Last Updated 2023-07-25
Welcome to Groceries from The SEED
Our goal is to make Guelph-Wellington the first community in Canada where everyone has access to good food. When you shop at Groceries from The SEED, you help people in your community afford good food. Together we are building a new kind of food system.
Groceries from The SEED does not charge membership fees. We update our pricing regularly to ensure we are reflective of current market value. We are constantly tailoring our service to be what you, the customer, needs.
Payment Methods and Order Deadlines
Purchases can be made independently online or over the phone with the help of our Customer Service team from Monday-Friday, 10am-4pm. Our online store accepts credit card, debit visa or prepaid credit card.
We offer in-person customer service to accept cash and debit payments at the following locations and hours:
- Shelldale Family Gateway, 60 Shelldale Ct. Guelph, Fridays 10am-4pm
- Community Food Warehouse, 69 Huron St. Guelph, Tuesdays 10am-4pm
Our ordering deadline is Wednesday (at noon), for the next available pickup dates (Thursdays and Saturdays).
Delivery Services
Unfortunately we are no longer able to offer delivery as part of Groceries from The SEED. You will be able to select a location for pick up only. Our intention is to add locations in time and get as close to your home as possible.
Pick up
We offer our customers the opportunity to pick up their order from our warehouse and the Guelph Farmers’ Market. Pick up from 69 Huron Street and 2 Gordon St. can be selected as an option at Checkout.
Pick up appointments can be scheduled Thursdays between 1 – 5 pm (at our warehouse) and Saturdays between 9 – 1 pm. Customers must schedule an appointment to pick up their order via checkout, or by contacting Customer Service (519-821-6638 ext. 396) to ensure the order is ready. Please contact Customer Service if you are running late or are unable to pick up your groceries at your allocated time or date and accommodations will be made if possible.
Pick up days and times will be as specified on the Checkout page. You are able to select dates as far into the future as you like, but must work within the available ordering dates and deadlines (see above) if you are looking for next-available date. Pickup appointments are subject to availability. If you do not complete your order by the cut-off time you will be required to select the next available pick up date before checkout.
There is no pickup fee associated with Groceries from The SEED. If you would like to contribute to these costs please do so by donating.
No-Show Policy for Pick Ups
If we are unable to get ahold of you within 24hrs after a no-show pickup your GFTS order will be cancelled.
We completely understand that life gets in the way sometimes so please feel free to place another order for a different pickup date and we would be happy to see you then. You are also more than welcome to reach out to us before your pickup date/time and let us know if you are unable to pick up so that we can make alternative arrangements. We can be contacted by phone, 519-821-6638 ext.396 or via email, groceries@theseedguelph.ca.
Orders containing surplus/free foods are especially hard to keep until the next pickup date which is why the orders must be cancelled. A lot of the items in our ‘free’ section are nearing their best before/expiration date and due to food safety and/or quality issues, we cannot wait until the following pickup date to send them out as they will be past these dates.
Adverse Weather or Road Conditions
Please note, adverse weather or road conditions and other events outside of our control may result in late or cancelled orders. If this were to happen our Customer Service team will contact you as soon as reasonably possible to reschedule and / or cancel your order. We want to ensure the safety of our team and customers, so appreciate your patience while we navigate any conditions outside of our control.
Severe weather conditions may impact operations and staffing of some of our suppliers in parts of Ontario. We do our best to minimize service disruptions but are aware that delays to service may occur.
Quality of Goods
We want to stand behind the quality of the food we send out, so what happens if there’s an issue with your order? If a product does not meet your expectations, please reach out to our Customer Service team within 24 hours (519-821-6638 ext. 396 or groceries@theseedguelph.ca). Our Customer Service team is available by phone or email Monday – Friday 10 am – 4 pm, and happy to hear from you. Your feedback and suggestions help us improve over time, so is always welcome!
Let us know if you receive:
- Missing items
- Incorrect items
- Damaged, spoiled, or unusable items
- Poor replacements
If something isn’t quite right, reach out to let us know within 24 hours, and we will issue you a store credit to cover the cost of the item in question. Online store credits do not expire and can used towards future purchases with Groceries from The SEED, until the credit balance reaches zero.
Refunds
Individual items cannot be refunded back, but we can, in the case of a duplicate order, refund a full order back. To request a refund please reach out to our Customer Service team as soon as possible. The card method used for payment will be refunded, in full, but it may take 5-10 business days to see the funds in your bank or credit card account, depending on your bank.
We reserve the right, at our discretion, to suspend, cancel or make changes to this program without prior notice, which includes the right to cease services to any customer who we determine is abusing the program.
Adjusting our Offering (Shorts / Swaps)
To help us serve more customers, we’re focusing our offering on the items our customers are looking for the most. Not able to find what your household normally shops for? Let us know! We listen to your feedback, and it helps guide our supplier needs.
If an item(s) is out of stock at the time your order is being assembled, we will substitute a similar item for you, or attach an “Out of Stock” slip to your packing list. These slips will highlight any missing items, and let you know that we will be issuing a store credit to your account to cover the cost of the item(s) in question.
Free Food
The Free Food section includes high-quality surplus food that has either been donated or is bumping up against its best-before date in our warehouse. When shopping Free Food, please keep the following policies in mind:
- Item quantity limits have been set for each household as we want our free food to reach as many of our customers as possible! This means that you will only be able to add a certain quantity of a specific item for one date. You may place more than one free order for the same date if it contains unique items. I.e., if new free items are uploaded onto the Groceries from The SEED store you are more than welcome to place an additional order with the new free items. We will NOT accept multiple free orders for the same date if they include repeat items. Any additional orders will be cancelled and you will only receive the first order you placed.
- Please refer to the following when placing an order:
- If you place one order of free carrots for October 31st. You notice more free items are on the store so you place another order of free chocolate and free soup for October 31st. You will receive both of these orders on October 31st as the items are unique.
- If you place on order of free carrots for October 31st and then place another order of free carrots for October 31st. Your second order will be cancelled.
- Please refer to the following when placing an order:
- Please check ‘best before’ dates before ordering. We will not put food past its best before date on to the store.