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FAQ

In Store FAQ

What are your hours?

You can shop in store between 10:00 am - 6:00 pm (Tuesday, Thursday), 9:30 am - 6:00 pm (Wednesday), 10:00 am - 5:00 pm (Friday) and 10:00 am - 4:00 pm (Sat). We are closed Sunday and Monday.

How does it work?

It’s easy with our BYOC (bring your own container) system!

(1) Bring a clean & dry container

(2) Weigh (tare) the container and write the weight on the jar

(3) Fill your container with as much or as little product as you need (we have funnels & scoops for easy filling)

(4) Checkout & the final weight of the product is calculated for you

Am I able to bring in my own containers?

Yes! You are welcome to bring any containers you would like to fill - from clean and empty condiment bottles, to mason jars, to old yogurt containers! We encourage reusing any containers you have at home, regardless of whether they match the product you’re putting inside! For health and safety reasons, any containers getting filled with food goods or personal body care (i.e. lotion or deodorant) must be completely clean AND dry in order to fill them. We will inspect your containers before filling them.

Do you accept donation jars?

Generally yes, however please check with us before bringing them as sometimes we have too many and will temporarily pause accepting jars. All donated containers must be completely CLEAN. We can not accept pump bottles or narrow mouthed bottles/jars because we are unable to properly sanitize them. Donation jars are free to use and have been run through our commercial sterilizer. We are most often in need of larger, wide mouth containers (over 1L). We reserve the right to refuse any donations that do not meet our standards or our needs. 

Can I fill my own containers?

Yes! Funnels are mandatory for filling food items into your own containers to create a barrier between your container and our bins. Scoops are also single use per customer and item. Once you use a scoop please place it in the labelled dirty bin. Staff will fill the following items that are clearly marked in store: nut butters, honey, bulk facial products and bulk dental products, etc. We will also happily help you fill anything else you need, just ask!

How do I pay?

We accept and encourage debit and credit (Visa, MasterCard, and American Express) but will always accept cash as well!

 

Online Ordering FAQ

How long will my order take?

Orders are fulfilled in the order they are received and are generally filled within 1-2 business days. Business days are Tuesday - Saturday (we are closed Sunday & Monday). We will call you and send you an email notification when your order is ready for pick up/delivery.

Pickup

When ordering online we offer pickup at our front counter during opening hours or curbside pick up. You are welcome to bring your own bag or tote to pack your items. If you are choosing curbside pick up just call us at 519-491-6446.

Delivery

Delivery is available within Sarnia and Point Edward on online orders over $50 with a delivery fee of $7.00. Delivery is free on orders over $75. If you will not be home at the time of delivery, please leave a cooler with ice packs out if you are purchasing frozen and/or refrigerated items and a box or tote out for dry goods. We will call to schedule your delivery between open store hours (Tues-Sat).

I want to add something to my order that I've already placed...

If you have already placed an order and forgot something please place a new order and write the prior order number in the notes/comment section. We cannot guarantee that it can be added to your order in time but we will try our best! If your order included a delivery or shipping fee, we will refund you the cost of delivery on the second order so that you’re only paying once. 

Something is missing from my order…

If this has occurred, it is very likely that we had run out of stock on that item and could not fulfill the order and you will be refunded. If you don’t see a refund within the next billing cycle, please contact us so we can resolve the issue. If we missed an item, we’re so sorry! Please contact us right away so we can remedy the situation.

How are items packaged with an online order?

Dry goods will be packaged in brown paper bags and liquids will be packed in mason jars with a $2 jar deposit. There is an option to select “I would like donated jars” when you’re checking out with your online order. This means we will pack your order in free donated jars and refund you the cost of the jar deposits. These donated jars do not need to be returned to us and can be reused or recycled when you are finished with them. If we do not have enough donation jars to completely fill your order, we will prioritize filling items that go in deposit jars.

Can I request free donated jars for an online order?

Yes, see above. If you order with us consistently and prefer donated jars, feel free to email us for a discount code that would remove the jar deposit so that we don’t have to refund you each time!

General FAQ

How are products priced and what is a unit?

All of our bulk products are sold by weight in store. Online, liquid products are sold by volume so customers can more easily visualize the amount they are purchasing. 

Products are priced either per 10g or 100g. 1 unit is either 10g or 100g depending on the listed product price.

Here are a few examples below:

Whole wheat flour - $0.22 per 100g

If you need 1 kg of flour, you would set the Quantity to 10 units and add to cart

Green sencha tea - $0.90 per 10g

If you need 50 grams of loose tea, you would set the Quantity to 5 units and add to cart

Shampoo, Cedar & Sage - $2.30 per 100g

If you need 400ml of shampoo, you would set the Quantity to 4 units and add to cart

I can’t visualize what 1kg of dish soap or flour looks like.

We recently changed our online store to list liquid products by volume instead of weight for this reason! We know it can be tricky to visualize a specific weight. For dry goods, try looking at a similar packaged good in your home and determine if you would need more or less of that item. The great thing is, you can customize amounts so you are not stuck with large quantities of a product you use infrequently.  

Most grocery item product pages also say the weight (g) to volume (cup) equivalent for easy reference!

Your products are listed in metric measurements and I am more familiar with Imperial. How do I figure out how much I need?

1 lb = 454g.

1kg = 2.2lbs.

If you’re shopping in store, most of our bins list the price per 100g and per lb. 

 

How does the mason jar deposit system work?

Every mason jar used in your order has a $2 deposit attached to it, as well as a sticker with our logo. When jars are returned you will either be refunded your deposit or a store credit will be applied to your account. Jars must have lids and ring tops and be clean in order to receive a deposit refund. We will not accept jar returns that do not have our sticker. If you get your orders via delivery you can give your return jars to the person delivering your order or leave them on the porch on delivery day. We will take the jars and issue a store credit that can be applied to your next online order!