When we first learned about financial independence, we started to analyze our spending. One of the first things that we realized was that we spent way too much on groceries.
I eat gluten-free and have a variety of weird food allergies. We like to eat healthy, fresh foods, which also tend to cost a bit more. I would have assumed that we’d spend a little bit more on groceries than the average.
Through some research, we realized that we spent more money on food than the USDA’s guidance for a (liberal spending) family of four.
We have taken steps to improve. We’ve focused on not wasting food, meal planning based on what we already have, and buying in bulk. We have reduced our food spending quite a bit, but we felt like it was still high.
I wanted to save more money on groceries. I didn’t feel like we were getting the appropriate value for the money we were spending.
Someone mentioned that they save money by using a CSA (community-supported agriculture). What this means is that you buy a share in a farm and then you get a big box of produce each week for the summer and fall.
When I was doing research into this, I stumbled across ugly produce delivery services. I found these services appealing for two reasons. First, these services ship the produce directly to your house, compared to a CSA that typically requires you to pick it up from a central location. The ugly veggie services also provide the option of customizing the size of the box you want and the products inside. CSA shares provide a lot of food, and I wasn’t sure that we could use it all.
There are two options for ugly produce where we live: Misfits Market and Imperfect Foods. We decided to try them both, alternating weeks between the two. One week we’d get a Misfits Market box. The next week we’d receive an Imperfect Foods Box.
We originally wrote this review in the fall of 2019 and chose our favorite at that point. In early 2021, we realized that these services have both shifted their products and level of customization. Therefore, I’ve decided to try out both services again, so I can provide you with an updated review (as of February 2021)
Based on my test of both of these products again in 2021, it’s time to again choose which service is better and write a review of both.
What is Ugly Produce Delivery?
In the united states, approximately 40% of our food is wasted. It isn’t only consumers who are wasting food. Food is wasted for a variety of reasons and at different points along the supply chain. Farms, distributors, stores, and consumers are all guilty of too much food waste.
For the purposes of this post, let’s focus on the beginning of the supply chain – farms. Farms waste food for a variety of reasons:
- Hedging against Weather and Disease – Farms will often over-plant because they worry about bad weather or other potential harm to their crops. Because of this, they might have a surplus that there is not a demand for.
- Buying Standards – As consumers in the United States, we have unrealistic cosmetic requirements for our produce. In a grocery store, we are likely to buy perfectly looking vegetables. This is problematic because this leads to edible but “ugly” crops being left in the fields or thrown into garbage cans.
- Market Conditions – Sometimes the crop’s price at the time does not warrant the cost of labor or transportation to bring it to market.
- Order Changes – Sometimes a company will make a large order and later cancel their order. This leaves farms scrambling to figure out if they can sell the product.
The National Resource Defence Council makes a number of recommendations to help solve this problem. One of their main recommendations is to “expand secondary markets for items that do not meet the highest cosmetic standards.”
This is precisely what companies like Misfits Market and Imperfect Foods are doing. They are the secondary markets. They are buying the produce from farms when there is a surplus or when the produce doesn’t meet cosmetic requirements.
Instead of this produce going to waste, it gets sold at a discount to companies like Misfits Market and Imperfect Foods. These companies then ship the produce from their warehouse to customers.
What are the Benefits of using a Secondary Market?
There are many benefits to buying your produce through a company like Misfits Market or Imperfect Foods.
- Cost Savings: Produce through these services are less expensive. When I first started using these services, I compared prices with my regular grocery store. The prices are typically 30-50% less, depending on the product.
- Time Savings: These companies deliver the produce right to your door. This cuts down on the need for going grocery shopping. This has been particularly helpful during the pandemic.
- Healthy Eating: Now that we use these services we eat more fresh fruits and vegetables than we used to. We eat a ton of salads for lunch, have vegetables as a side to our dinners, and eat the fruit for snacks.
- More inventive meals: Since we now plan our meals around the produce that arrives in our box, we’ve been more creative with our meals. We’ve made many recipes I would have never even considered. These new recipes include spaghetti squash boats, cabbage and sausage skillet, and even a curtido (pickled cabbage to put on tacos).
- Good for the environment: Buying produce from these services helps to reduce food waste. These companies have also done due diligence to ensure that food pantries are not receiving fewer donations.
What are the Drawbacks?
If you use one of these services, there are certain drawbacks. You are no longer stopping at the grocery store to get exactly what you want or need.
- Limited choices: Depending on which service you use, you get a limited amount of customization or you only get to choose from what is currently available. There have been some occasions when we get food that we don’t want or can’t use.
- Limited Delivery Frequency: Sometimes these products are shipped by FedEx, so they can arrive on any delivery day that you choose. Other times, a company might only deliver to your area once/week.
- Product Quality is Sometimes Lower: There are occasions where I will receive a product that needs to be eaten within a couple of days. On rare occasions, some products will get smashed in transit.
How do Misfits Market and Imperfect Foods Compare?
| Category | Misfits Market | Imperfect Foods |
|---|---|---|
| Contents | An assortment of fruits and vegetables. You can then choose to add on additional produce items and shelf-stable pantry items. | You have the option to choose a box that includes: -Fruits and Vegetables -Vegetables Only -Fruits Only -Fully Organic You also have the opportunity to add pantry items, meat (and vegetarian substitutes), dairy (and nondairy substitutes), eggs, and more. |
| Order Customization | Limited customization. A few days before each delivery, you can to choose from a pre-set list of options for your produce box. Then, you can add on additional produce or pantry items. | Complete customization. A few days before each delivery, you have the opportunity to customize anything. You can choose to add and eliminate items. You can add any item in any quantity. |
| Organic Produce | Yes, all the produce is organic. | Some produce is organic. Even if you don’t choose an all organic box, you have the opportunity to add organic items when you customize. |
| Price | Two sizes: Small Box (10-13 lbs): $22 (which includes 1-2 servings of 12 different produce items) Large Box (18-22 lbs): $35 (which includes 2-4 servings of 14 different produce items) | For each type of box, there are 4 options: Small (7-9 lbs) for ~$11-13 Medium (11-14 lbs) for ~$14-16 Large (17-19 lbs) for ~$20-22 XL (23-25 lbs) for ~$25-27 Organic boxes are generally 30-40% more expensive making them comparable to Misfits Market Prices. |
| Delivery Schedule | You specify your delivery day - ships via FedEx, LaserShip or another 3rd party. | Imperfect tells you what day/time that they deliver to your area. |
| Delivery Fee | $4.50 | $4.99-$8.99 I've found that they waive the shipping fee if you spend at least $60. |
| Locations | Delivers to all addresses in 36 states (and Washington DC), mostly in the northeast, mid-west, south-east, and mid-Atlantic. | Most places in New England, mid-Atlantic, the midwest, the west coast, and Texas. |
| Referral Program | Yes. Your friend gets $10 off their first box, and you get $10 off your next box. | Yes. Their referral program shifts periodically. They are currently offering your friends $20 off their first FOUR orders ($80 total discount). In exchange, you get $30 of credit. |
About Imperfect Foods
Imperfect Foods was started in 2015. While they previously focused on metropolitan areas, they now deliver to most or all zip codes in 31 states. They deliver to metropolitan areas in 10 additional states.
They differentiate themselves by allowing customers to completely customize their boxes. You can choose from 4 different size boxes and organic or conventional. They will add a set of items to your box. During a customization window, you can swap things out and add eggs, dairy, meat, or other pantry items if you’d like.
For most areas, Imperfect Foods has its own delivery drivers. Because of this delivery options are limited. For example, they only deliver to my area on Tuesday afternoons.
Click this button to get $20 off your first FOUR Imperfect Foods orders ($80 total discount!).
About Misfits Market
Misfits Market was started in 2018. They are based in Philadelphia and New Jersey.
You choose from two sized boxes (small or large). Each week, they will let you know that window of time in which you can customize the box. They provide you with a list of items and allow you to choose a certain number of them from the list. The selection is somewhat limited, and you must choose 12 different items (if you have the small box).
Your box gets delivered to your doorstep by FedEx, LaserShip, or another third party.
Misfits Market differentiates itself by not only focusing on urban, highly populated areas. They have a list of states where they deliver, and they can deliver to any address within the state.
Click this button to get $10 your first Misfits Market order.
How are they similar?
Misfits Market and Imperfect Foods have so many similarities.
- Mission: Both companies have a mission to reduce food waste.
- Sourcing: They both source the produce that would not sell in stores for a variety of reasons, whether it be surplus or cosmetic requirements.
- Delivery: Both companies deliver the box right to your doorstep.
- Delivery Fee: They both charge a nominal delivery fee.
- Referrals: They both offer a referral program. You will get a discount on your next order if a friend signs up.
How are they different?
Although these companies are seeking to solve the same problem, they are also different in a few ways.
- Organic vs. Conventional: Misfits Market offers 100% organic produce. Imperfect Foods offers both organic and conventional produce.
- Selection: Misfits Market only includes produce and shelf-stable pantry items. Imperfect Foods offers these as well as meat, dairy, eggs, and more.
- Customization: Misfits Market offers limited customization of the produce box and offers add-on options. Imperfect Foods allows you to customize your entire order based on their available selection, and you do not need to meet a minimum threshold for produce.
- Price per Unit: Misfits Market’s cost is based on choosing a set number of items, and then you can buy add-on items a la carte. With Imperfect Foods, you see the cost of every item. This allows you to easily compare it to the prices in your local grocery store.
- Coverage: Misfits Market delivers to all zip codes in the states it covers. Imperfect Foods focuses on many full states as well as highly populated metropolitan areas.
- Delivery Schedule: Misfits Market uses a third party for shipping, so you get to choose your delivery day. Since Imperfect Foods has its own delivery services, delivery windows are more limited. For example, they only deliver to my area on Tuesday afternoons.
Best Ugly Produce Service: Misfits Market vs. Imperfect Foods
In 2019, we got both of these services for several months and decided that Imperfect Foods came out as the winner. Since then, we’ve heard a lot about Misfits Market’s customization options. So, in February of 2021, we tried it again.
We had one key question to answer. Would Misfits Market’s new customization allow it to jump ahead of Imperfect Foods in our ranking?
Now is again the time to decide which one we prefer!
Ultimately, your decisions will be based on what you value most (or where you live).
For me, I’ve realized that the things I value most (related to ugly produce and grocery delivery) are:
- Cost
- Customization
- Available Products
I don’t need to eat all organic produce, so I don’t need to pay the premium.
I also love the ability to customize. Here are the reasons why Imperfect still comes out on top in customization:
- I like getting to decide the ratio of fruits and vegetables in my boxes. I tend to eat more vegetables than fruits. Even with the limited customization of Misfits Market, I got more fruit than I could eat.
- Over the last couple of years, I’ve started to meal plan ahead of time (sometimes weeks ahead). This allows me to focus less of my mental energy on food preparation each day. The customization allowed by Imperfect Foods supports this habit. Misfits Market doesn’t have enough options. For example, next week I’m planning to make cauliflower tacos, so I will need 2 heads of cauliflower. Misfits Market only gave me the option to add one to my box.
Finally, the fact that Imperfect Foods also offers dairy, eggs, and meat means that we can get almost all of our groceries through them on a weekly basis. We end up stocking up on staples from Costco every 6-8 weeks. Every 4-6 weeks, we find ourselves needing to go to a regular grocery store (or order grocery delivery) to get the random odds and ends we can’t get from Imperfect or Costco. This has been extremely helpful during the pandemic when we’ve wanted to reduce our contact with others.
When we get the boxes from Misfits Market, we find ourselves needing to go grocery shopping more often. We still need to buy meat, dairy, and eggs. And, we can’t get all of the produce we need for our planned recipes. We’d need to adapt our meal planning routine to make Misfits Market work for us.
For these reasons, Imperfect Foods is our clear winner! Click this button to get $20 off your first FOUR Imperfect Foods orders ($80 total discount!).
It’s okay if you have different priorities than we do! If you prioritize organic food, plan meals differently than we do, do not need as much customization, and don’t mind going to the grocery store for meat and dairy, Misfits Market could be a great option for you. Or, if you are not in a location where Imperfect Foods delivers, Misfits Market is a great alternative.
No customization would be a hard sell for us. But I get why they do it.
And ohhhh those USDA averages seemed so impossibly low when I first looked at them 😬
Hey!
Yes, customization is key. That’s honestly the biggest reason why I prefer Imperfect. The USDA averages, I think are really low, or we’re just big spenders… haha
We love the customization option with imperfect produce. They carry a few items that we legitimately have a hard time finding in stores so that has been a huge bonus.
We do wish the food was just a bit uglier at times though. 😂
Hi Derek,
That’s great! I also love the customization. I really enjoy the dried fruits that they sometimes have too.
I’m glad you are enjoying it!
Jessica
These both sound great. Looking at your photos of the veg my first reaction was… But there isn’t anything wrong with any of those !?!!. I know that’s kind of the point, but I mean, really, this counts as ugly veg? Wow.
At most I would say they are not all identically sized (plums, mushrooms).
I don’t live in the US, and I grew up with my grandparents growing most of their own veg, so maybe my expectations are set differently, which in itself is interesting from a social studies point of view !.
Hi Maria,
I know! It’s so crazy. Sometimes, they are a bit small or a little misshapen, but I actually wish they were a little uglier. 🙂
Best,
Jessica
On their website it looked like Imperfect has a $30 minimum order? Is that per week?
Hey Laura,
Apparently, this is true for certain areas of the country, where they don’t do their own delivery. I think this is true.
I know people who choose to do every other week, which is another option.
Best,
Jessica
This needs some updating! Misfits Market DOES allow you to customize your box! They also have add ons of pantry items like coffee, grains and seasonings etc.
I just got my box of items that I chose. There isn’t one thing in my box that will go unused! It comes reliably on the day that we chose and its packed very well. I haven’t been disappointed yet.
Hi there,
Thanks for letting me know this. When I stopped using them several months ago, they did not allow customization.
I will take a look at it, so I can update the post.
Thanks,
Jessica
I am trying imperfect foods for the first time and they didn’t deliver the day they said, gave me an updated date in which the food didn’t arrive THEN gave me a different day. Still don’t have it and being a Sunday, my box is sitting at FedEx. Haven’t gotten to try their products yet but since they haven’t been able to provide a delivery yet, I have cancelled. Looking forward to trying Misfits at least for better service and accurate delivery date.
Hi Mindy,
This is unfortunate. If Misfits is in our area, you could definitely try it. I’ve never had an issue with my delivery date, but it also doesn’t get shipped via fedex. They are drivers here.
Best of luck,
Jessica
We’ve had the same issue with delivery & FedEx. Our Misfits box is supposed to come each Saturday. The last two shipments arrived not on Saturday, not on Sunday, not on Monday, but Tuesday. This last shipment arrived warm & everything inside was slimy gross. It smelled horrible as well. We contacted the company for a refund. It takes them 24-48 hours to respond. We had to do this last week as well. Its getting to be more of a hassle than its worth. FedEx is REALLY BAD. We live in a suburb of Chicago, and near a FedEx hub, so it shouldn’t be this way.
That’s super frustrating. That happened to us a couple of times with Misfits too because they use 3rd party delivery in our area. Part of why we like Imperfect is that they have their own delivery drivers where we are, so it’s super consistent.
Mindy –
Same experience here, but my first box just arrived, six days late. The ice packs were completely thawed and room temperature. I’ve tried and tried over the last week to reach out to Imperfect and I get auto replies. I’m so disappointed in all of it – got a humongous box that was about 1/4 full so all the produce just got banged around in the big nearly empty box during its 8 days in transit. Not being able to reach them is also so disappointing. I just cancelled my subscription after opening my box. Guess I’ll try Misfits next.
I’m so sorry to hear this. I wonder if there’s a difference between places where they have delivery drivers and places where it’s shipped. For me, mine always comes and the ice pack is still completely frozen, and I wonder why they even needed to have it in there in the first place.
I’m surprised that you couldn’t reach them. I think they are just starting to experiment with shipping to locations that are further out rather than having their own delivery drivers. I hope that they can get that fixed soon.
I’ve enjoyed my subscription so far. I’m sorry you didn’t have the same experience. If Misfits is better for you, I’d love to hear about it.
I’ve had similar shipping mishaps and inability to reach Imperfect.
My first box was three days late (they didn’t ship in time) and my second one day late (FedEx issues). Their packing seems to be a hit careless. All my food was just thrown in a box and shipped via FedEx (the worst shipping company ever know to man) so some of the produce came extra damaged thanks to how FedEx staff treat boxes. For example I had one zucchini that was broken into about 7 pieces and both sets of celery look like they survived a bomb on the way to me. Not how I wanted my produce to be treated but all still mostly edible though!
I’ve contacted Imperfect twice and NEVER heard back other than an automated email saying sorry for the delay here’s a delivery credit. I really have concerns about them using FedEx in my area.
I love the produce and concept and not having to go to the store so much that I’ll keep using them for now. I really hope it’s just growing pains and using crappy logistics carriers! Fingers crossed for my next delivery!
Thanks for sharing Talaena. I agree I hope it’s growing pains.
I’m glad they are giving you delivery credit. Are they giving you $ into your account toward your next box too?
I bet it’ll get better over time.
I just got my first order from Misfits today and I was disappointed to see how small everything was and how little was in the box. I canceled my subscription immediately.
Just for giggles I priced every single item at my local Kroger and it came out to be cheaper at the store (I priced all organics). That wasn’t what I expected at all.
Hey! This is very interesting.
When I first started doing Misfits, I priced everything to non-organic – and it definitely saved me money, but maybe your local grocery store is cheaper than mine!
However, I definitely thought that Imperfect was a better value, since I don’t feel like I need to eat all organic, and I could customize my box.
Thanks for the comment,
Jessica
Hi my husband and I would like to try the imperfect foods. How can we cancell if we don’t like it? If we do like it(we plan on moving), can we cancell and when we get situated sign up again?
Thanks you, Lisa
Hi Lisa,
Yes absolutely! They set you up with an online account and you can cancel at any time. You can also skip orders if you are going to be out of town or anything. It’s pretty flexible.
Good luck and enjoy!
Jessica
I received my first Imperfect in Feb 2020 I live in the Lou, KY area it came in 2 boxes both had frozen ice packs I have 1 carrot that had the tip broken off. Everything was cold fresh and in great shape. The pears we received were the best we have ever had. I am set to get my 2nd delivery the end of this week. I love the option to customize and the meats I have added on are delicious also. I have not tried misfits I would be willing to but so far so good with imperfect.
Hi Kim,
Thanks for sharing! We started getting some of the meat and pantry items through there as well, and everything’s been great. It really helps us cut down on our grocery bill!
I’m so glad it’s working for you!
Jessica
I done both services 6 months each. I found misfit doesnt have customization for picking products and I got 8 onions full size onions in 2 of my box orders before. But I always got my delivery and my items weren’t damaged.
Inperfect love picking what I want but out of 8 boxes I had 2 with veggies smashed and broke completely unusable. 2 boxes go missing delivered to wrong address had to contact fedex and hunt down my boxes (no refund or credit). 1 box completley canceled because it was damaged by delivery service. I but in claims to FedEx each time and nothing gotten better.
The company always refunds me for missing boxes. If damage product they refund just the cost of the damage item itself not the whole box cost and have to send a picture. So they either have issue with FedEx delivery or they do not package well enough for shipping.
Strongly considering switching back to misfit market.
Thanks for the blog. I have just cancelled my Imperfect Foods subscription. The boxes are poorly packed, causing too many damaged items: tomatoes, apples, oranges, onions. Lemons and avocados the size of my thumb arrived at full price. Fun to look at, but not to pay money for. Love the idea, but Imperfect Foods was far too imperfect in Los Angeles.
I’m sorry to hear this. We rarely have a problem with the produce being significantly smaller than normal. Best,
Jessica
Following up to say that Misfits does now allow both customisation and offers a ton of various add ins each week (coffee, oils, grains, chocolate, etc).
Hi Sarah,
That’s great to know! I’ll have to give them another try.
Best,
Jessica
A quick update on delivery:
I live about five miles east of nowhere at the end of a gravel road in Central Texas. I’ve been using Imperfect food for about five or six months. The boxes come via FedEx on Friday.
The food has been fantastic and service wonderful. During the big online order rush a few weeks ago, some items might be missing. A quick email and it was taken care of.
Now if I can find someone to deliver ice cream ….
I had imperfect for more than 6 months and was really unhappy with the quality of the contents. I found that they often arrived damaged.
Due to COVID I decided to try Misfit and the quality of the produce has been so much better. There is still not customization (that I see) for the content of the boxes which has been the most difficult part of me as I have an allergy to mangoes and I get at least 2 mangoes every order lately and I cannot touch any of the content until my husband has removed the mango and washed the produce since the mango oil on the skin will cause me serious issues, not just eating them. If have a friend who I give all the mangoes to but I’m paying for products that I cannot eat (and put my health at risk) which sucks.
Guess that tells you how bad the experience was with imperfect that I’m willing to pay for food I’m allergic too rather than order from imperfect again.
Hi Allison,
I’m sorry to hear this! I think Misfits does allow you to make a list of foods that you are allergic to and they won’t put them in your box. I’d definitely check that out! I’m sorry Imperfect didn’t work for you. It’s great here in Boston.
Thanks,
Jess
I’ve been using Imperfect for about 6 months now. The food is great but we get our deliveries via FedEx and have had all the problems others have mentioned — inadequate packing and ice packs in the box, boxes arriving late or not at all. I had to stop ordering meat. We have had boxes not arrive at all twice and one had to be refused because it had been out too long and the food was spoiled. Imperfect always refunds the money when the order doesn’t come, but I would really rather have the food. I found this article while looking for another program to try because I’ve had it with Imperfect.
Hey,
I’m sorry to hear this. You could definitely try Misfits Market. They were pretty good too.
Best,
Jessica
I am starting imperfect next week. I used Misfit for 3 weeks 1 box per week including add ons. The average box was 50.00 including the extras. Box 1 and 2 were good. I live in an area that Can Not yet customize the box. That is why I added $15-$25 more in produce I could select.
Box 3 was a “hot” mess. The box was sent on Monday and I received from FedEx on Tuesday which is my delivery day. The box was placed on the truck at 10 am and I received at 4:45. The box was dripping. One of the two of the melted ice packs broke and saturated everything. The produce was hot and laying in the mess. The tea bags absorbed the liquid as well as the other extras and food. I contacted misfit immediately. 9 days later, I received a reply that I could have washed produce in salt water and refrigerate to eat. I had already thrown everything away. Misfit did reimbursement me and I cancelled my membership. Im hoping I have a better Customer Service experience with Imperfect.
Hi Patti,
I’m sorry that happened. I hope you have better luck with Imperfect too.
Jessica
We haven’t used any of these before. We’ve been using https://www.farmboxdirect.com and have been really happy with the service!
I saw someone else’s comment asking about the $30 minimum for Imperfect Foods and I just wanted to clarify: yes, this is true. I’ve been getting Imperfect a Foods boxes for a few months now and I live in an area where my box is handed off to FedEx for delivery (really wish it wasn’t… FedEx sucks) and I have a $30 minimum. It is a weekly charge, but you can skip a box whenever you want. I even skipped several boxes in a row when money was tight and there were no repercussions. I usually buy about $60 worth of groceries because we live in rural Kentucky, with one car, no public transportation and my husband works a schedule that makes grocery store visits difficult. Because I spend about $60 a week, I get free delivery. Hope that helps someone! I have been frustrated with Imperfect Foods lately because my food quality has been low I’ve had to throw a few things in the compost as soon as I pull them out of the box. Misfits Market is the only other one that delivers here so I was thinking about switching, but after reading this, I’m definitely sticking with Imperfect Foods. Thanks for the info!
I’ve been buying Misfits Market for 7 months and have been extremely pleased with the quality and variety. After your 1st order, you CAN customize your boxes and you CAN add on a huge variety of exceptionally high quality pantry items.
That’s great! I think this is regional.
Interesting article. I have never heard of Imperfect but have been using Misfit for several weeks. About 2 weeks ago, they began offering customization. I have been very happy with them anyway, and this makes me happier.
I have been receiving boxes from Misfits Market for about 3 months now. They have just started allowing box customization, and the options are varied and impressive. You can also add many other food, beverage, and snack items other than fruit and vegetables.
I have been a regular customer of Misfits for over 6 months getting the large box every 2 weeks. I love ❤️ it. After about 2 months they sent me an email saying they were rewarding my loyalty by allowing me to customize my box. The week before delivery, I go on line and select what I want. They are careful to say that there is no guarantee,but I usually get everything I request.
Misfits Market now offers customization up during a 2 day window before you are charged for your delivery. I’ve found they sometimes switch out an item for a comparable item in your actual delivery, perhaps because it wasn’t avaliable at packing time, and also consistently give you an “extra” item you didn’t pick out (which I see as a bonus!).
They also offer tons of pantry items and add-on veggies/fruit at what I would agree are lower prices than in-store. I was super excited to see my favorite coffee roaster’s beans for cheaper than where I used to buy them!
This is interesting. I didn’t know there were two services like this. I may well try Imperfect Foods, because I’m 4 weeks into Misfits Market and they have managed to screw up my order every single time, and their customer service isn’t exactly the best.
I got several straight-up rotten items this time, I’ve had orders with things missing or with tiny portions (like 1 little boiler potato in the big box, where I’m supposed to get “2-4 portions” of normal potatoes), and they just kind of give me whatever consolation prize they feel like regardless of the size of the inconvenience caused by their mistake.
Honestly, I’d love nothing more than for them to just stop screwing up, because I feel terrible for complaining so much. I feel like it’s a wonderful service on paper, but they have some serious issues to iron out with their business model, because they literally always screw something up.
Hello, I haven’t tried imperfect but I have been using Misfits for a while and this article is now outdated. They do customization and offer a wide variety of add on pantry items too. 🙂
I have but using misfits for a few months now and thought I should add to this article that they have total customization and do offer pantry staples.
Renee
Current customer of Misfits Market and it is possible to now customize your boxes!!
What a helpful, informative article! Sucks that neither of them deliver to my area in South Carolina.
I have been doing both with the alternative weeks and I customized both and I get the small boxes as it is enough for my needs. I haven’t brought produce from a supermarket in months. I even have the ability to permanently not get an item. I try to get a mixture of fruit and vegetables and always have my favorite items. I get to try new things because they do offer seasonal products. I don’t buy too often from the other items but occasionally I will get a special item like cheese or meat item like chicken sausage, honey, jams. I try not to get much dairy like eggs because the one time I ordered it, I received one third of the dozen eggs cracked because they didn’t cushion the eggs away from the vegetables. During the time period that I have had the service, I did notice that they both have decreased the travel time from when and where my box is packed up so that delivery is in a short travel time. The only box that was delayed was snow delayed and I was assured that I would not be charged until delivery was completed that week. I don’t rely on either for much beyond produce which is why I have the service. I pay equal price for both. Perfect for my budget and I have learned how to store my products until ready to use. I had to wait 3 months on a waitlist before I got the service for my area for both. When I do grocery shop (every 5-6 weeks) I only need meat, dairy (eggs,cheese,yogurt) bread and dry goods to refill the pantry at a much lower cost.
I love these services! Imperfect produce tastes JUST LIKE the more perfect produce in grocery stores. Years ago I filmed a story about the difficulties that fruit + vegetable farmers face in the United States in getting their products to market. One of the difficulties was that everything had to look perfect. One farmer had tomatoes that were slightly waterlogged because it had been raining more than usual. Those tomatoes were rejected for grocery store sale.
Thanks for the article. I came here looking for an alternative to Misfits Market. I’ve used them for a few months now. Although I think their pricing is competitive and helps ensure I’m trying and eating new foods, I’ve had issues. I’ve received three orders so far, the first was great but the following two had both damaged and incorrect produce in the order. The customer service was responsive the first time, but I’m done with them after two in a row.
I’m going to keep Imperfect in mind, but seems they have similar issues of damage. Thanks again.
I have not tried either of these YET – but I am a low income senior and imperfect gives a 50% discount for anyone on SNAP (- although at this time you cannot use it to pay for the product). I cannot find anything on the Misfits website indicating that they offer anything comparable, so Imperfect is definitely the way to go for me! Most of the food pantries don’t provide much in the way of fresh veggies , but lots of high calorie options! I need to try eating healthier foods!
Thank you for this! Checked today, and Misfits has increased their customization, but I’m not crazy about the adjustment. I have a feeling that having to select everything by price/amount will decrease the amount of food typically received per box when it was more randomized with the limited selection offered even as recently as last week.
So, while I would’ve happily continued with MM and added in a meat delivery service to supplement, I look forward to trying out I.F. instead to see how they differ in fulfilling my need.
Misfits changed thier subscription model. No longer $22, now $30 minimum order. You used to be able to get autoship with some customization. If you missed your window of customization, you still got a box. Now you need to shop each week to select what you want. If you dont reach the minimum or forget..they dont ship you. It’s much clunkier and time consuming. It is a shame because I used to really looked forward to my surprise box of produce. Store shopping is easier.
This is good to know. Thanks for sharing.
I tried misfits market. I loved the idea of this service however after just 3 boxes, I cancelled my membership. Each box I received had missing items. Items not packed properly so they were smashed, or broken, or bruised in shipping. And each box the quality seems to get worse and worse. My last box I had to throw away so much that was unusable (moldy strawberries and blueberries, kale that was yellow and slimy, rotten potatoes) I cancelled immediately. I must say that I had no issue with customer service responding to my complaints but a credit on my next order was all I was offered. No thanks, I don’t need a credit for more rotten produce! I’m afraid to try imperfect food for fear of the same quality issues.
Hi Jeannie,
We’ve definitely had better luck with Imperfect than Misfits. It all depends on whether they have their own delivery people in your area.
Best,
Jess
Oh, my gosh! I read your review of both Misfits Market and Imperfect Foods, written just a few short months ago. I tapped on the button on your website saying I could get $20 off each of my first four boxes. The box should be here tomorrow. Problem is, I can’t get the discount because they have no idea who you are! I need to give them proof that you are an existing customer before they give me the discount (and give you your $30 referral credit). I’ve been communicating with them for several days. I’m on my third person. The bottom line is my first box will be here tomorrow. I will be charged full price for it. I feel like I lost $80! My only hope is if you give me your personal code that I can send to them. That way I (hopefully) can get the $80 savings and you can get your $30 credit.
Hi Candy,
Here’s the direct code – and what our link redirects to: http://imprfct.us/v/jessica_53572
I hope that helps,
Jessica