Unlike some people (snobs), I have never felt any apprehension about the food section at Marshall’s or TJ Maxx or Home Goods. In fact, I make a beeline there, eager to see what marked-down multicolored pastas and bargain-bin pseudo-gourmet cookies might await me. There is an art to buying food at Marshall’s; I’d never buy coffee grounds there, but I’ve certainly stocked up on Nielsen-Massey vanilla extract for a few dollars less than at the specialty food store. I can’t turn down a discount, and Marshall’s-food-section slander only inspires me to shop there more, somewhat out of spite.
But as a New Yorker, in the absence of suburban Marshall’s and Home Goods (which are undeniably superior, both in vibes and in their selection), I like browsing Martie, a website that sells “surplus” packaged food for a discount. It defines surplus food as overstock that won’t sell in a timely manner, products that have undergone a packaging change, and seasonal foods that have passed their moment — it’s basically the food section at Marshall’s, except easy and online. This is food that would otherwise go to waste, Martie clarifies, so in a way, shopping there is doing good.
What clinched my first order was the fact that Martie had my absolute favorite cookies — Annie’s birthday cake bunny grahams — for half the price of the grocery store. I don’t buy these often since a five-dollar box that I’ll finish in half a day feels frivolous, but for that much of a bargain, I ordered four boxes, plus heavily discounted Fly by Jing sauce, Bonne Maman jam, four packages of pasta (its prices now rival my grocery store’s cheapest option — inflation!), and the vanilla almond butter I used to love but never see on shelves anymore. The total was way less than it would have been at the shoppy shop.
I’ll indulge the skeptics on one point: I’m slightly suspicious that the items on the shelves at Marshall’s don’t turn over too often, but for better and for worse, Martie’s selection seems to change pretty quickly. This unpredictability requires some level of strategy when shopping, of course. What I’ve learned is that if I see something I want, it makes sense for me to act on it quickly rather than to let it linger and potentially lose it.
To hit the shipping minimum — which is admittedly a little annoying at $40 — I’ll pad out the order with pantry staples that I know I would buy anyway. Martie seems to always have these in abundance, even if the specific products and brands change. There’s almost always a great deal on olive oil and often on tinned fish too. (With more volatile ingredients like olive oil, I make sure to pay close attention to the best-buy dates, which are listed clearly on the site, to ensure that I don’t buy more than I can reasonably use; because it’s an overstock seller, the offerings at Martie can be closer to these dates than what you’d expect to find at regular retailers.)
Sometimes, it even has great luxury skincare and beauty and home goods — so many things to browse, without the risk of getting overstimulated in a suburban shopping mall.
Sadly, I haven’t seen those discount birthday cake bunny grahams ever again. Of course, the hunt is half the fun.
