New marketplace 60% cheaper than traditional restaurants, cafés, and grocery stores in South Africa

That's an interesting concept, very cool to help prevent wastage, I often see whole trolleys of perfectly good fresh food/produce getting pulled off of shelves due to reaching the end of their shelf life. How much of that is typically dumped, some retailers do donate it?

Has anyone tried Refreshi yet?
You could either hit the jackpot or get absolute junk that you wouldn't eat even if someone paid you

"Cape Town-based startup Refreshi sells food that would otherwise be discarded, while giving consumers access to cheaper groceries and prepared meals.

The online marketplace has grown from 35 partner stores to more than 700 locations across four provinces

The company connects participating businesses with shoppers through an app, where users can reserve and pay for discounted “Surprise Bags”.

The contents are not known in advance, but the food is guaranteed to be fresh and is collected from the store during a designated time window.

The bags are sold at 50% to 60% below their original retail value, with participating businesses deciding which surplus items to include. These can range from bakery products, fresh fruit, and vegetables to prepared meals.

Refreshi is available in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Gqeberha, George and Mossel Bay.

Its partners include SPAR, Bootlegger, Vida e Caffè, King Pie, Château Gâteaux, Vovo Telo, Ou Meul, Newmark Hotels and OK Mini Marts."
 
Mystery bags of surplus food from local restaurants, bakeries, cafés and supermarkets — at up to 50% off the retail price. Download the app, find a store near you, pay, and collect.

From R39–R49 per bag
Available across 5 SA regions
Click to expand...
Mystery bag, no thanks. I don't eat most things on a menu.
Great idea for the non-fussy.
 
Sad that this is what people have been forced to resort to, but wastage has been the biggest problem in the supply chain for decades, so this is a good solution as long as it is controlled properly.
 
i bought krispy kreme a few times

nice way of getting rid of stuff that might get thrown away

for the price it was well worth it but sadly you dont have a choice

bootlegger and vida does some good give aways as well but also sometimes these things have weird timing options ..pick ups are very late or very early
 
Number Six said:
I've tried Refreshi a few times.
More miss than hits especially from the big coffee chain.
Click to expand...
Why more misses and which coffee chain was that?
I.am.Sam said:
i bought krispy kreme a few times

nice way of getting rid of stuff that might get thrown away

for the price it was well worth it but sadly you dont have a choice

bootlegger and vida does some good give aways as well but also sometimes these things have weird timing options ..pick ups are very late or very early
Click to expand...
How close to being stale/not appetising is the stuff you get?
 
I.am.Sam said:
i bought krispy kreme a few times

nice way of getting rid of stuff that might get thrown away

for the price it was well worth it but sadly you dont have a choice

bootlegger and vida does some good give aways as well but also sometimes these things have weird timing options ..pick ups are very late or very early
Click to expand...
LOL yes, nothing worse than a dry old doughnut.
 
Bad Ballie said:
Sad that this is what people have been forced to resort to, but wastage has been the biggest problem in the supply chain for decades, so this is a good solution as long as it is controlled properly.
Click to expand...
Not forced and it does exist in other forms all over.

There is a shop that sells surplus Woolies food in Cape Town and I have seen a few others doing the same. Its generally hit or miss but you get stuff cheap cheap.

Wastage is a massive problem - so this kind of thing is great. It's just the logistics that are the problem.

Big retailers just need to be better disciplined about it. Woolies is good about getting stuff off the shelf well before it expires, Checkers not so much.... PNP are probably the worst.
 
Nerfherder said:
Not forced and it does exist in other forms all over.

There is a shop that sells surplus Woolies food in Cape Town and I have seen a few others doing the same. Its generally hit or miss but you get stuff cheap cheap.

Wastage is a massive problem - so this kind of thing is great. It's just the logistics that are the problem.

Big retailers just need to be better disciplined about it. Woolies is good about getting stuff off the shelf well before it expires, Checkers not so much.... PNP are probably the worst.
Click to expand...
Got take a really long look at the people at the local supermarkets that do the same thing, by which I mean the end-of-life bargain tables at most retailers now days. The vast majority of people around that table are pensioners, they are forced to try find the cheapest foods etc. that they can. You and I may be able to pick and choose, but we are not the 80 to 90% who are literally living hand to mouth. Remember that a living pension in 1990 was a 2 million Rand pot, today its between 7.5 and 9 million.
 
The Joburg partners are pathetic. Pretty much just Krispy Kreme everywhere with about 2 gems here and there.
 
airborne said:
Why more misses and which coffee chain was that?

How close to being stale/not appetising is the stuff you get?
Click to expand...

its donuts ..and its just the overruns/leftovers for the day

so not stale at all

but it also isnt the top of the range like for R60 its 6 donuts ..2 plain and 4 flavours IIRC but not the gourment range

but i have had krispy kreme the day after even and its still good
 
I don't appreciate myBB telling people about Refreshi. I don't need competition in buying things. It was meant to remain my secret.
 
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