Long time ago when I was young we used to visit the Weigh & Save shop in the precinct down the road. In it were a number of big bins containing everything from beans to corn flakes. You scooped what you needed into the bags provided, in the quantities you wanted then weighed and paid at the till. I loved it. But then I grew up and moved away and never thought of it until I tried to go plastic free. I realized that this was exactly the kind of shop I needed right now. Of course I would have to provide my own plastic free bags but….enough said. I eagerly returned to the precinct of my youth, Stretford it was, only to find the shop had shut up and gone.
So began the research quest…. and in conclusion, yes such shops still exist but they are bloody hard to track down. They go under a variety of names including Weigh & Save Scoop & Save Weigh House Weigh Inn. The company that supplies the products does not have a list of outlets they deliver to (!) but can help you set up a shop if you are interested. As far as I can tell, these shops operate as individuals. They are extremely idiosyncratic and vary greatly in presentation and range. Some go the whole hog with corperate green and yellow displays and a whole lot of stuff to choose from, others a are little more than a few dusty bins at the back of the shop.
Just a passing thought; I feel that this for want of a better word franchise are marketing themselves all wrong. They are presenting themselves as a way to save money and the whole shop screams budget from the ugly cardboard bins to the scrappy signage. I think they should look at attracting the eco customer by installing better dispensers, promoting waste free shopping and using funkier imagary (see Wholefoods Market for inspiration).
Shops Reviews
Barmouth Good
Bridlington – good.
Brixam (grim but does pet food)
Croydon – great write up by Kake who gives this shop a very good press
Exeter – Devon Weigh CLOSED
Horsham – great write up by Kake
Invernes CLOSED
Kingsmouth Devon Free local delivery – spend £7.50 and we will deliver free – within a 7-mile radius of Kingsbridge. Great for bulk buys. Nice!
Whitby NOW CLOSED
Wick – CLOSED
Worthing – closed
Emsworth in Hampshire – Pantry Weigh. Thanks to Emma for this info “There’s a small shop called Pantry Weigh in Emsworth in Hampshire https://www.yell.com/biz/pantry-weigh-emsworth-763392/
More
Loose Food Fill lists all the shops (not just the above) that sell loose, food of the kind that normally comes plastic packaged ie rice, pasta and salt.
REMEMBER
Take your own plastic free bags and refillable pots.
Find more plastic free stuff with the A-Z plastic free index