How to Order

How to Order

SFRAW started as a buyers' group with a Yahoo Group, a PayPal shopping cart and monthly pick-ups out of a (very generous and tolerant!) member's garage. Yes, they are STILL members to this day as are many who started with SFRAW "in the garage days".

Since our start in 2003, we've operated far closer in spirit to a co-op or CSA than a traditional store. Our grass-roots community focused origin influences everything about how our catalog and ordering process work — here's what to expect.

Our catalog isn't necessarily our live inventory list

We buy/sell well over 7,000 individual active SKUs (currently available products), most are sourced from small, local, family, independant producers of seasonal, fresh/frozen whole food ingredients, natural, organic foods, artisan and hand-made products and supplies rather than buying from large national conglomerates or multi-national distributors. Because of that:

  • Items we have purchased in the past and would be happy to special order for you stay listed and orderable in our catalog even when we don't have them in stock at the moment. Older or infrequently ordered SKUs remain "active" in our system so long as there's a reasonable chance that we could still source that product (or a comparable product) for you. That's what "special order" means in our system.

  • Some items can be ordered and available within in a few days; others are seasonal (only available at certain times during the year) or have a 3-4 week (or longer) lead time.

  • We do our best to keep the site current, but we sometimes miss updates — this isn't intentional, and we appreciate members flagging anything that looks off.

Pricing and weights can change

  • Prices always reflect the last cost we paid. Prices change frequently from our suppliers, sometimes week to week, especially with small-farm, fresh/frozen product. This is common in the food industry as a whole and even more when working with smaller producers. The industry has seen unusual volatility recently. Please understand that the current price for product procured on your behalf may differ from than the last time we ordered that item.

  • When there are significant price changes on items that you ordered, our staff will reach out to discuss this with you as part of the order fulfillment process. They can make suggestions for alternative options currently in stock, making substitutions, or choosing to apply refund/credit before your order is finalized. 

  • For the most part, we price products by the pound, but the per-pound rate depends on how the item is packaged. For example, a bulk case is priced at our bulk case rate per pound, while smaller portioned or retail packs of the same item are priced at a different (higher) per-pound rate to cover the labor and significant packaging costs involved with portioning/packing. Either way, you will be charged for the actual weight of the product in the package or case size, at the per lb rate for bulk or retail/portioned out packs. Pack sizes can vary significantly; they may be sold in 10-15-lb packs down to just 4-ounces. 

  • We weigh the final product and charge you for the actual amount you receive — listed weights in our catalog are estimates provided by our vendors, not guarantees.

  • When we order from a distributor or producer, we don't always receive the exact size, pack, or brand we requested. When this occurs, please be prepared to purchase a substitute item, or the same item/cut but from a different farm, sometimes at a different price.

If something can't be sourced as ordered

We won't substitute automatically or make changes without your approval. This is how we handle these order adjustments:

  • Our default is to text you the substitute options we do have, so you can let us know if one works — or we'll refund that item if nothing suitable is available. No call or email needed (unless you don't communicate via text); a quick reply to the text is all it takes for you to help us make these decisions on your behalf.

  • If it's something we don't have a firm timeline on yet, but still expect to source eventually, you can ask us to backorder the items instead of cancelling for a refund/credit. We'll keep your backorder request open until it comes in, rather than closing it out.

  • If you'd like a fuller conversation about your options before your order is finalized, especially for a longer or more specialty list, you're always welcome to call or email us ahead of time. This isn't required, but it's the best way to avoid any surprises and get help finding a comparable substitute.

    • Some members place their order requests via phone or email instead of through the website. Doing so allows our highly skilled and super knowledgeable staff to put thoughtful consideration into your needs; they'll make smart reccomendations for products that are currently in-stock (or that we could special order). If you call by phone, please understand that they may need to call you back if the shop is busy at that very moment so they can better focus and spend time putting an order together with you.

  • Keeping a small backup source of food on hand is a good habit for any member, since gaps in sourcing happen to some extent every month across the group.

Pickup and quality

  • Please inspect your order at pickup, on our premises, the same day — that's your window to flag anything damaged, missing or different than what you originally requested, and we'll make it right. 

  • We can't guarantee freshness or accuracy once items have left our warehouse, and we don't offer refunds or exchanges on perishable products once they've left our custody.

  • Unopened, unused shelf-stable products are the exception and can be returned within 30 days with a receipt or proof of purchase (we keep records on your account).

  • Before an order leaves our location — whether transported to a pickup site by a volunteer or picked up in-store by you or your agent — our staff gives every order one last review at checkout before it "leaves the station." If you're picking up in-store, last-minute changes can be made to almost anything while you're here — just ask.

  • "On our premises" means doing a final inspection inside our physical warehouse/shop, not at a remote rendezvous pickup site.

  • If you pick up remotely, the volunteer driver will check to make sure the number of cases in full and per order is transported to the rendezvous location but they do not review the orders line by line. It is your responsibility to taking the correct boxes/packages (check the name on the labels) and check your box count against the paperwork or invoice the driver has for your order — that's the most reliable way to catch anything obviously missing or misdirected on the spot. Then when you get home, go over the order in detail. Should you notice a discrepancy or error, we request that you report this within the first 24-hours via text, call or email.

Splitting bulk cases

Cases are sold as a whole unit, so you can't buy a partial case directly — but members are welcome to arrange case splits with each other. We don't get involved in organizing, facilitating, or managing splits; that's entirely up to the members involved, including bringing your own bags or containers. Typicslly one member willk make the purchase, then those wanting to split will pay that member for their share. Members can meet at SFRAW to split the case on-site, but we ask that you not leave opened cases here to be picked up later by those involved.