Is home delivery milk and bread viable now?

**turkeycall** · April-12-09, 06:06 AM

While this thread could apply to many cities and towns, Detroit is the place of my youth.

So many years ago, on the east side of the city near Balduck Park, my neighbors had food staples delivered by men in Divco trucks. [OK, why would anyone want to staple food together?]

Our milkman was Mr. Schewe who first delivered Schwitzer's milk and then Wilson's Dairy products - half and half, cottage cheese, ice cream, even eggs. We had Awrey's bread, rolls, and coffe cakes delivered, too.

Bulletmagnet's family, our next-door neighbors, had Borden's delivered. The neighbor on the other side had Twin Pines and the neighbor next to them had Rosebud.

As I wax nostolgic, it seemed to me that the sight of these men in the neighborhood meant everything was all right with the world.

I haven't seen anything like home delivery in a very long time. Could someone today establish a home delivery milk route and make a living at it?

**jams** · April-12-09, 06:19 AM

Calder's has home delivery downriver, I recently saw a job posting for a trainee driver. I did wonder about the long-term prospects though.

**rooms222** · April-12-09, 06:48 AM

Oberweis seems to have it for Farmington, Royal Oak, and Clawson [[not Ferndale, Detroit, or Southfield, though)......Milk in glass bottles 2.99-3.59 a half gallon plus a $2.99 delivery charge.....

**daddeeo** · April-12-09, 08:52 AM

I'm afraid the "Worry free, home delivery" days are long gone. Cost for insurance to deliver in Detroit alone would be prohibitive.

**Ocean2026** · April-12-09, 09:25 AM

If people ever get too scared to leave their houses or say an older person works days but uses only public transportation, he or she may not find it easy to shop.

Detroit for those reasons might actually have some potential for a grocery delivery system. Perhaps some enterprising person can start such a business.

Lorax · April-12-09, 10:58 AM

I've always thought there was a need and potential business in home delivery of such staples. It was extremely popular in my youth, in fact, I don't remember even one house that didn't have home delivery in my neighborhood.

As time passed, and supermarkets took over, shopping became an outing, and much less a drudgery, since you could get everything in one stop, and not have to go to different stores for things, i.e. butcher, cheese shop, bread, etc.

We had Awrey's and Silvercup baked goods delivered, and Twin Pines milk products.

I haven't thought of this in years, but didn't Twin Pines have a logo that featured a strange looking clown with a cone on it's head? I remember being frightened by the image as a child. My sister thinks his name was "Milky", however I can't confirm that.

Is Twin Pines still in business?

**psubliminal** · April-12-09, 11:05 AM

I used to work at Calder's in '88-'89 making ice cream. I have a ton of old labeled milk bottles from City Dairy, Wayne Creamery, Wilson's, even one from the Michigan State Dairy Dept. Every time I saw an interesting one in the cooler I'd grab it and keep the bottle. My next door neighbor had a Twin Pines route in the 60s-70s. I miss those days.

lilpup · April-12-09, 11:56 AM

I think home delivery of grocery orders, not limited to milk and bread, would be much more viable.

**grumpyoldlady** · April-12-09, 12:22 PM

We had a Rosebud milkman, and baked goods delivered by the Mills Bakery man. Closest thing to this now would be Schwan's home delivery of frozen foods. I don't know if any grocery stores in the Detroit area do it, but there is at least one here in rural Minnesota that lets you order online and either pick it up, or within about 15 miles they will deliver...for a small fee. I wish they delivered 35 miles out...I'd jump at the chance for home delivery...THEY would carry the bags in. We shop once a month and only buy things like milk, bread, and eggs in between.

lilpup · April-12-09, 12:35 PM

Originally Posted by rooms222

Oberweis seems to have it for Farmington, Royal Oak, and Clawson [[not Ferndale, Detroit, or Southfield, though)......Milk in glass bottles 2.99-3.59 a half gallon plus a $2.99 delivery charge.....

The real problem is the delivery charge relative to the item price. With the size of a full grocery order the fee could be higher but still be acceptable. Perhaps a minimum flat rate for small orders then a percentage of the order for larger orders would work. Online payment would cut down the risk of payment issues, though obviously it could not be the only option.

diver1369 · April-12-09, 12:43 PM

I was rescued from a house fire by a milkman doing his route.

**rid0617** · April-12-09, 12:50 PM

I don't know why I kept it but somewhere in a box I still have my Milky the Clown fan club button

**eriedearie** · April-12-09, 01:50 PM

When I lived in VA and in PA, both sets of my grandparents had home delivery of groceries. They would call the store and order what they wanted in the morning and by afternoon the delivery was made. Neither one of my grandpas owned a car. You walked when you needed to get someplace. If you had to go some distance, maybe a neighbor was going that way and they'd give you a ride.

I remember walking into town many, many times with my VA grandparents. We'd go in the store and order groceries. Go to the dry goods store and pick out material or whatever was needed. Go to the shoe store, dress shop, etc. Everything got delivered. I'm sure there was a nominal fee for this, but I have no idea what it was.

Living in Essex County, we have home delivery from most of the drug stores. Anything they sell, they'll deliver. Our drug store does not charge a fee, but we very seldom use them for home delivery. Mr. Erie is always making a quick trip into town for something so he picks up our prescriptions and whatnot.

**rooms222** · April-12-09, 01:55 PM

Oberweis does have a range of groceries, for the same delivery fee.....

**jgavrile** · April-12-09, 06:07 PM

Twin Pines no longer delivers, However I still see the plant on Greenfield with the logo out in front, along with another dairy. Possibly they only serve reataurants and comercial business now??
It was great to see a fully restored Divco Twin Pines truck at last year's Woodward Dream Cruise. It was also at this year's Autorama. Real nice job on the truck.
There use to be all kinds of delivery services back in the 50's. Milk bread, eggs, baked goods, etc. Those days are gone I am afraid.
There must have been at least a dozen diferent dairy's delivering milk back then.
Can we name them all starting with Twin Pines, Browns,Sealtest, United Dairies, Brinkley,Ira Wilson and Sons, Bordens,Foremost, Oberweis ??

**Neilr** · April-12-09, 06:46 PM

Fresh Direct operates in many NYC neighborhoods. NYC has the density that I think is required in order for this service to work. Also, many buildings have doormen who can accept deliveries when the resident is no at home.

http://www.freshdirect.com/index.jsp

lilpup · April-12-09, 06:52 PM

It isn't a density issue as much as it is a profit margin issue. Pizza places deliver all the time.

**Jimaz** · April-12-09, 06:53 PM

According to their commercial, Oakland Press and Macomb Daily seem to be attempting to fill the home newspaper delivery vacuum. Maybe the economy is creating a greater demand for home delivery in general?

**daddeeo** · April-12-09, 07:06 PM

Milky the Clown was face of Twin Pines dairy on Channel 4. He had a live weekend show for years.

**Parkguy** · April-12-09, 07:24 PM

We also had a vegetable truck that made the circuit of our neighborhood. We had bread from Silvercup, and Borden's dairy, too. Now, my milk chute is sealed on the outside, filled with insulation, and plastered over on the inside.

lilpup · April-12-09, 07:42 PM

Originally Posted by Parkguy

We also had a vegetable truck that made the circuit of our neighborhood. We had bread from Silvercup, and Borden's dairy, too. Now, my milk chute is sealed on the outside, filled with insulation, and plastered over on the inside.

Ah, such a waste. Ours is sided over on the outside but holds keys, gardening gloves, hand clippers, and the occasional trowel on the inside. [[It's next to the stairs leading to the back door.)

Bearinabox · April-12-09, 08:06 PM

Originally Posted by lilpup

Ah, such a waste. Ours is sided over on the outside but holds keys, gardening gloves, hand clippers, and the occasional trowel on the inside. [[It's next to the stairs leading to the back door.)

Hah, yeah. As a kid, I was fascinated by milk chutes on houses [[my house was one of the few in the neighborhood that was built without one, since the side of the house facing the driveway was all bedrooms), and couldn't for the life of me understand why my neighbors kept sealing them shut. I still think they're pretty cool, but I think I have a slightly better handle on the concept of people breaking into houses and stealing stuff than I did then.

lilpup · April-12-09, 08:13 PM

When I delivered newspapers as a kid some of the people who still had chutes open to the outside wanted their papers left in them rather than sitting on the porch.

**pffft** · April-12-09, 08:26 PM

Originally Posted by Jimaz

According to their commercial, Oakland Press and Macomb Daily seem to be attempting to fill the home newspaper delivery vacuum. Maybe the economy is creating a greater demand for home delivery in general?

Their parent company is bankrupt, so let's see how long it lasts.

**Gistok** · April-12-09, 08:47 PM

Originally Posted by Parkguy

We also had a vegetable truck that made the circuit of our neighborhood.

In the Balduck Park area that would be the produce truck of Tom Lappicola [[a Marseilles St. resident). Back in the 1960's he used to drive down the streets around Balduck Park and 48224 area.

I can still hear his loudspeaker in the recesses of my brain.... "strawberries, strawberries... 3 quarts for a dollar..."