Misfits Market Review

Before diving into the Misfits review, let’s talk briefly about the company. Misfits Market is a grocery delivery service with a passion for reducing food waste and bringing high-quality, organic produce to people at discounted prices.

The principle is simple; all food is good food! Food that is too small, too large, oddly shaped, short-dated, or with outdated packaging is typically sent to a landfill. 

That’s where Misfits Market steps in. They rescue those imperfect foods and sell them at a discounted rate to customers who don’t care about superficial cosmetic imperfections. 

The online service can be used for regular deliveries with a flexible subscription, or customers can shop a la carte as needed. I hate to see things go to waste and love to see imperfect food get a second chance, so trying a box was a no-brainer! 

Ordering a Misfits Market box is easy, but it’s different than what you may be used to with other grocery and meal delivery services. Each week, you have a three-day shopping window. When the shopping window opens, Misfits Market will remind you to shop. They’ll also give you a head start by building a cart based on your preferences and the best deals they have available that week.

While the cart suggestions are helpful, especially when you’re new to ordering, you don’t have to order those items. You can easily edit the cart to remove suggested items, change the quantity, and add new items. 

You can browse items to add to your box by searching specific products or scrolling through different categories. If you know you want produce but aren’t sure what you want; the produce tab allows you to browse all high-quality produce available that week and compare prices. 

As long as your cart meets the order minimum for your zip code, the box will ship 2-3 days after the shopping window closes. If your cart does not meet the order minimum, the box will not ship. Order minimum varies based on location, but mine was $49.99, which was easy to meet each week.

If you don’t want to receive products every week, you can switch to an a la carte account where you just log in and build a box when you want it, but there is no automatic shopping window or boxes being delivered on a regular basis.

When I ordered, the big question on my mind was, “Is it worth it?”. I wanted to know if you can get organic produce, fresh meat, seafood, dairy, and pantry staples from Misfits Market cheaper than at grocery stores. So, what’s the verdict? Well, it depends on what you order.

Your weekly grocery bill can go down by ordering these imperfect foods, but you have to be smart about how you shop. Grocery stores typically have weekly sales on certain items. While Misfits Market prices are consistently lower than the same item for full price at the grocery store, the prices may not be lower if those items are on sale at the store that week. 

For my family, grocery shopping is something that’s hard to make time for, so I don’t mind paying close to the same price I would at the grocery store for some items. You get to save time and save imperfect produce that would otherwise go to waste. 

I found the best way to save with Misfits Market is to select the organic produce, meat, dairy, and pantry products I want that week. Then, I can make a small, quick trip to the grocery store for items I wasn’t able to get in the box or felt I could find cheaper at the store. Building my weekly meals around the organic produce I find on Misfits Market has helped me branch out and try new foods!

All Misfits Market items are shown with the Misfits Market price and the average grocery store price, so you can see the estimated percentage you’ll save. The grocery delivery service is constantly working to reduce food waste by appealing to a larger customer base, which 

Misfits Market grocery delivery service is available in the contiguous United States. Sadly, it is unavailable for Alaska, Hawaii, or international customers. MIsfits Market is actively working to expand their delivery area, though, so keep your eyes peeled if you live outside the current delivery area.

Shipping is priced using a flat rate fee based on your zip code, with prices starting at $6.99. The flat rate fee makes it easy to budget because shipping costs will be the same for every delivery you receive. There is an additional fee to ship cold items, but this is waived if you order at least $30 in cold items. Additionally, you can waive the shipping fee altogether if your order total is at least $70.

Items will arrive 2-3 days after your shopping window has closed. Unfortunately, you cannot select a specific delivery date, which I found frustrating. You do receive an email when the box ships with tracking information.

Misfits Market packaging is one area that has garnered mixed reviews, and I can see why. Their packaging is mostly eco-friendly, with recyclable boxes and clamshell liners, but their ice packs are not recyclable. They can be reused, but let’s be real, how many ice packs does one household need to keep?

Packaging varies depending on what type of products you order. For instance, items that need to be kept cold will be shipped with plenty of insulation and cold packs to keep the food at a safe temperature until it’s unpacked. If you order strictly pantry staples and produce that doesn’t need to be refrigerated, you’ll receive more minimal packaging of just a box and a paper liner or cardboard dividers.

Their packaging could be improved if it was more consistent. While not all produce needs to be kept cold, more recyclable padding would be a great addition to better protect the food in transit. I’d also love to see them make a switch to an ice pack with a non-toxic filling that can be dumped in the trash, and then the plastic casing can be rinsed and recycled. 

While reducing food waste with imperfect produce sounds good, the overall quality still needs to be consistent for customers to get their money’s worth. Misfits Market is very transparent about how they source their food, which is always a good sign.

Produce

Their produce is sourced from hand-picked farms and food hubs. Produce offerings vary based on seasonality and availability, but there are always more than enough items to choose from. Most produce is sourced in the USA, but certain items like citrus and avocados are sourced internationally on occasion. 

Misfits Market works to source organic produce from their food producers as often as possible, but not every item is organic all the time. Certified organic items are clearly marked on the website, so it’s easy to choose exclusively organic items if that’s important to you. 

The variety of produce offered is excellent! They have all the leafy greens, sweet potatoes, in-season fruits, fresh herbs, peppers, broccoli, artichokes, and just about every other type of produce you could want! 

Some items have a unique shape or slight bruising that makes them unfit for grocery store shelves, but this doesn’t have any impact on the taste. They’re simply cosmetic imperfections that make the food “unfit” for the traditional grocery store supply chain. 

The only downside to the produce from Misfits Market is that it does tend to go bad more quickly than the same items at the grocery store. Keep this in mind when you build your cart so you don’t purchase more than you can use. 

I found that making a weekly grocery plan to use the items as I built my cart made it easier to use the items I got before they went bad. I also love to stock up on fresh fruit when prices are at their lowest, then slice it and freeze it for smoothies. 

Meat & Seafood

Meat and seafood come from distributors who avoid industrialized farming to minimize environmental impact. In my experience, the meat and seafood offerings are much better quality than what you can find at the grocery store for the same price. 

These items aren’t “imperfect” in any way; they’re delicious and a more affordable option to get high-quality food to build meals around. 

Pantry & Dairy

The pantry and dairy items Misfits Market offers are similar to what you’re used to seeing in grocery stores. Misfits Market works directly with food brands to get inventory that would otherwise become food waste. 

These items may be short-dated, meaning they have an expiration date less than 6 weeks out. Some items simply have outdated packaging, and the brand only wants their new packaging on grocery store shelves. Other times, it’s simply a surplus inventory that the brand needs to get rid of quickly. 

You’ll find everything from gourmet olive oil to oat milk, shredded cheese, and free-range organic eggs.

The support team for Misfits Market customers is phenomenal. If you have any questions about the ordering or delivery process, they are super helpful. If you receive any items that have been damaged in transit, like smushed produce, they’ll apply a Misfits Market credit to your account that can be used on a future order.

Every Misfits Market customer is automatically enrolled in the Misfits Perks loyalty program. With this program, you earn points on every delivery, beginning with your first box. You earn extra points for things like downloading the app. 

Even if you skip an order, you can still earn points by donating your box. This option allows you to skip a box you don’t want to receive, but you’ll still be charged for the box total. Misfits Market then donates that money to food banks in need, and it’s a tax write-off for you!

You don’t have to do anything extra to earn points, and once they’ve racked up, you can redeem them for free groceries.

• I am quick to recommend Misfits Market because everyone can benefit from it in some way! 
• Whether you’re stocking up on simple things like fresh fruit, green leaf lettuce, and potatoes or browsing organic dairy products and meat, Misfits Market has a huge selection with something for everyone.
• It’s easy to save money by shopping weekly deals from Misfits Market and building your menu around those items.
• While it is a subscription-based service, there’s no commitment to continue paying for or receiving Misfits Market boxes if you don’t like it.