Thousands of Dundee and Angus families are being given a shopping basket lifeline to help them battle the cost of living crisis.
Local shops are slashing the price of weekly essentials to help communities buckling under the pressure of rocketing household costs.
Eggs, bread and milk are being delivered straight to the door for half their usual price.
And the businessman behind the Drop Shop scheme says he is determined to see local operators “step up” for their communities.
“We can’t control the energy companies or the government, but we can try to help the people who come through our door,” said Faisal Naseem.
It comes after one Tayside family’s shock discovery some items in their kitchen cupboard have rocketed in price by up to 65% in the past 12 months.
Mr Naseem, 32, operates the Party Discount store in Dundee’s Strathmore Avenue.
He’s been involved in the development of the Drop Shop app.
It’s been launched to deliver shopping to the customer’s door within an hour.
Faisal said: “We see the struggles households are facing with rising energy and food costs.
“We wanted to try to do something to help support them.
“On asking several families of four, we discovered they usually consume 12 jugs of milk, five loaves of bread and around three packs of eggs a week.
“Using average pricing this comes to £31.50 a week.”
Drop Shop has partnered up with four retailers – Party Discount, Fair Deal at Ballindean Road Dundee, Cheers Plus at Grant Road, Arbroath and Party Time in Swan Street, Brechin.
“For a month we will sell these products through the app at 50% of the usual price, which is also lower than cost,” said Faisal.
“We think this will save an average family of four £63 over the month,” he said.
“People are really struggling and we have seen the impact the pandemic has had.
“We could have come up with promotions to win a lavish holiday or get discount vouchers.
“But they might have been spent on things like drink, cigarettes or stuff that isn’t essential to keep families fed.
“That isn’t what this is about.
“We wanted to make a difference to the shopping bill for the essentials.
“And we want this to become the beginning of an ethical and sustainable idea going forward.
Cost of living app and the longer term
Faisal added: “We want to continue to help our communities through this.
“These are the first four stores and they are supporting this by putting their money into it.
“They are cutting their profit to zero on products they can make money on all day long.
“And they are actually putting money into the idea by helping pay for flyers which will be going out to 6,000 households.
“We have businesses to run and make a commercial success of.
“But this is also about doing what we can to help our communities through this situation.
“Community focus is the key,” he said.
“And hopefully we have hit on something that will bring other retailers on board.
“Because at the end of the day we must help the people who are walking through our door.”
The crisis affecting every home in the land
Inflation is spiralling, energy costs going through the roof and the weekly shop is an ever-increasing drain on the family budget.
We have begun to delve into the cost of living impact on local people.
And have heard of some of the steps folk are taking to steer themselves through the crisis.
Already almost half of Scottish parents say they’re finding it harder to make ends meet.
And we want to hear of your experiences – the impacts and the measures you are taking to keep bills in check and ride out the storm.
You can get in touch by emailing community@thecourier.co.uk
Support is available from a number of groups, including Citizens Advice Bureaux in Dundee, Angus, Perth and Fife.
