Local service guide
Personal Shopping in Boise, ID: Plan and Hire
Arrange Personal Shopping in Boise by choosing the help you need, setting separate limits for purchases and shopper fees, and agreeing on substitutions, delivery, and returns before anyone buys. For wardrobe help, request a shopping plan and fitting arrangements. For groceries or errands, provide an item list, approval rules, and a delivery window. Give each candidate the same brief so you can compare their proposed work and total charges.
Choose the shopping help you need
Describe the result you want before requesting a quote. A wardrobe brief might ask for outfits for a new job using clothes you already own, with a cap on additional purchases. A grocery brief might name products, quantities, acceptable replacements, and a handoff location. Include preferred stores and any stores you want the shopper to exclude.
Decide whether you want to visit stores with the shopper or approve purchases from home. For clothing, ask how they will check fit, arrange try-ons, and handle rejected items. For errands, choose between approval for each unavailable item and a written substitution list. Tell the shopper what to do if you cannot answer.
Ask candidates to describe their experience with your task and explain their purchase and reimbursement process. Request a sample shopping plan for wardrobe work. If you need help carrying bags or moving through stores, describe the assistance and ask whether they can provide it. Include those responsibilities in the booking agreement.
Set purchase and service budgets
Request a written quote that separates compensation for the shopper's work from money spent on your behalf. Ask about planning, store research, travel, waiting, delivery, and returns. Confirm any minimum booking, deposit, or cancellation charge. For hourly work, set an authorized time limit and require approval before extending it.
Set a total purchase cap and a limit per item where needed. Specify whether your cap includes tax, alterations, and delivery. Ask whether the shopper receives store commissions or referral payments and how they account for discounts. Choose a payment arrangement that records purchases, reimbursements, and unused funds.
The Idaho State Tax Commission lists a 6% sales tax rate and includes clothing alterations charged at the time of sale in the taxable purchase price. Request a retailer receipt showing purchases, alterations, and tax. The Commission’s general guidance does not establish the taxation of an independent shopper's grocery-shopping fees or reimbursement arrangements. Ask the Commission about unresolved questions rather than assuming the retailer's tax treatment applies to the shopper's invoice. [3]
Plan the shopping route and delivery
For a downtown wardrobe outing, choose a meeting point and ask the shopper to propose a store route. ParkBOI lists garages at 11th and Front, 10th and Front, 9th and Front, Capitol and Myrtle, 9th and Main, and Capitol and Main. Its published event parking ranges from $5 to $30 per vehicle, depending on the event. Agree whether you will reimburse parking and ask the shopper to confirm the posted charge. [1]
For an accompanied bus outing, check the route, walking distance, and return journey before booking. VRT recommends an all-day pass for transfers or more than one bus ride in a day. Standard passes exclude Route 40, which requires a regional fare. Include each person's fare and any paid travel time in your agreement. [2]
For delivery, provide an address, contact number, and handoff location. Describe how you want the shopper to handle chilled purchases and arrange a time when you can receive them. For clothing, schedule a try-on before approving another shopping trip. Require the shopper to contact you about delays or changes to the handoff.
Agree on returns and check receipts
Before checkout, ask the shopper to confirm the retailer's return deadline, receipt requirements, and final-sale restrictions for the items you are considering. Decide who keeps receipts and completes returns. Include the cost of return travel in the agreement, and require approval before purchasing an item you cannot return.
For groceries, request the original store receipt and a separate record of the shopper's charges. Have the shopper distinguish purchases made on your behalf from their own compensation and expenses. Do not infer the tax treatment of their fees from the tax shown on the store receipt. Ask the Idaho State Tax Commission to resolve questions about your particular arrangement.
At completion, compare purchases with your approved list and check substitutions, receipts, time records, and expenses. Ask the shopper to account for unused purchase funds. For later returns, agree how they will document the refund and transfer any money owed to you. Keep these records with the original booking agreement.
Published VRT adult fares for shopping-trip planning
Local details that affect your job
Garage choice changes the parking allowance
ParkBOI limits the first free hour to 5 a.m. through 8 p.m. and lists $3 per hour afterward. Its weekday daily maximum is $18 at 11th and Front, 10th and Front, 9th and Front, and Capitol and Myrtle; the maximum is $21 at 9th and Main and Capitol and Main. For a longer appointment, name the garage in your expense agreement and confirm whether hourly, daily, or event pricing applies. [1]
Check the bus route and payment method
VRT's standard adult all-day pass costs $2.50, while its regional adult all-day pass costs $7.50. Route 40 requires regional fares. Check whether your shopping itinerary uses that route before agreeing on transportation expenses. VRT bus fareboxes accept cash and do not accept debit or credit cards; arrange your payment method before boarding. [2]
Choose an arrangement for your shopping task
| Your task | Arrangement to request | Agree before booking |
|---|---|---|
| Routine groceries | Shopping and delivery from an approved list | Substitutions, purchase cap, receipts, and handoff time |
| Clothing with uncertain fit | Accompanied shopping or an agreed try-on process | Sizes, fitting arrangements, return conditions, and extra trips |
| A defined gift purchase | Named items with approval for alternatives | Availability checks, gift receipt, wrapping, and delivery |
| Downtown wardrobe outing | A planned store route and named meeting point | Garage choice and reimbursement; ParkBOI lists $3 hourly parking after its qualifying free hour |
| Shopping by bus | An accompanied itinerary with a checked return route | Each person's fare and paid travel time; VRT requires regional fares on Route 40 |
Your hiring checklist
- Describe the task, preferred stores, purchase deadline, and handoff location.
- Set separate caps for purchases and shopper compensation.
- List sizes, quantities, acceptable substitutions, and purchases requiring approval.
- Confirm planning, travel, parking, delivery, and return charges in writing.
- Choose an accompanied outing or a purchase-and-delivery arrangement.
- Agree on payment records, original receipts, unused funds, and refunds.
- Confirm return conditions before authorizing purchases.
- Provide contact instructions for unavailable items and delays.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much should I budget for a personal shopper?
Request a quote for your tasks, stores, travel, and delivery. Keep the purchase budget separate from compensation for the shopper's work. Ask for a maximum authorized charge and approval before additional time or expenses. The transportation figures on this page do not establish personal-shopper rates.
Can I arrange shopping without visiting stores?
Ask candidates whether they offer purchase and delivery with remote approval. Provide item details, substitution rules, and a spending cap. For clothing, agree on a fitting and return process before approving purchases. Specify what the shopper should do if you cannot respond.
Should I reimburse downtown parking?
Agree whether the shopper includes parking in the quote or requests reimbursement. ParkBOI lists a first free hour between 5 a.m. and 8 p.m., then $3 per hour. It also lists event parking from $5 to $30 per vehicle. Confirm the posted rate for the appointment. [1]
How should grocery fees and reimbursements appear?
Request the original store receipt and an itemized invoice for the shopper's work and expenses. Keep purchase reimbursement distinct from compensation. The Commission’s general guidance does not establish how Idaho taxes an independent grocery-shopping arrangement. Direct unresolved tax questions to the Idaho State Tax Commission. [3]
Sources and scope
This guide combines the sources below with practical planning guidance. Figures apply to the stated geography and period; request a written quote for your property.