June 27, 2010

At your service: Companies offer busy workers a helping hand outside the office

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Amazon Fresh driver Mike Sylvester delivers groceries to Leslie Fischer of West Seattle, a mother of two who works full time. “My schedule is just crazy,” she says. She places her order at night after the kids have gone to bed and has groceries delivered the next day. (Linda Hughes)

Longer hours and fewer benefits are a new reality for many workers affected by the recession. To the rescue: businesses that cater to creating a work/life balance for busy professionals. Here are a few local services that help give you more to time to relax, spend time with family or get even more work done.

Amazon Fresh: If you live in Seattle and don’t have time for grocery shopping, you’re in luck. Amazon Fresh lets you shop online and have groceries delivered to your doorstep at the time you request. Because it’s run by Amazon.com, items such as books, CDs, office supplies and electronics also can be delivered with your groceries. fresh.amazon.com

The Barking Lounge: Dog owners can visit The Barking Lounge website to watch their pooches play during the day. The “playcare” facility, located in the South Lake Union neighborhood, is staffed 24 hours a day and has two huge pens, where dogs are separated by size and temperament. They can stay for the day or be boarded overnight or for weeks. barkinglounge.com

Blue Stone Accounting: Taxes or small-business bookkeeping getting you down? Accountant Mariette Knoblauch and CPA Laura Dodson will come to your home in Seattle to help out. “We’re not limited to visiting people between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday,” says Knoblauch. “We’re service-oriented and can help people during the evenings and weekends by appointment.” bluestoneacct.com

Bright Horizons: This national child-care provider typically contracts with companies and arranges backup child care for their employees. It also has centers open to the public and can accommodate requests for backup care. The company has several locations through the Puget Sound region. brighthorizons.com

Nordstrom Personal Stylist: Sanda Belaire has been a personal stylist for Nordstrom for 25 years, so she knows how to outfit shoppers on nearly any budget. “We get information from the shopper by phone or e-mail, including their size, color preferences (and) budget,” says Belaire. “When they come to the store for their appointment, we have the fitting room ready with all the items they might want, including shoes, jewelry and accessories.” The service itself fits all budgets — it’s complimentary. “We help a lot of working moms and new moms who don’t have time to shop,” says Belaire. nordstrom.com

Seattle Laundry Service: Ed Tudor’s laundry-service trucks pick up dirty clothes and sheets throughout Seattle. The laundry is washed, dried, folded and returned to your home within 48 hours. You can also drop off laundry at locations in the University District and Fremont. “If it’s in by 10 a.m., your laundry would be washed, dried, folded and shrink-wrapped by 6 p.m. for you to pick up,” says Tudor. seattlelaundryservice.com

Surfing Sasquatch: If you spill a soda on your PC or Mac at 2 a.m., the computer-repair folks at Surfing Sasquatch are available 24/7 to drive to your home or office in South King County to repair it. surfingsasquatch.com

24 Hour Fitness: There are more than 400 24 Hour Fitness gyms in the country and a dozen locations from Everett to Renton. Most are open 24 hours a day, offering plenty of ways to get fit and sweat off the stress of the workday. 24hourfitness.com

These are only a few of the local services available; we’d love to hear your favorites. Please share them in the comments below.

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Workplace Topics, featured, work/life balance, working parents

3 Comments

Craig on June 28, 2010 7:44 AM | Reply

Pet owners can save time and stress by having their favorite pet foods and cat litter delivered by Smiley Dog. The company has been around since 1992 and does not require clients to be at home to accept delivery. Simple! Orders can be placed by phone (206) 903-9631 or http://SmileyDog.com

Joel on June 29, 2010 3:37 PM | Reply

At Dinner Delivery Plus we help busy people by delivering from the Eastside's 80 best restaurants right to your door.

We have been around for 16 years with the highest customer service ratings for restaurant delivery services. We'll help you out by bringing the food to any Eastside location, whether it be a business, residence, hotel, park or even a dock. Check us out at http://ddplus.com/ or give us a call at 425.889.8646.

kb replied to comment from Joel

Has anyone tried Safeway's delivery service?

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