Too Good To Go is a popular app where you can save reduced bags of end-of-the-day goodies from a range of cafes, restaurants and supermarkets near to you
It’s been ages since Manchester Evening News lifestyle editor Dianne Bourne has used her TooGoodToGo app – the platform where people can snap up discounted bags of end-of-day treats from various cafes, restaurants and supermarkets in your area. But intrigue got the best of her this week when she overheard someone mention they’d nabbed a bag from Gail’s Bakery – the upmarket London brand that has been expanding its reach here in the north west recently, launching in Prestwich, Didsbury, Manchester city centre and Wilmslow.
The bakery isn’t exactly budget-friendly, so the chance of securing some cut-price treats at closing time when Dianne knew she’d be near a Gail’s was sufficient to draw her back to Too Good To Go. Nevertheless, she was taken aback to discover that the Gail’s Bags available had “Dynamic pricing” plastered across them on the app, reports the Manchester Evening News.
Dianne had no clue dynamic pricing existed on Too Good to Go until now, but after a swift google it seems plenty of other users have been puzzled by its arrival in recent months too.
There are numerous Facebook and Reddit threads explaining it all but essentially, yes, it’s all gone a bit Ticketmaster, with dynamic pricing meaning sought-after brands (and their bags) can be priced higher to manage demand.
As one commenter put it: “Good to know food is like an oasis tix”.
Obviously, if nobody purchases them, the nearer it gets to the sale deadline, that price might drop further.
If only the same applied to concert tickets, eh. Keeping a close watch on the Gail’s bags, Dianne quickly understood why dynamic pricing was in play as they were snapped up so swiftly that Dianna realised I’d need to reserve one a day in advance.
Dianne managed to secure one for the “dynamic price” of £7.49, a bag that was touted as being filled with goods worth £15.
The following day, she made my way to the Wilmslow Gail’s for her designated collection time of 5.40pm. As any regular Too Good to Go bag collector knows, there’s no point arriving early as they won’t hand over your bag until the specified time.
However, as Dianne doesn’t frequently use Too Good to Go anymore, she ended up arriving half an hour early and had to wait around.
Fortunately for her, this bag proved more than worth the wait. Even as Dianne approached to collect it, the shop assistant was excited for her, exclaiming: “Oo it’s a good one tonight”, which only heightened her anticipation.
Dianne was really hoping it would contain one of the bakery’s renowned sourdough loaves, as that was what she needed for the week.
Dianne had been eyeing some of the leftover cakes on the counter when she walked in, and was also really hoping some of them would be included too.
When he handed Dianne the bag, she was immediately struck by its sheer weight, and couldn’t wait to get it home to inspect everything inside.
And it’s fair to say when Dianne did, well, she was quite taken aback by the assortment of goods. Here’s what she found.
What was inside the bag?
The shop assistant was spot on – Dianne absolutely struck gold with this Too Good To Go bag.
The first thing that caught her eye was the loaf, the biggest item in there.
It was one of the brand’s waste-less sourdoughs that usually costs £5, and it’s absolutely delicious.
Dianne kept half of the loaf fresh for toast and sandwiches throughout the week, then sliced up the remaining half to pop in the freezer for future toast.
The next bag she opened made her realise she’d truly hit the jackpot – it contained one of Gail’s highly sought-after cinnamon buns!
Dianne reckons the lovely people of Wilmslow weren’t feeling particularly hungry on the day she visited because, typically, these buns are the first items to fly off the shelves at the bakery in her experience.
And she can confirm it tasted every bit as scrumptious at teatime as it does first thing in the morning, so that was a proper result.
There were additional bags to investigate, which held substantial pastry treats – one of the brand’s chocolate-filled almond croissants and a pain au chocolat, which Dianne’s children divided up for their tea, whilst there was plenty remaining to save for breakfast the following day.
There was also a sour cherry and chocolate scone included.
All told, Dianne calculated the items to far surpass the £15 that’s guaranteed within the bag at nearer to £20 – all for the “dynamic price” of £7.49.
Here’s the complete breakdown:
Cinnamon bun – £3.75
Almond croissant – £4.10
Pain au chocolat – £3.10
Sour cherry and chocolate scone – £3.70
Waste-less Sourdough – £5
RETAIL PRICE – £19.65
TOO GOOD TO GO DYNAMIC PRICE – £7.49
The verdict
Dianne was thoroughly impressed by the items in her Gail’s bag, and it felt like excellent value for money given the quality and freshness of everything she received, despite it being sold under the “dynamic pricing” scheme.
The entire purpose of Too Good to Go is to reduce food waste whilst offering customers the opportunity to snap up a bargain, and with this purchase she can confidently say both objectives were achieved.