By STEVE EIGHINGER
Herald-Whig Staff Writer
Linda Lee says she saw a need for the WeGoShop.com concept in Quincy, so she's giving it a try.
WeGoShop.com is full-service, personalized grocery shopping and home delivery company that operates in both the United States and Canada. The Quincy franchise has been in operation for about two months, and Lee, the associate owner, said business has been building steadily.
"This is a way of providing personalized grocery service to your home or office from your favorite (grocery) store," she said.
Lee, 66, said she and her staff -- two others are assisting her -- do the shopping for customers from all age groups. Older citizens are currently providing the "bulk of our business," Lee said.
WeGoShop.com has been around since 1999 and has franchises across North America. Quincy is one of five in Illinois.
A grocery list can be phoned in, picked up or submitted online. There is a $20 fee that covers a shopping trip of up to $150 and delivery. For a shopping trip of $151 to $300, the fee is $25, and for a trip above $300, the fee is 11 percent.
Shopping can be done at whatever store the customer wants. If coupons are available, they will be used. The shopping bill and fee are paid at the time of delivery.
"In just minutes, you can order your groceries ... and we will have them delivered right to your door," Lee said.
For more information, call Lee at (217) 257-2646 or WeGo Shop.com at (877) 934-6746, ext. 70.
Knapheide to speak
Harold Knapheide, president and CEO of Knapheide Manufacturing, will share his international perspective of doing business globally as part of Culver-Stockton College's Business Leadership Exchange Series.
Knapheide will speak at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10, in Merillat Recital Hall on the school's campus in Canton, Mo. Knapheide is a member of the Board of Governors of Ronald Reagan Ranch, a trustee for Kansas University Endowment and a trustee for Blessing Corporate Services. He also serves as director of the Quincy Area Neighborhood Project and is a member of the St. Louis chapter of the World Presidents Organization.
New store in Hannibal
The American Puzzle Co. has opened a store at 217 N. Main in downtown Hannibal. Among its offerings are layered, wooden puzzles manufactured in nearby New London, Mo.
Whittle Shortline Railroad wooden items, also made in New London, are in stock. Both models are Thomas and Brio compatible. The American Puzzle Co. is in the former Mississippi Dry Goods building.
The store is open from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. A grand opening will be scheduled soon. For more information, call (573) 221-4800.
Dis-n-data
The York Street Thrift Store at Fourth and York in Quincy is celebrating 50 years in business. ... Orschlein Farm and Home is moving into the former Wal-Mart building in Louisiana, Mo., and plans to be open sometime in spring 2010. Orschlein is based in Moberly and operates more than 150 stores in the Midwest. ... Extensive research by Christopher J. Ruhm, an economist at the University of North Carolina, shows that a 1 percentage point rise in the unemployment rate reduces the death rate by 0.5 percent. Those are U.S. results, but other studies show the same effect in Spain, Germany and 23 other countries.
Quote of the week
With as many as four World Series games scheduled in November, Major League Baseball and the Fox Network could take a financial hit if late-fall weather produces low temperatures (and even snow) in New York or Philadelphia.
"That's extremely disruptive. ... You need continuity. You want the games to play on the dates you've scheduled them," said Neil Pilson, a former CBS Sports executive, who says ratings suffer and advertisers get upset if weather postpones games. "There's going to be serious discussion about backing (the World Series) up, perhaps by a week or so."
The good
In another sign of economic recovery, U.S. companies are planning to hire and invest more in the near future, according to a late October survey. The National Association for Business Economics said the number of employers planning to hire workers over the next six months exceeded the number expecting job cuts for the first time since the recession began in December 2007.
The bad
U.S. mortgage applications have fallen for three straight weeks, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. The drop in activity coincides with a popular tax credit for first-time home buyers possibly coming to an end. The credit, which can be worth up to $8,000 for eligible buyers, is set to expire at the end of November.
The ugly
Sixty-two percent of U.S. companies are planning holiday parties this year. That's down from 77 percent a year ago and 90 percent in 2007. And 10 percent of the companies surveyed are canceling parties altogether to cut costs, according to Challenger, Gray and Christmas, an outplacement consultancy firm.
-- seighinger@whig.com/221-3377
