The kitchen is stocked and put away before you unlock the door.
Bay House Concierge stocks vacation rentals and second homes on St. Pete Beach, Pass-a-Grille, Treasure Island, Tierra Verde and Isla del Sol before check-in. A Signature Arrival is $95 flat, a Grand Arrival $175, both timed to check-in and fully put away. Groceries separate, at shelf price.
Five days’ standard lead time, bookings three months out. Zone A included; Treasure Island and Madeira Beach add $25, the Redingtons and Indian Shores $50.
What is vacation rental stocking?
Vacation rental stocking is a pre-arrival service in which a shopper buys a household’s groceries, carries them into the rental before the guests get there, and puts them away (refrigerator, freezer, pantry, coffee counter) rather than leaving bags at the door. Bay House Concierge runs it across St. Petersburg, Florida and the Gulf beaches for a flat $95 or $175, plus the groceries at shelf price.
- Pauliane comes inside, under access agreed in writing with the owner. The milk goes in the refrigerator, not on a porch in July.
- The cold chain holds. Cold and frozen ride in iced coolers from the register to the refrigerator.
- The packaging leaves with us. A full bin on day one is a real problem on a Saturday turnover.
- It is not cleaning (we work after the cleaners, never alongside them) and not cooking.
- It is not a percentage of your basket. The common model here is 20 to 30% of checkout plus a tip, unknowable until the shopping is done. Ours is knowable on Tuesday for a Saturday arrival.
How much does vacation rental stocking cost in St. Pete Beach?
Bay House Concierge charges a flat $95 for a Signature Arrival (one store, up to 60 items, timed to check-in and fully put away) and $175 for a Grand Arrival: two stores, up to 120 items, flowers, a bar setup, first night staged. Groceries are separate, at shelf price, receipt photographed at the register.
- Shopped from your list, or your household file
- Timed to your check-in, not to our route
- Cold and frozen iced from register to refrigerator
- Put away: refrigerator, freezer, pantry, coffee counter
- Packaging and boxes removed from the property
- Printed inventory card left on the counter
- Photographs of the stocked kitchen before we lock up
Already booked? Pay online.
- Everything in a Signature Arrival
- A second store: Mazzaro’s Italian Market, a seafood counter or The Fresh Market
- Cut flowers in water on the table
- Bar setup: spirits, mixers, citrus, ice, glassware out
- First night staged on one counter, with what it needs
- Beach and porch basics shelved where a guest will find them
Already booked? Pay online.
What counts as an item?
One unit on the register receipt, and a pack bought as a pack counts once: a 24-bottle case of water is one item, twelve loose bottles are twelve. Sixty items covers a family of four for a week the way we would build the list; for eight people over ten days we would plan on 100 to 130, which is what the Grand Arrival is for, and why each additional 25 items is $20 rather than an argument at the register. Never extra: mileage in Zone A, delivery, put-away, packaging removal, the inventory card, the photographs.
What actually goes in? Four sample stocking lists.
These are worked examples rather than menus, built the way we would build them for four households on the Gulf beaches. Cross off half and send the rest.
| Household | Nights | Package | Items | Groceries, est. | Our fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A couple, Pass-a-Grille | 4 | Signature | 38 | $210 to $280 | $95 |
| Family, two children under six, St. Pete Beach | 7 | Signature | 60 | $420 to $540 | $95 |
| Eight people, three generations, Treasure Island | 10 | Grand | 118 | $1,100 to $1,500 | $175 + $25 |
| Celiac and dairy-allergic household, Isla del Sol | 5 | Signature + stop | 52 | $340 to $430 | $95 + $35 |
A couple, four nights on Pass-a-Grille
- Morning. Whole-bean coffee ground for the machine that is in the unit, half-and-half, eggs, butter, a bakery loaf, honey, Greek yogurt, blueberries, grapefruit.
- Refrigerator. Two whites and a rosé, a case of sparkling water, lemons, limes, parmesan, olives.
- Two dinners in. Grouper or snapper from the seafood counter, dried pasta, jarred sauce, garlic, olive oil, arugula, cherry tomatoes.
- Counter and beach bag. Bananas, oranges, almonds, dark chocolate, chips, salsa, a bag of ice.
- What the rental will be out of. Paper towels, dish soap, trash bags, coffee filters, sunscreen, aloe.
One Publix, 38 items, well under the 60 included. The $95 is the whole fee.
A family with two children under six, seven nights on St. Pete Beach
- Breakfast, seven days. Two gallons of milk, two cereals, frozen waffles, bananas, strawberries, clementines, yogurt tubes, eggs, bacon, syrup.
- Lunch, seven days. Sandwich bread, turkey, cheese slices, peanut butter, jelly, applesauce pouches, crackers, juice boxes, grapes, baby carrots.
- Three dinners in. A rotisserie chicken for night one, pasta and sauce, ground beef and the taco kit, a salad kit, corn, rolls, one frozen pizza for the night nobody cooks.
- Beach and pool. Popsicles, watermelon, pretzels, granola bars, two cases of water, ice.
- Adults and supplies. Coffee, half-and-half, wine, a six-pack; the pull-up size on file, wipes, kids’ sunscreen, laundry and dish pods, trash bags.
Exactly 60 items. Loose bottles instead of cases would push it over, and we say so before we shop.
Eight people across three generations, ten nights on Treasure Island
- The grocer. Milk, oat milk, four dozen eggs, bacon, bread, bagels, cream cheese, butter, three cereals, oatmeal, fruit, salad greens, potatoes, onions, cases of still and sparkling water, juice, paper goods, laundry and dish supplies.
- Mazzaro’s Italian Market. Coffee ground to order, a hard cheese and a soft one, prosciutto, fresh pasta, bread for the table, good sauce, cannoli.
- Dinners. Shrimp from the seafood counter for a boil with corn and sausage, a chicken to roast, ground beef and buns for the beach night, one large pasta night.
- Bar setup. Bourbon, gin, vodka, tonic, club soda, vermouth, bitters, limes, olives, a case of beer, three reds, three whites, ice, glassware out.
- Grandparents, as the file says. Decaf, the low-sodium soup, the fiber cereal by name, unsweetened applesauce.
$175 plus $25, because Treasure Island is Zone B. One photographed receipt per store.
A celiac and dairy-allergic household, five nights on Isla del Sol
- Certified gluten-free, read off the label. Frozen bread, rolls, pasta, rolled oats, crackers, pretzels, tamari instead of soy sauce, the pancake mix you name.
- Dairy-free. Oat milk, coconut yogurt, plant-based butter, dairy-free chocolate, and a cheese alternative only if you tell us which one is worth buying.
- Naturally safe center of the plate. Chicken, fish from the counter, eggs, rice, potatoes, beans, olive oil, plain frozen vegetables, a lot of fruit.
- Cross-contact. We ask the host whether the toaster, colander and cutting boards are shared. If the toaster is, toaster bags go on the list for about $12.
- We never substitute on an allergy marked medically critical. If the certified item is off the shelf, we call from the aisle and buy nothing until you answer.
The $35 stop covers Rollin’ Oats or Whole Foods for what a grocer stocks unreliably.
For regular clients none of this is re-explained: it lives in your household file, which also drives the weekly grocery run and season openings.
How does Bay House Concierge get into a rental you do not own?
By written agreement with whoever controls the property, arranged before you pay us anything. Bay House Concierge writes to the owner or property manager directly, gets the entry method in writing, and confirms it back to you in the same thread. Nobody is guessing at a lockbox code on a Saturday afternoon on St. Pete Beach.
We write to the host or manager ourselves, and copy you: one email naming the property, the date, the window and who will be there. You are not the messenger between two companies.
The entry method is agreed in writing before the booking is confirmed: a lockbox code, a smart-lock code issued to us alone, or the manager meeting us at the door.
We do not accept a door code from anyone we have not verified. If we cannot confirm it with the party who controls the property, we do not go in, and you hear that before the window, not after it.
Codes are held under the same key protocol as a private residence: numbered, stored apart from the address, logged, deleted when the stay ends.
We go after the cleaners, never during. Two crews in one kitchen slows both and risks the cold chain.
You get photographs before we lock up (the open refrigerator, the pantry shelf, the inventory card) and the manager is copied if they asked to be.
One person enters your property: Pauliane Stenberg, the owner (no employees, no subcontractors), background screened annually, and covered by general liability insurance. See what we carry.
When do you stock the house, and how far ahead do I book?
Bay House Concierge stocks the property in the three hours before your stated check-in time, so nothing sits in a warm kitchen. Standard lead time is five days, and bookings are taken three months out. Shorter notice carries no extra charge, confirmed the day you ask, subject to availability.
How is the visit timed to check-in?
A 4pm check-in means we are in the house between 1pm and 4pm, after the cleaning turn, with the ice cream in the freezer about ninety minutes before you park. A late flight changes nothing. The cold is already cold and we do not wait at the property.
A morning stock works only if the property was empty the night before. If someone checked out that morning the cleaners come first, and we cannot be in before early afternoon. You hear that when you book, not on the day.
How do you keep cold food cold in a Florida July?
Cold and frozen items are packed into iced coolers at the register, not into bags in a trunk, and they are unpacked first at the property. The rule: nothing perishable is out of refrigeration more than an hour between store and shelf, and on a beach run the drive itself is closer to twenty minutes.
Ice cream, shellfish and anything from a seafood counter are bought last. If a cold substitute would travel badly we buy fresh rather than frozen, and note it on the inventory card.
Bookings are accepted three months ahead; five days or more is standard. Shorter notice is confirmed the day you ask, subject to availability, at no extra charge. If we cannot do it well, we say no rather than do it badly. Lists come to us by text or email, and we confirm the final version back to you before anyone shops.
What can be added, and what does distance cost?
Four add-ons, each with a published number, and three zones instead of a per-mile charge. Bay House Concierge bills no mileage anywhere; distance is one fixed zone fee, added once per visit and quoted in the same email as everything else.
| Line | Fee | What it buys |
|---|---|---|
| Additional store | +$25 | Each store beyond the package. |
| Each additional 25 items | +$20 | Counted as units on the receipt, quoted once your list is in. |
| Specialty purveyor stop | +$35 | Mazzaro’s Italian Market, a seafood counter, Rollin’ Oats, The Fresh Market, Trader Joe’s, the Saturday Morning Market. |
| Celebration or party setup | $50 to $120 | Quoted by scope before anything is bought. |
| Zone A | Included | St. Petersburg, Gulfport, Tierra Verde, Isla del Sol, Pass-a-Grille, St. Pete Beach, Bayway Isles, Shore Acres, Coquina Key, Snell Isle, Old Northeast. |
| Zone B | +$25 | Treasure Island, Madeira Beach, South Pasadena, Kenneth City, Pinellas Park. |
| Zone C | +$50 | the Redington beaches, Indian Shores, Indian Rocks Beach, Belleair, Largo, Clearwater (including Clearwater Beach and Sand Key), South Tampa. |
For a second home rather than a rental, a Season Opening at $260 covers pantry restock, filters and water-on coordination. Map on the service area page; every number here is also on the rate card, alongside errands and the questions page.
Who pays for arrival stocking, the guest or the owner?
Either: we are set up for both. Guests booking their own stay pay Bay House Concierge directly and we coordinate access with the host. Owners and managers who want stocking attached to the property pay us on an account, or hand guests a co-branded booking link and pay nothing at all.
The guest is paying
- You book, you choose the list, you pay the flat fee. We handle the host for access, so the owner never touches money or holds a receipt.
- Groceries go on a card in your name with a ceiling you set, or we front them and invoice with the receipts attached: shelf price, no markup, tips welcome.
- Cancel with 24 hours’ notice or more and there is no charge; under 24 hours is 50% of the booked minimum, under 12 hours is 100%. If we have already shopped, the groceries are yours at shelf price.
The owner or manager is paying
- Host Partner costs the manager nothing and pays a 10% referral share on guest-paid stocking, on a co-branded booking link. Mark it up and keep the spread if you prefer.
- Turnkey Host is $105 a month per property for consumables par-stock between guests, reconciled monthly at shelf price.
- Named-additional-insured certificate and W-9 the same business day you ask, and guest errand response within 90 minutes during a stay.
When is arrival stocking not worth it?
A $95 fee has to replace something worth more than $95 to you, and on a short stay near a grocery store it usually does not. Four cases where we would tell you not to book.
- A two-night stay four minutes from a Publix. That is $95 to skip a twenty-five-minute errand you would not have minded.
- You only want the bags at the door. Put-away and the cold chain are the entire difference; without them a delivery app is cheaper, and we will say so.
- Your basket is small. Percentage services here run 20 to 30% of checkout plus a tip. Against our flat $95 the crossover sits between roughly $317 and $475, depending which end of that range you are charged; below that, they cost less than we do, and you should use one. The whole comparison is on the rate card.
- Check-in is tomorrow on a summer Saturday. Standard lead time is five days; shorter notice carries no extra charge but is not guaranteed in season. For a short list, a Single Errand at $60 is the honest purchase you can still get tomorrow.
The arrivals plainly worth it look different. A family of five landing at 4pm after a delayed flight with two tired children. Eight people for ten days where the first night’s dinner has to exist.
Book an arrival
Send the property, the check-in time and a rough list. We come back with one number (package, add-ons and zone included) and the confirmed window Pauliane will be in the house.
Book an arrivalFive days’ notice is standard and three months ahead is fine. If we cannot do yours well, we will say so rather than take it.