Quotation of the Day

Saturday, December 30, 2006

Buying meat in bulk ... 3000$ of it!?

I received a call from a meat reseller that obtains meat from organic farmers. They asked if they could provide us with a free meat sample and talk to me and my wife about what they offer. Being interested in eating more organic foods and wanting to find out more (and always willing to experiment for my readers :-) , I agreed to meet with their sales representative. The way they operate is to sell meat in bulk, it comes individually packaged in small frozen portions once a year. They can provide you with a freezer free of charge, on loan for the year. They let you chose from a list the types of meats/seafood/fish that you usually buy and they send you 4-6 weeks later meat to last you for a year (roughly) according to the number of people in your household. For 2, we were told that this comes to 4-6 lbs of meat each week. They state that the quantity of meat depends on the type chosen so if you choose mainly expensive cuts, you get less of it. They state they guarantee satisfaction and that if you don't like your selection or certain cuts, they can modify your order once. The catch?
1) You have to spend 3000$ on their meat minimum for the first 12 months (up to 18 months, that's as long as they guarantee their meat to last in a freezer).
2) They encourage you to select as many types of meats as they can. This probably ensures that you don't only select filet mignon.
3)They do not sell meat per pound. They chose how much meat you get and in which proportions (so you may get as much pork, as lamb and beef).
4) They do not give you details of what you will receive until you receive it. They say that would be too complicated. Hence you have no idea how much you pay per lb of each type of meat.
5) They are anxious to make you sign, give a deposit on your credit card right away, that it can be canceled and reimbursed later on... (a sales tactic I really dislike).

Conclusion?
1) It would cost us 14$ per pound of meat regardless of what meat you get (chicken, lamb, ground pork or beef... This seems excessive even for organic stuff and even if we included stuff like salmon, lamb, filet mignon... I am always weary of companies that do not give me details of what I am buying. After all, when you buy a 3000$ item, don't you want to know it's specifications to shop around and get the best price? How is meat any different? Wouldn't you need to know how much you get of what before signing on the dotted line?
2) You clearly pay for your free freezer on loan if you pay so much for your meat especially since they remove the 150$ bonus if you take the freezer!
3)THIS IS MY PERSONAL MOTTO: NEVER EVER sign a contract right away when it involves large sums of money. Always take a minimum of 24 hrs to think about it (that was my dad's advice, thanks dad!) . Any business that tells you that you won't get the same price or promotion the next day or week does not deserve your patronage (this was not the case here but I have seen this with gyms). This 24 hr window to think can save you many headaches, what seems like a good idea at the time often is not when you think about it longer.
4) My wife's take on the issue: Doesn't this take the fun out of cooking, choosing a recipe and going out to buy exactly the cut that you want for a dish? Isn't nice to chose the specific piece of meat that you want?

So, I am not saying that these businesses are bad, only that my analysis indicated that this particular way of operating was clearly not worth it for my wife and I. As I always say, you need to do your own research of course to make up your own mind.

4 comments:

MillionDollarJourney.com said...

$14 / lb is ridiculous! What if they fill half your freezer with chicken legs? Even the best cuts of steak in the grocery stores aren't any more than $14/lb.

I say "NO DEAL". :)

FT
http://www.MillionDollarJourney.com

Anonymous said...

Canada's food guide suggests 2 to 3 100g (4 oz?) portions of meat or equivalent per day. The 4 to 6 pounds of meat that you indicated was in this order (2 -3 lbs. per person) is about 130 - 200 g per day. Even if you allowed for waste, such as bone, etc. this is still an large amount of meat protein. My wife & I are still largely carnivores, but a 170g (6 oz) steak is a large portion for us. This order would provide all your required daily protein consumption in one portion.

I further doubt that the seafood and other fish products are organic, as it would be very difficult to meet that qualification for a food source that is uncontrolled in it's exposure and food consumption.

Furthermore, your wife is not only correct in her assumption about the fun of cooking, but the only time I bought a freezer order (I was able to specify it's contents) it took about twice as long to consume as we expected, as many of the cuts did not fit with our menu planning, and we had to purchase other products anyway.

Finally, if you survey yourselves, I expect that the year of meat will last much longer...how many times per week do you eat out, do you have bacon or sausage for breakfast, eat a meat-free, or low volume meat dish, or skip a meal entirely? Each of these choices will affect your freezer!

David

The Canadian Money Blogs Reviewer said...

FT: you are totally right ... we might have had more meat (so less$/pound) if we had not selected better cuts, but what's the point? :-) I'm glad we didn't sign up for this ....

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David: I like your analysis of the amount of meat that gives compared to the Canada food guide recommendations. I had my doubts that it would be too much, but really confirm it :-) And it's true we eat out a lot, try to eat less meat in general, etc.

Regarding the seafood, I'm not sure if they said "organic" or just "wild" but in any case, better wait for specials at your local store.

Anonymous said...

$14 a pound? The last time I bought a cow I paid $2.15/lb cut, wrapped & frozen. But then I buy direct from the farmer, no middle man.

SS

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