BargainMe is the Christchurch discount food store that opened in March of 2022. Shawn Thomas opened the Linwood store after seeing just how much short-dated, dated, and end-of-line food was being wasted by suppliers.
“We wanted to create an alternative for people to shop smarter and add value to their pantry. Short-dated or dated means it’s still good to eat, and that is the knowledge we wanted to increase within the community,” said Thomas.
Thomas moved to New Zealand from Mumbai, India, with his mum and dad at age eight. He grew up in Christchurch and completed a bachelor's degree in psychology and Postgraduate study in child and family psychology. Before opening BargainMe, he worked as a product and marketing manager, so his primary background was always content and marketing.
When starting out with BargainMe, Thomas reached out to the first 50 suppliers, and another 50 followed, approaching him. Good word of mouth has built strong relationships between the store and suppliers. BargainMe is trusted to clear supplier stock and market it through different channels.
Every product Thomas has brought into the BargainMe store has been completely cleared out by customers. The occasional fruit or vegetable will have to be thrown away, but all ambient and frozen products have been cleared from the shelves thus far.
The store has a line filled with convenience items, freezers filled with bakery products, fruit and vegetables, meats, fish, chicken and ice cream. There is also a dedicated ambient bulk item and clearance aisle. Ice cream, biscuits and pet food are the items with the highest demand right now.
“People love a good bargain on these because with inflation, prices for treats have risen, which is a real shame because we can't enjoy the occasional Tim Tam without having to pay a lot of money for one packet. Our clearance Tim Tams sell at three packets for only $4.99.”
One of the greatest challenges faced by BargainMe so far is is the ability to buy more stock. Thomas is looking to expand and is currently creating a franchise model. The expansion will mean more buying power, and larger amounts of stock will mean prices can be reduced even further.
“When we first started out, our clearance items were similarly priced to the traditional supermarkets because we were buying in small quantities.”
The new grocery wholesale regulations might also affect this and create more supplier opportunities. Thomas believed that if suppliers could guarantee the clearance of all their products, even the excess, they would be given more freedom to create new products. This could create more competition in the market, but with BargainMe being so different from a traditional supermarket, the short-dated stock will always go to discount stores.
Thomas is keen for anyone interested in the franchise model to reach out. Long term, he hopes to be the biggest outlet brand in the South Island and eventually stock Asian, Pacific and other international food items as a one-stop shop for everyone.
