How it works

How a neighbor’s question becomes your customer.

Shop Local Delmarva is where people on the Shore ask each other who to call. Here is what happens between the question and the knock on your door.

1
A neighbor asksSomeone in Hebron needs help and asks in the app or the group.
“Need a septic company in Hebron? Tank alarm is going off.”
Example question
2
Neighbors answer with a namePeople who have used someone answer in their own words. Nobody can pay to be the answer.
“They came out the same day. Fair price too.”
Example answer
3
You hear someone’s lookingMembers in that category and area get a note that a neighbor is asking, so they can make it easy to reach them.
Someone’s looking for you
Septic · Hebron · just now
4
They clip your offerYour member page shows your phone, hours and current offer. The neighbor saves the offer to their phone.
Your offer
Clipped · show at the counter
5
They walk inThey show the offer at your counter. That’s the introduction, counted in your monthly report.
Walked in
Counted in your report

The questions, answers and offer above are examples.

The questions, answers and offer above are examples.

What stays true

The rules that keep it trusted.

Nobody pays to rank higher

Business lists go by distance, then by who has waited longest to be shown. Sponsored events are marked Sponsored.

Neighbors write the recommendations

Businesses can reply, but they can’t write, edit or remove what a neighbor said.

No star ratings

Just people’s own words about who they used and why.

Your listing exists before you join

If neighbors named you, you’re already listed. Joining adds your phone, hours, photos and offers.

Neighbor of the Month

$10 on us, for tips neighbors used.

Every month, Shop Local Delmarva thanks neighbors whose tips other neighbors used. It is a thank-you for helping the community, paid for by Shop Local Delmarva.

Shop Local staff pick them, starting from whose tips neighbors used: the recommendations that led other neighbors to walk in and use an offer. There is no vote, and nothing to enter. Recommending businesses you know is the whole of it.

The $10 appears in the neighbor’s app the day they are picked, good at any member business for 60 days. The member who honors it is credited on their next payment, so it costs the business nothing. Nobody sees a leaderboard, because there isn’t one.

Questions

About how it works.

Can I pay to be listed first?

No. Nobody can pay to rank higher in Discover. Business lists are ordered by distance, then by who has waited longest to be shown.

What if nobody has recommended me yet?

Neighbors name businesses first, and that is how listings start. If you’re not listed yet, ask a few customers to recommend you in the app. You can still apply, and we’ll talk it through.

What does “walked in” mean in my report?

A neighbor clipped your offer in the app and showed it at your counter. It is the one number that proves the introduction happened, and it is the first thing your monthly report shows.

Do you check my offers?

Yes. We read your first three offers before they go out, to make sure they’re clear and you can honor them at the counter. After that, you post when you like.

Price, areas and what membership includes are on the Membership page.

Want neighbors to find you?

We take a look before we say yes.