Hello there and thank you for taking your precious time to investigate into what this article is about.
You have made it this far so that tells me you have some interest in refill/zero waste shopping, yes?
Whether you are a total pro and there isn’t a sniff of plastic to be seen in your household, or, you are a complete novice and haven’t a clue where to start. This article will either help guide you and answer any questions you might have, or if you’re a seasoned refiller then maybe it will just give you a few ideas to add to your wonderful ways.
So lets start at the beginning shall we?
Beginning refill shopping can be pretty daunting, it’s a totally new concept for some, you worry about things, 'do I have the correct containers, what if my containers look daft and people will laugh at me, what if I don’t know what to do and make an idiot out of myself, I've no clue how to work the scales?!'.
We have all been there so firstly, don’t panic, its grand!
In our store there is no judgment, everyone is welcomed with open arms and all staff are happy to help and answer ANY question you might have, there is no such thing as a silly question in our shop!
So, lets start with containers. Firstly I can not stress enough how you do not need to go out and buy the most prettiest glass jars and label makers. Yes I agree they look lovely but, they can be a bit bulky for carting back and forth to the refill store. If you want to source some lovely looking jars and label the life out of them for the house then by all means be my guest, I have a few of these myself, and yes it does look good, but may I suggest having something a bit more practical as a go between? This can literally be ANYTHING.
Refill shopping does not need to be pretty and stylish and neat. It can literally be the box of cereal you used that you got from Tesco, save the plastic bag and the cardboard box of rice crispies and literally just refill that. Same goes for the plastic bottle of laundry liquid, save it, refill it, job done. The more empties you save to refill the more items that are saved from landfill. For the likes of your pastas and rice, a handy drawstring canvas bag is good to use as your go between, i then keep mine in those big reusable plastic cereal boxes.
Get saving empties, get creative and take pride in the fact you are using what you have at hand and saving the planet while doing so.
Containers will be available to purchase in store along with free donated containers as we all get caught out sometimes with forgetting to lift our own. Do be mindful however that you do not want to make a habit of purchasing containers every time you are in as this defeats the purpose.
You can also purchase as little or as large of an item as you like when refill shopping. If you only need one teaspoon of a spice for a recipe you know your never going to use again, well here, you can purchase just one teaspoon! Isn’t that fab? So don't be saying to yourself, 'oh god how much should i fill this container up with, is that enough, is it too much, am i being judged?!'.....your not. Like i said, purchase as little or large as you like.
So now you have saved a few empty spice jars, plastic bags of pumpkin seeds, laundry powder boxes and spray bottles of window cleaner, great your all good to go. The next worry a lot of people find is what to do once they are in store. Its simple, approach scales, weigh empty container, refill said empty container with desired product, reweigh container, approach till and pay.
In short – Weigh, Refill, Reweigh, Pay. Simples.
You may feel like your all fingers and thumbs at the beginning but as soon as you do it once, then you're a pro, that’s all it takes, trust me!
There will be a 'how to' video uploaded to our social media channels and playing in store for those who still feel nervous and do not like to speak to staff, simply turn your attention to the screen in store and you will see a how to video on loop.
Our store will forever strive to be as accommodating, helpful, welcoming and resourceful as possible for all of our customers. Every tiny change we make can lead to a massive difference in the long run.
Please do not ever be afraid to ask us any questions you have, instore and online, and we will hopefully see all you lovely refillers very soon.