To not fully understand Too Good To Go app?

[2TheLighthouse]

‘Too good to go’ is the app where you can reserve cut-price bags of food that would otherwise be thrown away at the end of the day, in case anyone didn’t know.

I thought I’d give it a go as I’m trying to economise. But there are rarely any bags available, ever. It always says things like ‘such and such place sold out at 4:40am’ or something equally random, but the bags are for collection the following evening.

I imagined it was going to be a much more last-minute thing - eg they’d start rounding things up during the run-up to closing to get an idea of how many bags of stuff they’d have. I guess it also makes sense to estimate, based on experience, how many bags they will have and advertise in advance - but there seems to be no pattern to it. If it’s all done in advance, surely there should be a set time every day when they ‘release’ them?? It’s just really bugging me!

I've tried a few things and nothing is worth the effort in my experience - except the Morrisons box.

A huge box of fruit and veg, sometimes with some cheese or pre packed snacks too. However you need to be incredibly quick and lucky - they're released at a set time and it's fastest finger first, they go within seconds.

I've had boxes full of avocado's and berries that's easily worth £40 before and all perfectly fresh.

It varies from store to store as to when stuff is made available online, and is usually a fair bit in advance of when you can collect it.

Its not their fault you imagined wrongly how it works..

If you have a Millie’s Cookies or a Krispy Kreme near you, those ones are definitely worth it! I have noticed certain shops release slots at around the same time each day, for collection the following afternoon. You can “favourite” stores and get notifications i think for when their bags go on sale.

They are often released for the next day say 15 minutes after today's pick up slot, so 24 hours in advance. Then extras may be added depending on what's left a couple of hours before the slot. If you look at the sold out time and try a bit before that the next day then you may be in luck. The key is to find out the pick up times then you can easily check after that. So if bakery is 4:30-4:50pm then check after 5 or so for the next day.

I've had some great stuff, got 3 sandwiches and 4 cakes from Starbucks for £3.99.

However once got just 3 stale croissants in a bag from some other coffee place for £2.99..

You're using it wrong.

Unfortunately, there are quite a few people who write articles about Too Good to Go and mis-sell the whole concept!

TG2G is about reducing food waste, not about saving pennies. Businesses local to you will put the things they can't sell on the app for a reduced price, so at least it gets eaten, even if they don't make money on it. As it's about reducing waste, some magic bags get added late, and some get cancelled because they're put on the app early and it turns out that there's no food waste that day.

£10 worth of food for £3 might get you quite a haul from a supermarket, but £10 worth of food for £3 from somewhere like an independent cafe might get you two slices of not-so-moist cake.

The time at which bags go on the app and the time they can be collected varies based on the store, when they know or can predict they'll have leftovers, and when they're not busy with full-price customers.

It's not a moneysaving app - if you think of it that way, you'll be disappointed. It's a food waste reduction initiative.

I have just picked up a bag from my local M&S / BP garage which I reserved at 18.27 this evening - and there were 5 left at the time. At that point there were plenty of bags to pick up this evening, or tomorrow.

(In the bag we got: pack of hot cross buns, tub of brownie bites, pack of chicken pasta salad, tub of bbq chicken wings, BLT sandwiches and a pot of fruit. )

PS If you're trying to save the pennies, check out Olio instead. People (who have been trained!) collect left over food from local businesses and allow you to collect it from their homes. If there are enough Olio volunteers within walking distance of you, and you're fit enough to get around easily, it could be a way to help with your grocery bill.

I see it as a money saving app as well as its other purpose. I can see it as whatever I like frankly. It saves me money.

I did a costa one today and got a chicken fajita wrap, breakfast wrap, sausage bap, Mac and cheese toastie and a bit of cake for £3. Yesterday did a starbucks one and had 4 different muffins, a cheese toastie and a piece of cake for £4. We don't really seem to get supermarket ones, just coffee shops mainly. The costa one I bought today at 5:25 to pick up at 5:30 and the starbucks one I ordered 24 hours before pick up so no pattern really but I really like the app

Olio depends very much on where you live though. Here it’s a bit weird. Tonight here there is a baguette 14.4 miles in one direction, and a peppa pig cake 7 miles in the other

£10 worth of food for £3 might get you quite a haul from a supermarket, but £10 worth of food for £3 from somewhere like an independent cafe might get you two slices of not-so-moist cake.
Yes, you'd pay more for cake in a cafe if meeting a friend for coffee, but it's hardly worth that much to collect at a set time to take home, or even a third of the price really. I go for the bakery where I can get a huge bag of organic sourdough and other breads and often pastries for £5. I slice and freeze much of it and it lasts me about six weeks!

Yes Olio is better for tight budgets - free stuff and you know what you’re getting before you pick up.

Toogoodtogo is more of a novelty - the fun of not knowing what you’re getting. I often reserve a bag for a late lunch if I am in the office. Places like Pret, Paul, Leon do good value bags - get something for lunch that day and something to save for the next!

I love too good to go! We do wenzels, greggs and Costa mainly. Also done a couple of Morrisons. Here most go up the day before around 7pm, for 5pm collection the next day. Bags are variable but always a few good things and therefore good value!

I’ve had it refunded a few times when they don’t have anything left at the end of the night. The ones I’ve had from Starbucks and Greggs have been good though, always lots of sandwiches for the next day.

You think three stale croissants for £3 is saving money...?

I like the Toby Carvery ones and just noticed Harvester are doing chicken and salad ones. Greggs usually pretty good. Our local fish and chip shop does them and a pub nearby does magic pints instead of magic bags. I think they are great and so nice food doesn't go to waste.

Also love Olio although I use it to get rid of stuff (I hate throwing out food)

Unfortunately there are some greedy f**kers that will snap up several of these bags from the same establishment. There should be a strict rule, one per customer. They will watch the app and order them as soon as they come online

Why? It's about reducing food waste.

I would only ever get one bag because I don't have the freezer space, but if you had a large family, or shared food with your neighbours, and you had a giant chest freezer, totally OK. Basically, if you can take the food and use the food, it's fine.

If you want to repurpose TG2G for your own needs, you can't criticise TG2G for sticking to its mission.

I have no problem with this. Too Good to Go is not a charity. It aims to reduce food waste. If people want 2 bags or more from the same place what's the problem? It's not a sharing app, or a foodbank app, or a "let's help out people on a budget" app.

I guess I’m just cross because I finally picked up my first bag yesterday (from Spar) and it was absolute garbage 🙄 I think I’d expected ‘ingredient’ type groceries that I could either freeze or would not matter if used the day after the ‘use-by’ (it was 9pm). But it was revolting cheese and bacon ‘bites’ that most people would not want even within their use-by, tofu (everyone hates this, surely?), cooked chilled prawns (no playing fast and loose with sell-bys…) and (saving grace) a carton of soup. Very disappointed tbh.

You do get the odd duff bag and the whole idea is that you'll never know in advance what is going to be in the bags. It's what they have left over.

That tends not to be the chicken breasts and salmon steaks because people snap them up when they are first reduced. it's the other stuff like sandwiches, salads etc.

Tbf I’d have been happy with sandwiches and salads. Or fruit, veg etc.

@alltheteeshirts

You're using it wrong.

I’m not sure this is true. Is it possible to ‘use it wrong’? You might think I’m viewing it wrong - but that’s different 🤷‍♀️

There's a couple of nice cafes near me and I only collect from them as a treat. Bread and croissants go in the freezer, baguettes for lunch the next day. I might try Pret or Costa that come up every day, but again it would be as a treat rather than a necessity. I'm waiting for DP to have a night out so I can get a Toby Carvery! It's about left over stock so you get what there is available, lucky dip.