How do your prices compare to the supermarkets?
We often get asked two questions about the prices of our refill products; “Are your prices cheaper because you don’t have the packaging?” and “Are you more expensive than the supermarkets because your products are ecologically friendly?”.
Firstly, lets address the packaging issue. Unfortunately we’ve mainly got to this plastic crisis because plastic is so cheap to make, which means there’s not a huge amount saved from buying unpackaged. You can see bigger savings when comparing things like our herbs as in most cases the single-use packaging is more complex, made up of multiple parts so a saving can be seen when you’re not having to buy the packaging each time but when looking at lightweight thin single-use plastic packaging there’s not a huge cost saving.
Now lets address the ‘ecological’ label. It’s true that environmentally friendly products are usually a bit more expensive. This is mainly due to the fact that sustainably and ethically sourced products have higher production costs. All of our products are fair trade which means that a fair price has been paid to the producer/grower. Supermarkets are retail giants with huge buying and negotiating power that in some cases can squeeze suppliers into selling at rock bottom prices. Supermarkets can also sell huge volumes at much lower margins. We are not in the business of stack it high and sell it cheap.
Our main aim is to make zero waste refill shopping more accessible - this is our passion! Part of this includes carrying out monthly price checks against supermarkets. We always work hard to make sure our prices are as competitive as possible. There are some items we really struggle to compete with (pistachio nuts for example), however there are definitely items that are better value than a supermarket (herbs, spices and seeds for example).We feel comfortable that with a balanced shop your shopping basket shouldn’t cost much more than a supermarket shop. We’re also happy to add discounts on certain items if you are buying bigger quantities (kilos).
The power of your pocket is more impactful than you think. When you shop with us you’ll be buying fair trade, non GMO products, you’ll be supporting a local, sustainably minded business and most importantly you’ll be avoiding single use packaging. Can the same be said when you shop at a major supermarket chain?