Misfits Market Review: More Than Ugly Produce?

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If you’re looking for a new place to order groceries online that prevents food waste in the process, you need to know about Misfits Market! This amazing grocery subscription box service rescues excess inventory from the landfill and delivers it to your doorstep instead.

Limited time offer: New customers can use code SALE50 on the Misfits Market website and get 50% off your first box (up to $15).

Grocery shopping is not my favorite thing. It always takes so much more time than I want to spend, and I always end up buying more than what’s on my list. Plus there are the crowds and lines!

In an effort to save both time and money for myself and my family members, I started to experiment with ordering my family’s groceries online. The first time, I tried Imperfect Produce. Well actually, I ordered dozens of boxes from them with mixed results.

So when Misfits Market started delivery to my area, I was eager to give them a try too. I ordered several produce boxes from each company – some with cold packs and some without – so I could get a solid feel for the best service.

After trialing both of these ugly produce companies out for many boxes each (and paying for each of the shipments myself – no free product in this review), I ended up sticking with Misfits Market as it’s just an overall good fit for my family. I can order almost everything my family needs from fresh produce and meat to pantry items and more.

Best of all, they mostly carry organic produce that’s more affordable than most traditional grocery store prices and way less than places like Whole Foods. They do have some non-organic produce (fresh fruits and veggies) and many non-organic pantry staples.

In addition, I find the quality of the produce is better than what I can get at our small local Farmers Market. It usually arrives in good condition, but when it doesn’t, it’s incredibly easy to get a refund with the click of a button.

A Misfits Market subscription is a good choice for busy families and anyone who lives in a food desert for so many reasons. I bet you have a bunch of questions about how this produce delivery service actually works, so let’s take a closer look together.

1. How Does Misfits Market Work?

When they first started out, Misfits Market had more of a setup like CSA produce boxes – everyone gets whatever is shipped to them. They had two box sizes: Small (Mischief Box) and Large (Madness Box). Over time, they expanded the number of items they carried and moved away from that shopping model.

Now you get to customize your own box each week and pick and choose everything that gets shipped to you. There’s a low order minimum and a flat shipping fee.

When you sign up with Misfits Market, the first thing you do is to choose your delivery day. From there, you’ll be given a three-day shopping window. You add everything to your cart before the shopping window closes and it’s delivered to your home on your chosen delivery date.

Our boxes are delivered by a third party shipping company, On Trac, but who delivers your Misfits box will be specific to your region.

2. What groceries can you get from Misfits Market?

You can find most of the same things from this grocery delivery service as you would at your local grocery store, with the exception of frozen items. They actually carry 500+ different items!

• Fresh produce including mostly organic fruits and vegetables (bell peppers, sweet potatoes, brussels sprouts, etc.) along with some non-organic options.
• Pantry staples like olive oil, canned foods, nuts, dried fruits, cereal, bread and more.
• Meat and dairy items, including a full range of meats, eggs, cheese and more.
• Household items like cleaning products, personal care and beauty products, pet items and more.

See what they’re currently sourcing, then check out this video slideshow to see pictures several of the boxes that my family has ordered from Misfits Market.

3. Where do the grocery items come from?

Since their primary goal is to reduce food waste, most of their stock is excess inventory that is rejected by traditional grocery stores and would have ended up in the landfill like so much does each year (nearly half of this country’s food winds up in the trash!). However, they have a secondary goal of providing access to healthy food at a lower price, so you’ll find a large selection of food options.

Since there are different distribution centers for different parts of the country, you’ll find items from local farms and regional farms as well as larger national suppliers. They are always looking for new partners and I love checking out the new selections each week. Read more about their sourcing.

4. How much can you save with Misfits Market?

According to the company, you typically can save 40% off, sometimes more, compared to typical retail prices. Their customers save an average of $25.17 each week on their selection of high-quality grocery items.

I live in California and I find the prices to be so much lower than our local grocery store. Of course, prices may vary by area, but you should be able to save a fair amount of money by shopping with Misfits!

5. Is there an order minimum?

Yes, the overall minimum order is $35. If you want to order meat, eggs, dairy or other refrigerated items, which is called a Cold Pack, there is a minimum order of $30 in cold pack items. The $30 minimum applies to the overall order minimum, but you can’t just add one cold item to your order – you have to meet the minimum for those items to ship.

6. Is there a membership fee?

No, a membership to Misfits Market is totally free! Just sign up, pay for your groceries and you’re set.

7. How does shipping work?

Shipping is a flat rate that varies by zip code, starting at $6.99. There is one shipping charge for the whole order – not per box. And they have a focus on using only eco-friendly packaging.

Your Misfits Market Box will arrive packed with ice packs to keep any items cold that need to be chilled. They usually arrive with the ice still frozen, but sometimes they’re melted during the summer.

8. What if there are issues?

Their customer service is incredibly easy to work with. When I used to order from Imperfect Foods, I actually had to send a message with what was wrong and then wait for my order to be adjusted.

On the other hand, with Misfits Market, I can just go back into my account and click which items I had issues with. Their system will automatically issue me a refund, no questions asked (so far).

9. What areas does Misfits serve?

Misfits delivers to all lower 48 states United States now, including most zip codes in those states. You’ll need to enter your zip code on the Misfits Market website to confirm you reside in one of their delivery areas.

If you’re outside of their service area, you can add your name to their Waitlist so you’ll be notified when they start delivering to your area. Sorry, if you’re in Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico or outside the US, they don’t offer service there.

10. Do they have a loyalty program?

They recently introduced Misfits Perks, their loyalty program that gives you points on every purchase. You can spend those points on discounts on future orders, free items and more depending on how many points you collect.

11. Imperfect Foods vs Misfits Market.

I have ordered from both of these services many times, and have landed with only using Misfits Market. Imperfect stopped delivering to my area shortly after Misfits started, so the timing was great for us because we love Misfits!

12. Is Misfits Market worth it?

Yes, it’s absolutely worth it to sign up for a Misfits Market account if you like the idea of food delivery. You’re never required to make weekly orders, unless that’s something you want to do. So at the very least, you can make an account and see what is available in your area.

If you sign up right now, you can get 50% off your first box (up to $15) with code SALE50 on the Misfits Market website. The savings help make it an affordable way to try out this grocery shopping subscription service and maybe pick up some new organic products to try too!

I hope my honest Misfits Market review did a good job of giving you all of the information you need to try this service yourself! It’s a great option if you’d like to help with reducing food waste, prefer to avoid traditional grocery stores or your local store doesn’t carry a lot of organic options.

I’d love to hear how you like your first box in the comments.

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