It’s already April and I’m finally reviewing my March box, because the shipping took forever. The theme this month is “Rise and Shine”, and the box features a variety of breakfast foods – some choices are predictable, others not so much.
About Goodies Co. Taster’s Box:
Goodies Co. is a monthly food subscription service for consumers to savor delectable foods and discover new items. For only $7/month, with shipping and taxes included, subscribers receive a gift box at their doorstep filled with five to eight hand-picked taster samples ranging from healthy and organic to artisan and ethnic foods. For every completed product review you will be awarded with points which you can use towards free Taster’s Boxes and products.
This is a very popular subscription so if you want to join the wait list click here to sign up.
Erin Baker’s Oatmeal Raisin Breakfast Cookies
I’m one of those weirdos who love both oatmeal and raising, so I really enjoyed this delightful cookie. It doesn’t look all that good in the picture, but the taste more than compensates for the lack of fancy appearance. It was just right: not too sweet, not too cinnamony, and didn’t have too many raisins. These cookies are a bit on the pricey side ($15.60 for 12) so I probably won’t be buying them, but it was a nice thing to try.
Nabisco belVita Cinnamon Brown Sugar Breakfast Biscuits
I was not too excited about these cookies. I can see how they belong to this month’s breakfast theme, but honestly they are way too ordinary to make me excited about them. I had them with my morning coffee eventually and then forgot about it right away, probably because I’ve had them so many times in the past. I do like that they’re sort of healthy because they’re made with whole grain.
Nabisco Newtons Whole Triple Berry Chewy Cookies
I tried these before and didn’t like them because they were too sweet for me. I’ll just have my husband eat them or let them sit in the pantry until someone might want a snack.
Rickland Orchards Greek Yogurt Coated Cranberri Almond Granola Bar
I don’t like the sourness of cranberries but they work pretty well in this granola bar. It’s also loaded with jumbo-sized whole almonds, which made this snack especially awesome for an almond loves such as myself 😉
Alo Drink Watermelon + Peach
I really liked this unusual drink, it has a very refreshing taste and I thought those chunks of aloe vera were fun to chew on. Then I decided that I just have to get more so I tried to find a place to buy it online just to find out that this particular flavor isn’t sold on Alo Drink official website. After some more googling, I found that it’s not sold on Amazon and Vitamin Shoppe either (both are listed as Alo Drink’s authorized resellers). Now I’m confused, are they discontinued or something? 🙁 If so, that’s a bummer because I really wanted more of it. Guess I’ll have to get a variety pack and hope I like any of them.
Jovan’s All Natural Chocolate Instant Breakfast
I really wanted to try this instant breakfast drink, but unfortunately my pouch was pierced and I had cocoa powder all over my box 🙁 I emailed Goodies about it, hopefully they can replace it.
Ola! Vanilla Almond Handbaked Granola
I tried this granola in my most recent Love With Food box, and ended up using it in my parfaits. One pouch was enough to top two good-sized parfaits.
- The best: Alo drink was the only thing I really felt the need to repurchase, but unfortunately I can’t find anywhere that sells it aside from Goodies (which lists the wrong size bottles, making me think it’s a different product)
- The worst: Nabisco cookies, because they are almost overwhelmingly sweet.
The verdict: Meh, I feel like this month wasn’t much of a step up from the February box, and on top of it all the shipping was delayed as well. I feel like I’m no longer super excited about this box, but I’m keeping it to receive a variety of snacks so I don’t have to spend time buying them myself [talk about lazy!].
Are you a Goodies subscriber? What do you think of this month’s box?
| Product | Retail Value |
|---|---|
| Bonne Maman Strawberry Preserves | $0.30 |
| Erin Baker’s Oatmeal Raisin Breakfast Cookies | $1.30 |
| Nabisco belVita Cinnamon Brown Sugar Breakfast Biscuits | $0.45 |
| Nabisco Newtons Whole Triple Berry Chewy Cookies | $0.74 |
| Rickland Orchards Greek Yogurt Coated Cranberri Almond Granola Bar | $1.79 |
| Alo Drink Watermelon + Peach | $2.33 |
| Jovan’s All Natural Chocolate Instant Breakfast | $1.59 |
| Ola! Vanilla Almond Handbaked Granola | $0.94 |
| Box Retail Value | $9.44 |
P.S.: As you might have already noticed, I switched to a new picture format, and now instead of 3.5:3 it’s going to be 16:10, although it’s not like most of you would care about that anyway 🙂 I’m having issues with my blog template so I’m still looking for the perfect proportions.
Disclosure: I bought this.
I agree with you about the Walmart feel to the products. I started my subscription last year when they offered lots of full-sized, gourmet treats. Now, they’re sending lots of sample-sized products and they’re sending me things that I could easily buy at one of the bi-zillion Walmarts in my city.
I was angry in February when I not only didn’t receive lots of chocolate, they sent me a nasty Chips-a-hoy cookie sample. I told them that I don’t pay $7.00 and wait all month for Chips-A-Hoy.
That’s another thing. Their delivery turn-around sucks, although they are quick to take your money at the top of the month. I cancelled and they were nice about it. It’s a shame that the “low-quality” culture of Walmart has also cheapened what used to be a nifty service.
That is indeed too bad, at this point I feel like spending $7 on a box like this is too much. I’m giving it another two months, mainly because I already got charged for April and I also have enough points to redeem for another free box in May. If nothing changes, I will unfortunately have to cancel, too.
I mean how sad is that, these boxes make even Love With Food’s skimpy bite-sized samples look good!
You both know that Goodies is run by the Walmart corp right? That’s why it feels Walmart-y, because it is.
Yes, we do 🙂 But I was around when they first started and it felt very far from Walmarty back then.
I used to try to drink aloe juice since it’s supposed to be so good for you, but the taste was always something I couldn’t get over. I’ll have to get my hands on some Alo – thanks for finding it 🙂
You’re welcome! It’s not bitter like real aloe vera, it’s actually very sweet and pleasant 🙂
Honestly, I don’t know what the big deal is. Yeah it’s $7, but you have to remember that this is the TOTAL price. You pay ZERO shipping. Since I imagine that some of the boxes run heavy(I mean, an aloe drink and a jar of preserves….that stuff is heavy), these can’t be the cheapest to ship, either. $7 is an excellent deal for a fun little surprise each month. You easily get the most bang for your buck with this box, so I don’t see the use in complaining because you get Chips Ahoy. It is, after all, a sampling box. Variety is key.
First, we’re allowed to state our opinions. Second, when I signed up last year, my expectations were set to receive a box that EXCEEDED my expectations. When I signed up, I received full sized, unique gourmet treats that I couldn’t find anywhere else. That’s because they were often sent to Goodies straight from the manufacturer.
Yeah, Walmart owns the service but like Anastacia says, the service didn’t used to feel like a “Walmart subscription”. I know I’ve seen the change, she’s seen the change and probably lots of others are seeing the change.
Bottom line: When you are marketing a business product, and when you’ve set customer expectations to run high, you can’t shift gears and lower expectations, simply expecting customer loyalty, just because they’ve stuck with you before.
When you bait customers with high expectations and then you switch things up on them, they’re going to be P.O’d and stop patronizing your service.
Well said, Terrah!
We’re all entitled to our opinions, so there’s no need to be so harsh about it. I’m very happy to hear that you are completely satisfied with your Goodies experience, Mortricia. Unfortunately for myself and many others this experience has been steadily going downhill over the past few months. Will we see the same quality of boxes as the ones we’ve received last year? Who knows, but I already stopped hoping for the “better box next month” 🙂