Send groceries to Jamaica in a flash, how? GroceryList Jamaica

BY MICHAEL THOMAS

It used to be when relatives and friends of Jamaicans abroad were in need, we in the diaspora would send them a little money and that sometimes solved the problem temporarily, but that took time and, in some cases, did not get the job done as the sender and receiver would have preferred.

Grocery List Jamaica (https://grocerylistjamaica.com/) has turned all this around extensively with their grocery shopping app named “GroceryList Jamaica” which allows friends and family to shop online from a variety of Jamaican grocers on the island in real-time and have the groceries either delivered to or picked up by the receiver again in real-time.

People from all walks of life who have friends and families on the island of Jamaica can now breathe a sigh of relief knowing that mom, dad, uncle, or anyone they care about on the island are taken care of by just downloading this app, and ‘wham” grocery shopping begins.

Thanks to the genius of two guys Mr. Jermain Morgan COO of GroceryList Jamaica and CEO Mr. Rory Richards, the island of Jamaica is being lifted-up in a big way.

I had the privilege of speaking with COO Mr. Morgan about GroceryList Jamaica and its massive reach, covering all parishes and corners of the island of Jamaica, and how it affects the population positively in every way.

I gave him the floor, to tell me how all this started.

“It all started when my business partner was home cooking and saying to himself, ‘I can provide for my mother in Jamaica, but I have to send her money.’ The money wasn’t the issue. The issue was that his mom was sick and could not stand in that long line in Western Union.” 

Thinking of his mom standing in line to collect the money, then having to go to the supermarket while not feeling well, that is when Morgan said his friend decided to come up with a formula to bypass all the hustle and bustle.

“That’s when he presented his plan to me, and I liked it. I told him I need a month, then I went away, did my research and that’s when we started building the platform which we launched in May 2021.”

That said the rest was history. I asked Morgan how large the business is on the island, and he replied, “We have 150 businesses participating in the 14 parishes island-wide and over 700 workers.”

“If you send an order to someone, you can rest assured that this order will be delivered within one to two hours,” Morgan said.

This kind of precision delivery system created a side hustle for many Jamaicans. This enables many citizens to work their regular jobs, while still doing what is called “Gig economics” aka GroceryList Jamaica on the side, on lunchtime or evenings, etc, and this is a win-win for the island.

“What we are is an online and on-demand shopping platform. We do operations in the U.S, and the diaspora can go shopping on the website, but all operations take place in Jamaica.”

I jokingly asked Morgan if Jamaicans are being spoiled, and he replied, “I think it’s a good spoil because one it’s needed, and it is power in Jamaica, I am a born Jamaican living in the U.S. Guess what, you are not just shopping for loved ones, you are also creating jobs.”

Morgan revealed that from time to time when someone, or a family desperately needs help he gets notified, and would inform the Jamaican diaspora who in turn will respond with generosity to this person or family.

It was an education for me chatting with Morgan who would like the public to know that this app is very safe to use and that their financial information will remain secure while using “GroceryList Jamaica.”