My family has a new found love for Fresh Thyme Farmers Market now that we’ve got two new locations here in Pittsburgh. You can read about our first trip to their stores here. We headed back last weekend to grab a few things before we hit the road for my parents house. Because my little girl crew wakes up literally at the crack of dawn we might’ve been the first people in the store (again) on Sunday morning. Walking the beautiful isles of plants, fresh produce, good-for-you foods and packaged goods never gets old! Does that make me a lame old lady?? Regardless we are so lucky.
Anyway, I’m writing this post to see if any of you readers shop from the bulk section. I haven’t really (ever) because it’s a little intimidating but it’s one of the highlights of Fresh Thyme stores and something I really think I can utilize more for grocery budgeting among other things. If you are intimidated by the giant dispensers and barrels of bulk items just grab an employee and they will walk you through the process of selecting, labeling and bagging up your bulk good selections. I have yet to meet a Fresh Thyme employee that isn’t happy, helpful and really enthusiastic about their about their love for and knowledge of their store.
So organized- makes me feel very zen, ha!
Here are 8 reasons why buying in “bulk” is practical for families!
1. Storage. I don’t know of a single family that has extra pantry space. Buy exactly the amount you can reasonably store without having to find creative ways to store a massive box or container like you might buy at a big box store.
2. Quantity. This might be obvious but some people (myself included!) feel like the bulk section is only for buying A LOT. This is totally not true! You can buy exactly as much or as little as you want!
3. Cost. Bulk items especially at Fresh Thyme are priced well to begin with. But because they are bulk, you aren’t paying for glass, plastic, or packaging of any kind!
4. Availability. Take a little while to walk through the bulk isles. You’ll be pleasantly surprised by how much there is to choose from and how many bulk food items are stocked.
5. Picky eaters. I’ve got a few, most families do. Let your kids help scoop and pour items you purchase from the bulk section. It’s a fun sensory experience (textures, smells, sounds) and gives your kids a sense of control in the grocery buying process.
6. Create your own mixes! This one is a fun one for my family. We love selecting different single items to later mix up into our own custom snack mixes, baking combos etc. Everybody can get what they like!
7. Freshness. Because you are buying exactly what you need and Fresh Thyme Farmers Markets are extra careful about how long food is stored and when containers are refreshed, you know you are buying foods that haven’t sat in a box on a shelf for ages on end.
8. Environmentally friendly. Buying in bulk creates less waste. You can reuse your own containers, you aren’t buying more disposable packaging and you are buying from a display system that doesn’t need to be replaced day after day with more packaging.
That mango mojito tea, top right, is SO good.
No need to explain my great love for bulk coffee- I have a cute coffee canister in my kitchen that I keep my beans in- don’t need an extra package!
All the girls are addicted to Fresh Thyme’s bulk taffy. It’s beach-boardwalk-good!
See that pink himalayan rock salt is one of my faves. I only buy a little bit to keep in my salt pig on the counter.
There’s a puffed millet granola bar recipe I’ve been dying to try and buying bulk means I can buy exactly 2 cups which is all I need!
Personal favorite snack ever is the Oriental Rice Snack mix- so freaking good. I can buy a ton of that because little packages never last.
So what say you? Do you shop the bulk section? Would you try it if you don’t?
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This iced tea is gold. It’s NOT sweet but full of flavor.
If you buy your earth-friendly health and beauty items online you might be pleasantly surprised by how much of that Fresh Thyme keeps stocked. Better for the earth cleaners, haircare, vitamins… a huge part of the store is dedicated to those things!
This is a tip a few of you guys messaged me- go on Wednesday’s for the double sale days! This is the one day a week Fresh Thyme weekly ads overlap each other.
I love a store that I can count on for a quick gift, too. Succulents anyone? All the heart eyes for these beauties.
This tomato bisque is ah-mazing! I’m not a huge soup person but that’s a really really yummy one to keep on hand for grilled cheese dinner nights.
And my last random share: the blueberry pretzels… so many people recommended them and they did not disappoint. They did not last long either. Oops!
I’ll keep updating here when I find more Fresh Thyme favorites to add to the list!
Happy weekend!
-J
This post was sponsored by Fresh Thyme Farmers Market. All words, pictures and opinions stated here remain my own.
Melissa says
We LOVE Fresh Thyme! I love the bulk section for little bits of things. Have you tried the Shanghai Snack Mix?! Delish. I’m curious though, our double day in Indiana is Thursday. Trying to figure out if they changed it or if it’s just different in different locations.
Jacquie says
I’m not sure actually but I can ask!
Amy says
Just walked into a Fresh Thyme for the first time tonight. We are definitely a family on a budget and shop mostly at Aldi. With trying to go more zero waste, I’m interested in shopping bulk. However, it seems that the price per lb is too expensive. I think the one item I found that might be comparable is quick oats. (99 cents/lb). We go through food quickly with being a family of 5, so purchasing small amounts of various bulk items will not be in our vocabulary.
Have any of you made comparisons price-wise to other places you typically shop?
Thanks!
Sera says
So excited to be getting one of these in Cranberry soon! Thanks for answering my question about whether or not I can reuse my own containers for the bulk section!