Since Too Good To Go was established in 2016, bargain-hunting Brits have been snapping up deals in their millions. The innovative app allows users to seek out nearby restaurants and takeaways that are offering their excess food at massive markdowns to prevent good food from being thrown away.
During the height of the Covid-19 crisis, the initiative saw a meteoric rise in popularity as even supermarkets climbed on board, tempting shoppers with deals on products on the brink of becoming yesterday’s goods. Thrifty shoppers haven’t been shy about flaunting their frugal finds online, often boasting about snagging bags brimming with value.
Yet for shopper, Nick Ball, this week proved that not all bargains are created equal, leading to a less than satisfactory haul, prompting him to share his rant on TikTok.
WARNING – strong language used in the TikTok video below, viewer discretion is advised.
“Not happy with my £10 Too Good To Go bag that was supposed to be £30 worth!” bemoaned Nick, alongside a clip unveiling the contents of his haul. His meagre takeaway included a single cottage pie ready meal, a hefty sack of frozen cauliflower, croutons, a trio of cheese packs, and a brownie.
Unconvinced by the value, Nick stomped back into the store declaring: “They said this was a £30 bag but this is not £30, I’m taking it back to see what they say.” Faced with a staff member, Nick protested: “That’s not even a tenner’s worth – you take a look. I reckon you have given me the wrong bag.”
The employee insisted that Nick had indeed received the correct bag, however, leading to a dispute over the retail value of frozen cauliflower and the croutons, which he was advised were in fact frozen mashed potatoes.
Nevertheless, Nick left without any compensation, pointing his camera at the member of staff and exclaiming: “Well, it’s all over TikTok now. That is absolutely f***ing appalling.”
Fellow TikTok users were quick to express their thoughts on the app, meanwhile. One user commented: “A lot of people fail to understand what Too Good To Go is for. It’s meant to prevent food waste. But seems like more businesses using it for profit to sell stock no one wants. This is exactly why businesses must be honest when they list it’s initial value (in this case £30) to prevent them from abusing it.”
Another shared a similar sentiment: “I stopped using them about 5/6 yrs ago. As the app became popular, store owners were just packing the bags with random items they had hanging about.” A third suggested: “No way is that £30 you should have scanned it and let them cancel the items.”
While a fourth supported Nick’s complaint: “Personally, I think he was absolutely right to raise a complaint. That certainly didn’t look like £30 value. What would have been useful, would have been able to see what was in the replacement bag.”
Nick concluded with a note: “Sometimes you don’t get what you want, but should always be to the value of the bag.”
Too Good To Go has made it clear on its website: “As the provider of the Too Good To Go Marketplace we have no insights into the contents of Surprise Bags. We do not own, control, touch, offer or manage any listings of Surprise Bags that Stores make available. We do not manufacture, sell, purchase, store, prepare, produce, process, mark, pack, deliver or handle the Surprise Bags.”
It further disclaims: “We have no responsibility or liability for the contents of the Surprise Bag (including the quality, ingredients, and allergens), for the information provided by the Stores or for the availability of information regarding the Surprise Bags on the App.”
Morrisons has been approached for comment.