of things. Anytime a store rejects a payment method for whatever reason it looks very bad for the store. If the "tab" were to run out too often then accepting bitcoin would do more harm then good as customers would come into the store expecting to pay via bitcoin and end up not being able to pay, this would create bad customer experiences.

well i dont do it at superstores (as i know they are usually national chains, which we as a community should be persuading, and also the store manager of local superstores dont have decision making powers to add new payments... thats left for the CFO/CEO/COO at the super stores HQ to decide) i do it at the small independent/convenience stores, where most people just spend $10-$40 a time.. and because not every customer knows of bitcoin, the tab does not run out every 5th customer.. more like every 3000th at the moment (about a week) giving me plenty of time to pop down to the shop with a handful of money.

as for the tab running out, my tabs never have. ijust say it as a way of saying, there is no force or contract that the merchant has to be part of, he can stop accepting bitcoins whenever he likes. but i do it in the subtle way that also suggests that when he see's customers wanting to pay by bitcoin, its in his own interest to become self sufficient and learn bitcoin to not have to rely on me... its all about the wording and being subtle.

usually by the first tab refil the merchant is starting to see the benefits and says how easy it is. and by the second refill their ready to bcome self sufficient, meaning i can move on and use that $200 tab on another business and that shop is now using bitay/coinbase or self managing for investment or profit using other means. i NEVER leave them empty handed. but i subtly suggest that they should become self sufficient

But why wouldn't they just use someone like bitpay, or have a similar setup that the coffee shops and bars that accept bitcoin use?

EDIT: If it works, then that is great that you have gotten small businesses to accept bitcoin. I am also curious as to how you would account for changes in price.

[franky1]

But why wouldn't they just use someone like bitpay, or have a similar setup that the coffee shops and bars that accept bitcoin use?

EDIT: If it works, then that is great that you have gotten small businesses to accept bitcoin. I am also curious as to how you would account for changes in price.

because businesses still think bitcoin is the shady market of pirate, drugs, and scams. so they are unwilling at first to want to link their business bank account to such perceived entities. its only when real people start paying with bitcoin, that a merchant then goes and investigates its potential, and the deper truth. until its actually part of his business or something he is interested in, he has better things to do then spend hours researching it all just to learn if bitpay is legit, or shady.. remember not everyone is a bitcoin community member that knows which businesses are legit or shady..

so by sliding in the bartab, where the merchant does not have to "trust" that FIAT money will arrive AFTER a customer has walked out the door with stock, they merchant already has it. then as bitcoin is part of his business and bringing customers to him. he will then be incentivised to research bitcoin beyond the 20 second news item on TV. as he will want to find ways to cut corners and save a few pennies or make more profits..

again the bartab is just the opener, the foot in the door, the toe in the water, the beginning to a merchant accepting and understanding bitcoin

as for how i account for the change in price..

just like everyone else including bitpay. i have a website that is a live price checker.. say now bitcoin was $600 and my spot (commission was 1%) the merchant wanted to sell something for $60 my website would show a price of 0.101btc.
if the price in 10 minutes time went to $650 and the merchant had another customer with a $60 purchase. my website would show 0.09323076 (but my website usually rounds it up to 4 decimal places just for easy use 0.0923).

and in both cases the merchant then takes $60 from the bartab once the website shows that the bitcoin amount has been seen on that address. and yes i accept 0 confirms, just like bitpay

basically i do everything bitpay does with its pricing calculation, but i do it using a single QR code that the merchant can laminate or velcro to a display for customers. and i pre-pay merchants (bartab)..

[fa]

www.coinxu.com  ...  if you are in China

[Kyt Dotson]

We're probably still a way out from grocery stores accepting BTC at the counter. It's still too niche to catch the attention of major outlets -- a good place to start might be small grocery stores instead.

Right now, the revolution of accepting bitcoins for product is happening primarily online (TigerDirect, NewEgg, etc.) And that's because it's extremely easy to do yet-another-digital-thing when you're already online.

I do look forward to the day that I can pay for pizza with BTC, but there will likely first need to be an expansion in adoption and also a change in the public perception of the use of Bitcoin in general.

[culexevilman]

I think the day will come when we can use bitcoins everywhere, I mean everywhere...