Imperfect, Misfit, Etc. (The Food Delivery Services)

[lemniscate]

I signed up for a Misfits account.  I still don't know if it will work for me, but there was a landing page explaining that due to Misfits acquiring Imperfect Foods that there will be more options and choices.   I will stay turned to see if this turns into a service that will work for me.   I've been using Amazon Fresh much more that I ever thought I would, but mostly to take advantage of good deals and coupons.  

 

My last Amazon Fresh was late by 2 hours the other day, that was a first.  It turns out the poor driver was delivering other Amazon items along with my groceries and her car was broken into!   They took all the boxes but left the grocery bags.   So my order showed up late but complete.  Amazing.  I guess thieves don't need groceries.   I left a very large tip for her, because I didn't know what else I could do for the poor driver.

[lindag]

Anyone still ordering on a regular basis from wild Fork? I’m thinking of getting an order from there.
 

[gfweb]

26 minutes ago, lindag said:

Anyone still ordering on a regular basis from wild Fork? I’m thinking of getting an order from there.
 

 

Every few months. No problems

 

[farcego]

On 1/14/2023 at 1:34 PM, lemniscate said:

I signed up for a Misfits account.  I still don't know if it will work for me, but there was a landing page explaining that due to Misfits acquiring Imperfect Foods that there will be more options and choices.   I will stay turned to see if this turns into a service that will work for me.   I've been using Amazon Fresh much more that I ever thought I would, but mostly to take advantage of good deals and coupons.  

 

My last Amazon Fresh was late by 2 hours the other day, that was a first.  It turns out the poor driver was delivering other Amazon items along with my groceries and her car was broken into!   They took all the boxes but left the grocery bags.   So my order showed up late but complete.  Amazing.  I guess thieves don't need groceries.   I left a very large tip for her, because I didn't know what else I could do for the poor driver.

I just got my first order from Misfit

[Maison Rustique]

I finally gave into one of Imperfect's "please come back" offers and re-activated my account. First order goes in Monday. I'll try a variety of stuff while I've got the deep discount on my first 2 orders. My issues before were mostly in shipping--defrosted meats, damaged produce, etc. They claim to have vastly improved their shipping and packing, so we'll see.

[Annie_H]

On 1/18/2023 at 6:08 PM, lindag said:

Anyone still ordering on a regular basis from wild Fork? I’m thinking of getting an order from there.

I ordered for the first over for the holidays. No mistakes. As described. Good information on each item. Tuna and swordfish steaks, cod fillets cryovak'd in small portions, 4 per pound bags. Clams and mussels are flat packed so they heat/steam quickly. Squid a perfect amount and small size for an ingredient in a seafood salad. 

Heritage bone-in ham for NewYearsDay, big salmon fillet and frenched rack of pork for Christmas, (dad wanted salmon)

Took advantage of the free shipping for a year. A bit annoying fine print though. Some states did not apply, etc. 

I had both WildFork and Misfits sent directly south. Just needed to pick up a dozen bagels. Just stopped at a farm stand for a crate of collards and kale and an excellent fish monger in my hometown for oysters (5.50 a dozen), shrimp and crab. They live in a food desert so nice to not need to grocery shop. We had to scramble and leave two days early because of the storm. Years past I would shop UnionSquareMarket and a number of other groceries and pack two big coolers.

7 instead of 11 X-mas eve, 9 instead of 13 X-mas day. (brother and family of four had their flights canceled and never re-scheduled)

Both WildFork and Misfits are a-la-cart. No mysteries. Order what you want/need. Most I've ever ordered from Misfits. 3 big boxes. A cold box, a veg box, and a snack/pantry box. First time no mistakes with extra romaine. 

Smaller packages are best for just the two of us. For a crowd, often unknown head count, just take out what is needed. Thaws quickly in cold water. 

 

[Annie_H]

I should mention, for those that order FreshDirect, the farm boxes have been a good value. Winter root crops last a long time. The Hepworth box was so heavy I did weigh it. 22pounds plus some herbs and juice. A dollar a pound for any produce is a good price. They must have bee scrambling with the eminent storm approaching. 

LancasterFarms I ordered for Thanksgiving. Both are mystery boxes. 6 green bell peppers that we don't care for but I made good use of them with sausage and onions caramelized. 

Took most of the Hepworth box on our trip. The only way to please my family is to have lots of variety. Pretty pink potatoes.

 

[Maison Rustique]

I wish we got Fresh Direct here. I'll find out this afternoon what Imperfect Foods has in store for my first order. 

[Maison Rustique]

I signed back up with Imperfect Foods last week because they made me a good offer. I got all this for $35.xx including tax because they gave me 50% off. Three 18 Oz. pork loins which I will slice up into chops and cutlets and freeze. It arrived a little after 10 am which I was happy about. They have a new tracking system since I last used them and you can see where the truck is, what time it will be here and even send a message to the driver.

 

 

[Maison Rustique]

I didn't notice until I went to use it last night, but the arugula in the order I got today was already expired and was pretty far gone. I have notified them.

[dtremit]

Placed our first Imperfect order in ages because of the 50% off promo @Maison Rustique mentioned. At that price, it's hard to pass up; we'll do one more before the promo ends. Without the promo, a lot of their pricing isn't particularly attractive compared to other options we use regularly. I'm not sure if they've gone up, or if shopping elsewhere has just gotten easier. The produce selection was also really bad just a few hours after the shopping window opened; it seemed like 80% of the options were sold out.

 

Surprisingly the box showed up with a Misfits logo on it — apparently they are further along in their merger than I'd realized.

 

That prompted me to look at the Misfits site today, and the shopping experience there seems to be somewhat improved. It sounds like it's being rolled out slowly to areas served by Imperfect's drivers. Minimum order is now down to $20 (with $7 delivery waived at $70), and there's no longer a cold pack minimum — which deterred me from ordering interesting refrigerated stuff a few times in the past. They also now have a lot of items from Imperfect — both the Imperfect house brand stuff, and some other things I remember ordering (we love the Capra tamales).

 

It sounds like you can opt for either a pre-filled cart each week (netting you more reward points and first dibs at limited selection items), or an empty cart that ships at the minimum. The latter works a lot better for us as occasional orderers.

 

[Maison Rustique]

@dtremit I feel the same as you. Without the discount, it just doesn't make sense. And I had the same experience with so many items already sold out in a short time. I'll see how it goes when I place the second order, but am thinking I'll probably discontinue after that. Again. 

 

[Shelby]

Regarding Misfits:  I received this email a few days ago:

 

--------------------------------

 

I founded Misfits Market in 2018 with the goal of making quality food more affordable and accessible for everyone, regardless of where they live. Our commitment to that mission remains the same today, even in these volatile times. However, we now need to make changes to your Misfits Market experience to continue building a sustainable business for the future.  Effective for all orders with a shopping window ending on or after Monday, January 30th, your new order minimum will be $59. If you have $59 worth of items in your cart when your shopping window closes, we will ship your order.     Additionally, your new shipping fee will be $9.99.     Why the changes? In the past few years, it’s become trickier for us to deliver to customers in areas like yours. Economic trends continue to affect everything from the price of food to shipping costs. Still, my team and I are dedicated to providing more value with every order. These changes will help us use fewer resources to get high-quality groceries to you. We’ll also continue to find ways to improve your experience and pass on savings wherever possible.    Plus, we’re making it easier than ever to shop our Cold Pack items. You can now build a Cold Pack order totaling less than $30 for a flat $3.99 fee, plus your regular shipping fee. Add only the items you need each week (think organic milk and butter, a dozen free-range eggs); if you go over $30 in Cold Pack items, you won’t be charged a Cold Pack fee.   As usual, you’ll continue to save up to 40% on quality groceries delivered to your door, earn points on grocery purchases through our Misfits Perks loyalty program, and support food producers who rely on Misfits Market to get a fair return on their hard work.

- Abhi Ramesh Misfits Market Founder & CEO

----------------------------------   For us, this is still ok.  I went back through my orders and I very rarely spend less than $60 a week.  I don't have the other options that people in the bigger cities do and I so much appreciate being able to get things delivered by them.  I've had a really good experience with them.  Hardly any problems with quality etc.

[Maison Rustique]

Wow! That would be completely out of our budget. I can buy produce and meats at Sprouts for a lot less and get to pick it myself, so it isn't imperfect.

[Shelby]

1 hour ago, Maison Rustique said:

Wow! That would be completely out of our budget. I can buy produce and meats at Sprouts for a lot less and get to pick it myself, so it isn't imperfect.

The good thing is you don't have to order every week....just don't fill up your cart and it automatically skips you.

 

 

[Annie_H]

I checked my order history from Misfits. January 2nd and jan 27th, a week ago today. Every three weeks-ish. Two boxes. Shipping charge is both boxes. I do cross check prices and it is still much cheaper than any local market and fresh. A dozen Nellie brand eggs are 2.59. Pete and Gerrys, 3.79. Locally they are more than twice that $. My 'Every day' Colavita red wine vinegar was more than 1/2 off. No front label but the product is the same. ('Colavita' is stamped in the glass). DH stopped for eggs early last week and just the inferior commercial brands were 7 and 8$. Everything across the board are 50cents to 3-4$ for higher priced items less than local groceries. 

My typical Misfit orders this time of year seem to be consistently a dozen pantry staples and 18-20 vegetable items. So, thirty items is easily 30$ less than a grocery. With 'perk points' I added ChosenFoods avocado oil and a good Spanish EVOlive oil. 24$ free. 

Distribution centers are the future. Produce in my crisper days before it hits grocery shelves. Groceries are designed for the consumer. Produce at wrong temperatures. Years past I always purchased produce in person. DH always frustrated shopping the 12 and under item list Thursdays or Friday nights for the weekend. "get a good green that looks good". Often none. With Misfits I have cilantro, rainbow chard, lacinato kale, fennel, zucchini/yellow squash, Brussels, cabbage, leeks, celery, green onions, red and yellow onions, avocados, Persian cucumbers, golden beets, baby and russet potatoes...arugula, crispy romaine, a nice head of radicchio, and celeriac root. 

Every other order I get a cold pack. Butter, eggs, cheeses, prosciutto, lamb. And just noticed a package of lamb tamales made with a breed that does not produce wool so less lanolin and different flavor. (who knew?)

Production lines have human error issues all the time. Labels missing. expiration dates not visible....like the pasta that had two different shapes in one box. (same cooking time)

I'm making humus tonight. A week old bunch of cilantro?. really?. As fresh as a daisy from Misfits. So sad years past picking out that slimy brown shit. Avocados sent east coast nasty. I stopped buying them but Misfits are firm and ripen over two/three weeks. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[gfweb]

22 hours ago, Annie_H said:

 

 

 

That Fresh Direct diagram is interesting. Then they have their own supply chain or they pick out of the first warehouse in the "average grocery store" chain?

 

Is Fresh Direct = Misfits?

[Annie_H]

On 2/4/2023 at 12:45 PM, gfweb said:

That Fresh Direct diagram is interesting. Then they have their own supply chain or they pick out of the first warehouse in the "average grocery store" chain?

 

Is Fresh Direct = Misfits?

The diagram is from the Business Insider video I posted a link up thread a few. Documentary/How it's Made type deal. Fresh Direct has one large distribution center in the Bronx. No retail stores like the right hand column. That represents groceries like Wegman's, Food Lion, etc. With multiple retail groceries with a high overhead and lots of food waste. Lots of trucking and re-packaging with multiple stops. Basically more days from farm to grocery to home. More time at less than optimal temps.

Misfits uses a similar business model. No retail groceries. Straight from farm to distribution centers. Boxes are built straight from the farm crates. In a cold climate regulated warehouse. No time spent re-packaging, re-shipping, sorting, then dropped off to back dock retail groceries. Then stocked on shelves. 

Why I mentioned my Misfits produce is is in my crisper drawer even before a traditional grocery gets their produce to the back dock.

My last Misfits delivery was Friday Feb 27th. I've been pulling from this cilantro bunch all last week and this past weekend for lamb Kofta and a batch of humus. Still looked good this morning 11 days later. Good for tacos tomorrow. 

Unheard of when DH did the small shopping list before the weekends pre-covid, pre-Misfits. "Cilantro did not look so good. No fennel. Kale ok. yada". Why so many have to hit a few groceries to fulfill a list. No way would he do that at 7pm on a Thursday or Friday. Hard to plan a weekend of meals. 

 

[Annie_H]

Pizza last night. Good artichokes from Misfits. First choice would be TJ's frozen, --but never in stock these days. Second choice is the #10 can from Baldor, a local restaurant supply I purchased during covid lock-down. The same ones Mark Lacona uses at Locali. Baldor is no longer residential friendly. 

Jars are ok but often swimming in cheap oil. And often have tough outer leaves. DH used to buy the big jars from Costco but I didn't care for them. 

This brand from recent Misfits are in a brine and tender. Good price at 3.39 but I think still worth it at retail 4.99. For a pantry item.

I took a chance before a game day pizza party last week. I have a few extra pantry jars as DH snakes on them. Cheaper than the cheap-oil slick Costco ones. 

 

 

 

[Shelby]

29 minutes ago, Annie_H said:

Pizza last night. Good artichokes from Misfits. First choice would be TJ's frozen, --but never in stock these days. Second choice is the #10 can from Baldor, a local restaurant supply I purchased during covid lock-down. The same ones Mark Lacona uses at Locali. Baldor is no longer residential friendly. 

Jars are ok but often swimming in cheap oil. And often have tough outer leaves. DH used to buy the big jars from Costco but I didn't care for them. 

This brand from recent Misfits are in a brine and tender. Good price at 3.39 but I think still worth it at retail 4.99. For a pantry item.

I took a chance before a game day pizza party last week. I have a few extra pantry jars as DH snakes on them. Cheaper than the cheap-oil slick Costco ones. 

 

 

 

Good to know.  I'm always on the look out for good artichokes.  Maybe they will have some in stock for me when my window opens.

[lemniscate]

I just received my first Misfits box.   Nevermind the unnatural amount of celery.  Mushrooms, tomatoes (1 was mortally wounded in box), watermelon radish, radicchio, Anna gnocchi, jarred artichoke, pork loin and roast, Mary's chicken drumsticks, a few cheese, corn tortillas and take-n-bake breads.  Everything looks fine.  I had the $15 off offer and I picked mostly stuff that was 30%+ off in prices.

 

I help shop for a few households, so we will see if this is another option of good deals.

[weinoo]

Braised celery is a good thing.

[lemniscate]

7 minutes ago, weinoo said:

Braised celery is a good thing.

I know, right?   Now I gotta figure out how I want to do the radicchio.

[lemniscate]

Small update to my Misfit experience.  I realized later after I put everything away that I didn't get the ginger I ordered.   Took a minute or two to figure out the "Report an issue"  function.  I also asked for a refund on the tomatoes that were mushed.

[Maison Rustique]

I have completed my special offer orders. I am due to put in another order on Monday. I will take a look and see what they have and what prices are. I still can't figure out how everything I want is sold out within minutes of the ordering time beginning. It is nuts! If it is the same this time, I am just going to cancel.