Welcome!

Welcome to my "Justin Can Shop for You" landing page.  Here I am posting comments from customers I've served through InstaCart and other information about how you can sign up through Dumpling to have me be your personal shopper.  If I have served you on InstaCart, you know me as "Charles" and if you know me personally you know that I go by my middle name, "Justin."  Thank you so much for visiting and for giving me the chance to serve you! See the Frequently Asked Questions section if you need more information.  Contact me if you still have questions!

To the right of this post you can see the "Important Links" section where you can download the Dumpling app, which you will use to shop for your groceries.  The personal shopper link is where you can go to my personal Dumpling page and select me to be your personal shopper.  

How do I place an order?

Ordering with me is a little bit different than on other online grocery platforms.  You can select each individual item in the Dumpling app if that is what you prefer, but if not there are many other options:

• You can put items in a cart on Instacart or a store's website and share it with me
• You can text or email me a list of what you want
• You can call me and talk about what you want

The important thing is that you place an order on the Dumpling app, but really you only have to put one item in your cart and that is just so that your credit card can be processed.  The rest can be communicated with me any way you find convenient, and the real totals will be processed after I shop.

Some stores have actual in-stock items listed on the Dumpling app, and some stores just have generic items listed with National Average prices, but don't worry, you will be charged exactly what is being charged in the store!

Frequently Asked Questions

What Charges Can I Expect?

How do I place an order?

Can you go to multiple stores?

With other grocery platforms, your shopper is not allowed to go to any store but the one they are given.  Most of the time he's not even allowed to go to a different LOCATION for the same store (ie: your shampoo isn't available that this Target location, but we have three in stock at Platte Woods.).  Because I am not a "gig worker" but am instead YOUR personal shopper, I can do whatever I want or need to do to ensure that you get what you need, and receive the best service possible.  Think outside the box:

• Farmer's Markets
• Restaurants
• Buy and deliver a gift

Fees for multiple stores will vary from "I stopped on the way as a favor" to a second full delivery charge depending on the size of a second order and distance to the store.

Can I order from CostCo and Sam's Club?

Yes!  I have memberships to both stores and am able to go and get you whatever you need, you don't even have to have your own membership!

Can't I just email you a list?  Do I have to put every item on my order in the app?

With the Dumpling app, you don't have to enter every individual item into your order.  When I am finished shopping, I will upload all of the order information into the app and you will be charged based on the receipt total.
          Because of this, all you need to do is open an order on the Dumpling app (Put one item in your cart and check out), and then you can email me, call me or text me with the rest of your list!  It's so much easier!


If I am paying the in-store prices, how do you make money?

There are two answers to this:

Tips: You are trusting me to come to your house or place of business with what you need.  Providing you with the best service and attention is important to me, so I rely heavily on customer tips to survive.

Delivery and Service Fees: Some grocery delivery platforms let you pay a monthly or yearly fee and then get "Free" or "Discounted" delivery.  How do those people stay in business?  They charge you extra for your groceries (Write me an email, I can give you side-by-side comparisons to in-store receipts vs. a shopping cart on a grocery app).  It feels like you're getting something for cheap or free, but you're not.  If you were, those companies would not be in business!
         Because I will give you your actual in-store receipt and you will be charged the actual in-store totals with all discounts and sales applied, I have to add delivery and service fees.  It feels different at first, seeing that on your receipt, but ultimately you know what you are paying (nothing is hidden) and you are still saving money compared to the upcharges of the other guys.
          For most stores, my minimum fee is $15 or 15% of the total order.  That covers my vehicle expenses and other small things to get you your groceries.

Platform Fee: There is a small percentage charged by Dumpling for the use of their platform, but when you consider the cost to a vendor for taking a credit card (sometimes as high as 3-5%), and the cost of making the website available, it's understandable.

If you're feeling uneasy about the "extra" charges, please email me or call.  My contact information is here.

Contact Me

Email: Justin@justinshops.com

Phone: 816-894-9471

Mailing:     PO Box 1484
                   Lawrence, KS  66044

InstaCart Comments

I have been doing InstaCart shopping for a while, and have noticed a broad range of experiences shared with me by customers.  InstaCart is a great platform, but because of the way it is set up you don't always get the in-store prices (making it hard to shop from the weekly ads) and you never know exactly WHO is going to get your order and what kind of care you will be given.  Below I'm posting the most recent Comments page from my own InstaCart app so you can see how my customers have responded to my level of attention and service.

About Me

I am 39 years old and grew up in Lawrence, Kansas.  I graduated from Calvary Bible College in 2005 and from Midwestern Seminary in 2014.  I have been serving as a missionary in South Sudan since 2010.

Before being a missionary I spent 15 years (starting when I was 14!) working in restaurants and bakeries, and then later serving as the youth pastor of our church in Lawrence.  As a missionary I spend most of my time training pastors and helping team mates with shopping and logistical support.  We are back in the United States for an extended period (at least six months) for some personal development and mental health needs, so with my restaurant experience and shopping/logistical work in Africa this is the perfect job for me to pass the time and support our family a bit while being furloughed.

I have one wife, Amy, and two sons, Ezekiel (7 years old) and Caleb (4 years old).  We're living in the Gladstone area and homeschooling the boys.

I started doing InstaCart in February after getting back to the USA and being quarantined for a few weeks.  We ordered InstaCart groceries and I thought, "Hey that would be a fun thing to do."  I was right, I love it!  The only thing I don't like about it is that, after I work hard to provide the best service possible to my customers, people ask me questions like "How do I make sure I get you every time?"  I wish there was a good way to do that with InstaCart, but there is not, which is why I have started my own Dumpling business!

***PS: "One wife" is a joke, if you've ever worked in Africa you didn't need that explained 😉

What Charges Can I Expect?

When ordering with Dumpling the first time, the extra charges can seem like a lot.  The main difference when using me is that when I bring you your groceries, you will get the actual receipt I was given when I bought your items!  Believe me when I tell you (or try it for yourself) that when you order the same items from the other online platforms, the prices you pay in their "Cart" are different than what you would get in the store.  The difference with me is that you see exactly what you are paying, and you usually end up saving money.  If you want examples of this, just ask me and I can show you.

So here is what your final order will look like from Dumpling:

This is an order that someone placed from Target, but I had to go to another store to get some of the items.  So let me break this down:

• Shopping and Delivery - This is the fee that you pay for my services.  The amount is a little different per store and there is a flat fee (Minimum) or a percentage, depending on which amount is higher.  This covers my time, mileage, and the fee I have to pay to Dumpling for you to use your credit card (which is 5% of the bottom Total).  There are a few more things to note here.
• Additional Stores - One of the perks of using me is that I can go to shop for you at multiple stores if your order requires it, or if you just want items from more than one place!  If you place individual orders from each store, you would be paying the minimum fee multiple times, but I will combine orders as much as possible.  If you have orders that go to multiple stores, the Extra Store Fee will be added at the end of the order as an adjustment, but will be less than the minimum fee charged per order.  
• For example, if you have a $50 order from Price Chopper, and pay the minimum of $20 for for that Shopping & Delivery, but then you also need me to pick up $50 worth of groceries from Aldi, I will do both shops on one order and just add an extra $15 to the order.
• If you have a $100 order from Price Chopper and a $100 order from Aldi, you would just pay the 20% fee for the whole order just like it was all from one store.
• Extra Distance - I live in Gladstone and shop at the stores closest to where I live.  I can deliver anywhere in the Kansas City Metro Area (including Lawrence), but I need to add a charge for any delivery distance over 15 miles.  I will put your address in Google Maps when I leave the store, and if the distance is over 15 miles I will add $1.50 per mile for the extra distance.  This covers my vehicle expenses (round trip) and a bit of the extra time it takes to drive (I won't charge extra if I get stuck in traffic!)
• Individual Store Charges (In this case, Target and Festival Foods) - You see the actual receipt total for what your groceries cost in the store, and you get those receipts with your groceries.
• Gratuity - When you place your order you can choose how much you want to tip, and you can change it after the order is delivered.  I go to great lengths to try and provide the best customer service you can expect when I communicate, handle your groceries, choose replacements and go the extra mile to get you what you need.