Online ‘anti-waste’ supermarket offers deals on everyday items in France - we test it

An ‘anti-waste’ online supermarket is offering up to 50% off the retail price of many everyday products - by specialising in goods that it claims do not make it to traditional stores due to logistical issues.

“One product in ten does not make it to shops because it meets only 99% of the logistical criteria required by supermarkets,” says ‘Beans’ on its online storefront. 

It claims these products are usually thrown away by producers and suppliers but that it is buying the items to offer at a discount online, providing an anti-waste solution that also benefits consumers.

These products include unsold and surplus goods, and those that are close to their best-before date.

There is nothing wrong with the products on sale - they are identical to many you would find at your local supermarket.

Variety of products available

Goods include all types of packaged food, from pasta and biscuits to canned vegetables and cereals and honey, as well as cleaning and household products. 

Several popular name-brands are among those offered, such as Cassegrain, Nestlé, Le Petit Marseillais, Nutella and Barilla.

The sleek website allows customers to browse by food category or brand, whether the food was organic/gluten or lactose-free, as well as expiry date and level of discount.

Products are offered at a higher discount the closer they are to their best-before date, as these are purchased from suppliers at a lower price. 

Certain products continue to be available even when they have passed their best-before date, as the online store focuses on completely emptying shelves.

Fresh food that has strict ‘use-by’ dates such as vegetables, fruit, meats and fishes are not available for health reasons, and what is on offer is limited by what the store can pick up from suppliers.

Read more: Why the price of chocolate is skyrocketing in France this Easter

Several discounts on offer

When we checked out the store (on April 16), discounts of 45% were listed on Panacea-brand honey (€5.45 down from a regular price of €9.90 [Beans claim]). 

A 20% reduction was applied to Trader Joe’s fajita kits (€2.44 down from €3.05), and 30% off Cote d’Or chocolate – with the latter having a best-before date in June. 

On the hygiene shelf, several types of Le Petit Marseillais shower gel were on sale at 20% off, with certain Gillette razors at a 25% - 43% discount. Pampers nappies were advertised as 37% off.

Finally, we added four ‘Natz’ beers – 32% off – to our basket (some alcohols are available in the store).

Delivery costs vary 

Overall, the products we added tallied up to €29.82, which is €16.23 cheaper than if we purchased them at a traditional store according to the online supermarket.

‘Beans’ has a minimum order spend of €25, and free delivery is only offered on orders above €80. 

Reaching this figure may be a bit of a task, but would allow you to really stock up your pantry and cupboards with goods.

Otherwise, delivery costs between €2.90 and €4.90 depending on whether you have a home delivery or collect the food from a pick-up point. 

For an address in Nice, several pick-up points were offered within a kilometre radius for a cost of €3.90. 

Read more: 100 more supermarkets in south of France are to rebrand to Carrefour