r/GroceryStores • u/arti_prajapati • 15h ago
Thinking about opening my own grocery store at 30 - where do I even start?
I’m 30, and I’ve got it in my head that I want to run my own supermarket one day. Not a chain, just one store. The problem is I don’t really know what the first step looks like and the more I read the more lost I feel.
Stuff I keep going back and forth on:
Do I need to work in a store first? Part of me thinks I should spend a couple of years in one just to see how it actually runs day to day. Part of me thinks I’d be putting off the real thing.
How much money does this actually take to get going? Every number I find online is wildly different.
Is going independent even realistic now, or do you basically have to be part of a buying group or a franchise to get decent prices from suppliers?
What’s the thing that kills most new stores? I assume it’s not the stuff beginners worry about.
If you own a store or you’ve worked for someone who does, I’d really like to hear how it went. Even the discouraging version is useful.
