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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Shop Zero (Food "Bank")

30 replies

BertaHoon · 28/09/2022 21:17

In our town we have a non for profit charity called Shop Zero.
It's advertised as pick and choose, more of a shop because you pay £5 for 15 points (items). The video advertising shows shelves full of everything from crisps to choc, fresh veg to frozen.

I went along.

I 'spent' my 15 points on a packet of birdseye chilli peppers, a pack of 3 freshish garlic bulbs, 1 pot of white pepper, 1 packs of wraps, several sachets of Aldi stir in Chinese sauces, a packet of Sharwoods poppadoms and 2 packs of popcorn.

This was the best of a bad lot, there was no choice. I also stupidly paid £5 for the 'freezer' pack.

Bear in mind this was my first visit... It was packed, I didn't get a chance really to inspect anything and shouldn't have had to, as the place is described as out of date, but too good to waste.

I got home -

The popcorn was a year out of date (no probs bit chewy) - 33p
Poppadoms the same - 1 year out of date (not really a prob, but bendy) - 33p.

However on unpacking I noticed the sauces are 3 years out of date.

3 years out of date? I'm not Z for Zachariah just yet!

I think it's disgusting to get people to pay for foods that are that out of date.

They probably only cost about 70p in Aldi in 2019 when they went out of date. I think I purchased 6 in total.

As for the freezer items - that's an extra £5. Fooled there... You just given a random bag of 5 items. It wasn't too bad, but nothing I'd buy, or could make a meal from - think pizza, Korean pork belly, haddock goujons, mini scotch eggs... No plain mince, chicken or fish.

I've been absolutely done out of a tenner haven't I? 🤣

Place was heaving though, people thinking they're getting something for nothing.

Anyway my main AIBU is :

Should people be paying for food that's 3 years out of date?

(to a not for profit charity that pays wages etc.)

OP posts:
Original poster
BertaHoon · 28/09/2022 21:32

That was a badly written essay.

Consider me done in on pizza and frozen scotch eggs.

Didn't cook em, am rolling them around like gobstoppers to save on fuel.

Gnight.

The OP is true though. Rip off merchants.

OP posts:
RuthW · 28/09/2022 21:35

You just got a bad week. You can eat really well from there, but occasionally they are short of food. I've only had one bad time and those out of date sauces are fine. We must live in the same town!

TheWayTheLightFalls · 28/09/2022 21:40

I run a very similar project. I’d perhaps give them another try, and then offer feedback if it’s still as you found it today.

What we receive / have available to distribute varies massively week on week and we have a lot of people through our doors. We spend our limited funds on pasta, rice, lentils, oats to standardise things but yes, one week it’ll be almond milk and sausages and the next carrots and chocolate bars. Happy to answer questions if you have any.

RuthW · 28/09/2022 21:51

And remember it's not a food bank. It's a no waste shop. I've never had a bad freezer bag from there snd always worth well over £5.

Skatewing · 28/09/2022 21:54

TheWayTheLightFalls

I'm interested in setting up a similar project. May I get some advice from you on how to structure it please?

Sophieleigh26 · 28/09/2022 21:56

That’s what it’s like in my town too. £2 for a bag of stale bread and out of date veg

IncessantNameChanger · 28/09/2022 21:57

Do people really eat food that out of date? Twice I've opened coconut milk a year of date and it tasted nasty. Anything tinned has a funky tang more than six months past it's date. I bin them and we are a family of six on one low wage

underneaththeash · 28/09/2022 21:58

Take it back. If they charge they're still operating under consumer law which means that they can't sell food outside the use by date.

underneaththeash · 28/09/2022 21:59

IncessantNameChanger · 28/09/2022 21:57

Do people really eat food that out of date? Twice I've opened coconut milk a year of date and it tasted nasty. Anything tinned has a funky tang more than six months past it's date. I bin them and we are a family of six on one low wage

Tinned food is fine though. Coconut milk always goes a bit odd - shake it before opening.

Original poster
BertaHoon · 28/09/2022 22:06

@RuthW I knew it would be town outing 🤣

However - yes there is more than £5 worth of food in the freezer bag. However I wouldn't pay for any of that stuff anyway.

As for the sauces - who has tried them 3 years out of date to say they are fine?

Am I paying for an experiment?

Won't be back as was a waste of bus fare going.

OP posts:
SoupDragon · 28/09/2022 22:06

underneaththeash · 28/09/2022 21:58

Take it back. If they charge they're still operating under consumer law which means that they can't sell food outside the use by date.

Use by, no. However, I bet these were "best before dates.

RuthW · 28/09/2022 22:09

The sauces are best before 2019 and taste fine. I have had them.

Original poster
BertaHoon · 28/09/2022 22:11

underneaththeash · 28/09/2022 21:58

Take it back. If they charge they're still operating under consumer law which means that they can't sell food outside the use by date.

Can't be arsed, went across town as a one off. Got ripped off, not paying to go get a refund.

I appreciate there are good and bad weeks and as said - frozen stuff might be worth over £1 each but it's stuff people on a budget wouldn't buy anyway. One pack M&S Korean Pork Belly slices (puke). 1 Waitrose pizza... Etc.
I'd never buy any of that stuff.

I honestly think it needs looking in to.

3 years out of date and charging people under the pretence it's only just out of date.

I had someone with me on the visit and they are equally disgusted.

OP posts:
MarsupiIami · 28/09/2022 22:13

Live and learn I guess.

I'm not Z for Zachariah just yet! - I am stealing this. Don't watch the film it's crap.

Original poster
BertaHoon · 28/09/2022 22:14

RuthW · 28/09/2022 22:09

The sauces are best before 2019 and taste fine. I have had them.

I can't take your word for that when cooking for my kids.

Defend your 'charity' all you like, but don't expect people to pay over the odds.

How much were those sachets in 2019 when in date? I bet they weren't over £1 (I'll contact Aldi). So to sell 3 years over BB for 33p is just horrible.

OP posts:
AloysiusBear · 28/09/2022 22:14

Its because actually supermarkets are terrifically careful about stock management these days. They don't want to be left over stocked with surplus & have to discount it as it undermines pricing, so all that is left to be donated to these sorts of organisations is stuff that really is unsaleable.

They won't pass on anything they can actually sell and recoup value for.

Original poster
BertaHoon · 28/09/2022 22:18

MarsupiIami · 28/09/2022 22:13

Live and learn I guess.

I'm not Z for Zachariah just yet! - I am stealing this. Don't watch the film it's crap.

Oh you are my people!

Was one of my favourite books that I read as a teen.
I did start watching the film and gave up. I preferred my memories of it.

I've lived and learned - not going to defend myself to a worker or fan of the 'charity'.

It's wrongly advertised and I'm sure it's made a profit from other unsuspecting visitors.

Hey ho 😁

I'm actually going to read Z again now, thank you!

OP posts:
Original poster
BertaHoon · 28/09/2022 22:20

AloysiusBear · 28/09/2022 22:14

Its because actually supermarkets are terrifically careful about stock management these days. They don't want to be left over stocked with surplus & have to discount it as it undermines pricing, so all that is left to be donated to these sorts of organisations is stuff that really is unsaleable.

They won't pass on anything they can actually sell and recoup value for.

How did it take 3 years to pass on though? Never would they have that in the supermarket.

OP posts:
AloysiusBear · 28/09/2022 22:31

How did it take 3 years to pass on though? Never would they have that in the supermarket.

It'll be things found at the back of warehouses etc missed by stock checks, or donated by local corner shops with low stock turnover who don't check the back of the shelves often.

Where did you expect the food to come from? None of the supermarkets near me discount anything any more, the shelves are increasingly empty in the evenings. There's no surplus/spare food.

Original poster
BertaHoon · 28/09/2022 22:35

AloysiusBear · 28/09/2022 22:31

How did it take 3 years to pass on though? Never would they have that in the supermarket.

It'll be things found at the back of warehouses etc missed by stock checks, or donated by local corner shops with low stock turnover who don't check the back of the shelves often.

Where did you expect the food to come from? None of the supermarkets near me discount anything any more, the shelves are increasingly empty in the evenings. There's no surplus/spare food.

It came from Aldi - as in that's where I expected it to come from.

No local shop near me stocks Aldi produce, other than - Aldi.

A high turnover store I would think.

OP posts:
AloysiusBear · 28/09/2022 22:37

Ps i do think it seems crap that you pay but i suspect the sad reality is your contribution isn't really paying for the food its paying for the premises, elec for freezers etc, other overheads of offering the service. Still it sounds unlikely to last as such a poor value scheme.

AloysiusBear · 28/09/2022 22:38

*No local shop near me stocks Aldi produce, other than - Aldi

Are you sure? Where i live increasingly see heavily marked up aldi stuff in corner shops.

mamabear715 · 28/09/2022 22:43

That's DISGUSTING! I'm really shocked.. I wouldn't feed anything that old to a DOG..

MarsupiIami · 28/09/2022 22:44

BertaHoon · 28/09/2022 22:18

Oh you are my people!

Was one of my favourite books that I read as a teen.
I did start watching the film and gave up. I preferred my memories of it.

I've lived and learned - not going to defend myself to a worker or fan of the 'charity'.

It's wrongly advertised and I'm sure it's made a profit from other unsuspecting visitors.

Hey ho 😁

I'm actually going to read Z again now, thank you!

Show quote history

It was definitely one of the most memorable for me! Was a bit traumatised. I might read it again too. 🤔

They added a whole extra man in the film iirc.

Jijithecat · 28/09/2022 22:47

WRAP guidelines suggest 3 years beyond best before dates should be okay for jars provided they visually look okay.
You didn't like what they had for sale, and that's fine, but the fact that it was so busy suggests that other people probably do.