Fresh Fruit and Veg Delivery - Cheaper or Better Option than The Supermarkets?

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  GG57 on 27/01/2022 - 12:57

  That link is reasonably detailed about the amount and type of produce per box. I suppose you may not get exactly what you want every delivery, but that is the trade off.

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  sharkyoz on 27/01/2022 - 13:10

  try farmerspick.com.au

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  USER DC on 27/01/2022 - 14:56

  Id go with Cheapest supermarket or Cheapest Local Fresh fruit shop.

  Just as long as the quality of the fruit/Vegetable is decent aka not rotten, smelly, mouldy, or full of flies etc.

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    jrowls on 27/01/2022 - 15:09

    I don't really have one around where I live - it's mostly fancy stuff and supermarkets. In previous places I lived we'd always go to the dodgy shop haha.

    I also thought these sorts of boxes would provide a convenience factor of course. Nobody likes doing groceries.

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      [Deactivated] on 27/01/2022 - 18:21

      it's mostly fancy stuff and supermarkets

      In the 'gong?

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        jrowls on 27/01/2022 - 20:51

        Once upon a time! I'm in the shire now. I just don't like having to 'go' to the shops. There's only a couple close to me and none of them are cheap.

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          USER DC on 28/01/2022 - 00:59

          @jrowls: If they arent cheap then Best to buy from a supermarket directly (maybe stuff like Odd bunch etc)

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  ihbh on 27/01/2022 - 17:35

  +1

  Can't you get to a store yourself? You can never get cheap fruit & veg through delivery channels.

  The key to cheap fresh fruit and veg is to have a lot of options. I have around 8 around me. If you buy the cheapest item(s) from a couple of stores each week, it's very cheap.

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    jrowls on 27/01/2022 - 20:53

    I can yeah - just the only stores nearby are the big chains and 'fancy' small shops. In places I've lived previously there were big asian grocers or a big 'european' grocer that had cheap stuff. None here, and I don't want to have to get in the car for 20 minutes each way just to get groceries…

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  [Deactivated] on 27/01/2022 - 18:20

  Try your local farmers' market as the produce is fresher & better quality than the supermarkets and you're supporting the farmers directly.

  One way to save is if you buy for a couple of households as some of the stall holders have specials where if you purchase more of certain items, the price per individual fruit/veg is reduced than if you purchased them separately.

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    jrowls on 27/01/2022 - 20:52

    Ha - I used to work at farmers' markets. Trust me, once you've seen how the sausage gets made, you're not that interested.

    • 

      dust on 27/01/2022 - 21:35

      Sausage?

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        jrowls on 27/01/2022 - 21:43

        Well for the most part the 'farmers' aren't farming the stuff they bring in. They might grow one or two things with a couple extras opportunistically, but most of them (the successful ones) just buy stuff in bulk from the same places supermarkets get their stuff.

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          [Deactivated] on 27/01/2022 - 22:24

          @jrowls:

          Well for the most part the 'farmers' aren't farming the stuff they bring in

          Really? I don't think it's as widespread as that. I know there are maybe 2 stallholders at certain markets that have a wide selection of fresh produce available and it's obvious from the branding of certain fruit ie. blueberries and oranges, that it's not from their farm. They tend to have huge markups for these products in comparison to what you would pay for the same item in a supermarket.

          All the fresh produce stallholders that we buy from at a few farmers 'markets advertise their farms so it's clear that they grow everything they sell.

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            jrowls on 27/01/2022 - 22:51

            @[Deactivated]: There are definitely some that grow a lot of stuff, but the truth is that any farmer who is running farmers markets doesn't have enough land to grow like 50 lines of produce at quantity. That's without thinking about climate and seasonality. I would be extremely extremely doubtful of anything who is growing 'everything they sell' and I'd love to take a tour of their farm.

            The ones I worked for advertised their farms as well. They had farms! They were just growing one or two crops at quantity and buying the rest in. Maybe they grow a little of this and that on the side too, but not at sale quantity.

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              [Deactivated] on 28/01/2022 - 11:07

              @jrowls:

              any farmer who is running farmers markets doesn't have enough land to grow like 50 lines of produce at quantity

              I've not seen a stallholder with 50 lines of fresh produce at a farmers' market within Sydney. The larger stallholders at the farmers' markets that we go to that offer a wider range would probably have max. 25-30 lines available each.

              I would be extremely extremely doubtful of anything who is growing 'everything they sell' and I'd love to take a tour of their farm.

              We've actually visited a couple of the stallholders' farms that we buy from. I only buy from the small stallholders that specialise in certain produce & most only offer 1-5 lines.

              Interestingly, I know that Camden Produce Markets are quite strong on being a “Genuine Farmers Market” where all products sold must be grown, produced or made by the person selling them. It's noted on their website that they do not allow products to be bought wholesale and then sold on to customers at the market. I've only visited there a couple of times and noticed that the stallholders tended to be on a smaller scale compared to the city markets.

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                jrowls on 28/01/2022 - 11:19

                -1

                @[Deactivated]: I was definitely exaggerating with 50 lines but you took my point obviously.

                Ok so if we are proposing going to the markets once a week and visiting all the specialist smallholders to get my produce. Like, who has enough time for that haha. Half of the point of looking at getting it online was so I didn’t have to waste an hour at the shops!

                If I was retired maybe it would be something nice to do. I know probably the majority of our market customers were retired or semi retired.

                Camden markets does sound like a good one though I have heard that before.

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                  [Deactivated] on 28/01/2022 - 17:48

                  +1

                  @jrowls:

                  Half of the point of looking at getting it online was so I didn’t have to waste an hour at the shops!

                  There is no getting around the fact that grocery shopping is a chore & boring as - retired or not. If you're making a trip just to buy fresh fruit/veg then you're going to resent that time.

                  You can buy fresh fruit/veg online however the thing with fresh produce though, is that the quality varies so much. I've bought fresh fruit/veg online a number of times and each time, at least one or more of the items were spoiled and had to be binned. I've even thrown out half the box once and aside from the cost, I also prefer not to be wasteful.

                  The w/e farmers' markets are convenient for us however I get that you're not a fan based on your previous employment.

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  GG57 on 28/01/2022 - 11:30

  OP, your focus seems to have moved from the costs / quality of delivered produce, to be now on the perceived convenience of delivered produce. That is a different question.

  Linking the two, it comes down to how much you value your time at, and your other priorities.
  Keep in mind that, like most choices, you may need to sacrifice one of more things to 'win' on the other. For example, it may cost more for delivered produce but you save time and use that for other pursuits.
  Or the delivered produce may not be exactly what you would have chosen.

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    jrowls on 28/01/2022 - 12:35

    Not exactly, the rationale was always because I hate shopping haha. My CONCERN was about the cost and quality though.

    I.e., if it’s the same price and quality then ofc I would prefer the convenience. If it’s significantly more expensive, then it would need to be calculated ya know? But I can’t know until I order one what the quality and and pricing is like. (Yes I know they advertise what it generally comes with but I don’t shop by weight of potatoes or zucchini I just eyeball it haha).