[ IN PRACTICE ] CASEBOOK
Rural Retailer Reroutes the Final Mile THE CUSTOMER
Customer service has always been a top priority for Blain’s Farm & Fleet, a family-owned, modern general store rooted in the traditions and culture of the Midwest. When the outcome of a decision to offer same-day delivery for online holiday shopping exceeded all expectations, the retailer decided to offer the option year-round.
Blain’s Farm & Fleet is a family-owned- and-operated specialty retailer with 45 locations throughout Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Michigan. Describing itself as The Modern General Store, the business was established in 1955 and is headquartered in Janesville, Wisconsin. THE PROVIDER Roadie, a UPS company, is a logistics management and crowdsourced delivery platform. Founded in 2014, Roadie offers businesses fast, flexible, and asset-light logistics solutions for last-mile delivery.
selection. The chain calls the promotion Toyland and it has been a cherished family tradition since 1957. Come late October, shoppers can find just about any toy they could possibly want, either in person or online. In 2023, sensing the constraints of an earlier than usual cut-off date for holiday shipping by the traditional carriers who fulfill its online orders, Blain’s decided to try a different tack. It reached out to Roadie to see if the crowdsourced delivery platform could launch quickly to fill in the gap and extend those deadlines for its neighbors. A GOOD MATCH Many of the neighbors that Blain’s Farm & Fleet serves live in rural and farming communities so the company needed a last-mile delivery provider familiar with the nature of the territory. The retailer had networked with Roadie at business expos and implemented the platform in 2020, but prior to promoting it in December 2023, utilization was infrequent. “We have a couple of other partnerships in that space, and we were specializing, and we still do specialize in rural delivery,” says Dennis Moon, COO at Roadie.
By partnering with Roadie to achieve same-day delivery for its customer base, Blain’s Farm & Fleet stays true to an ethos that has guided the retailer since it first began operating 70 years ago. It’s a company that treats its customers like neighbors and prides itself on providing quality products at fair and honest prices. “We saw demand from our customers, through both direct feedback and the market shift in how customers—our neighbors—like to receive their goods,” says Eliza Ollinger, director and general manager of digital commerce at Blain’s Farm & Fleet. The Midwest retailer markets itself as a one-stop shop, carrying everything from home goods to automotive parts, food and beverage selections to sporting and outdoor equipment, lawn and garden to farm and livestock supplies, and more. It even carries toys and games, a category that served as the catalyst for offering same-day delivery. BLAIN’S IN TOYLAND As a lead-up to the holiday shopping period each year, all of Blain’s 45 stores celebrate toys in a big way by devoting large sections of floorspace to an enormous
by June Allan Corrigan
May 2025 • Inbound Logistics 59
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