Lessons from a Coffee Shop: What I Wish I'd Known

I recently decided to ditch store-bought coffee and give a local roaster a try. Their super competitive pricing really caught my eye, especially when it comes to shipping. Most places charge a whopping 500 rubles, but this shop lets you get your coffee for a third of that price.

Their website is pretty informative, with detailed descriptions and easy navigation. I did mention a few minor issues to the manager, and I hope they'll get sorted out. I had to reach out to them about one of these issues.

I placed my order on May 1st, and since the shipping was promised within 1-2 days with a confirmed delivery date of May 4-7, I was waiting for my coffee by the 4th. But on May 7th, I got an email from the logistics company saying my order was sent to my city. What's going on? The coffee was from India, right? By the way, the package had a date of roasting - May 6th.

It's clear that I'll need to plan ahead and not expect to receive my order tomorrow. It'll take around 1-2 weeks. My order arrived at the post office on May 9th (on a holiday!), so the logistics team is working, but the roasters seem to be taking it easy for half of May. Many places do this, but they usually post a notice on their website saying they'll resume work on a certain date.

Let's talk about the conditions. There's a discount for the first order - 300 rubles. That's nice, and it was a big plus. Shipping was different, and I chose the cheapest option (which cost me 169 rubles). In other places, it was 149 rubles. If you order over 3500 rubles, shipping is free, but that's not relevant to me.

There's a loyalty program. I wrote a review about the shop and the product, and I got points. However, they don't add points to my account; instead, they add them to my expenses. For every 1000 rubles I spend (and points), I get a 1% discount. It's not much (10 rubles in total), but it's nice. After my first order, I got a 7% discount. However, it's all gone after a month. They're trying to get me to make regular orders.

I've still got some positive feelings about the shop, although the first coffee (the cheapest one) didn't impress me. I'll try other options.

The order arrived in a sturdy cardboard box, and they even included two small chocolate treats as a gift. I have no issues with the coffee processing. The packages are foil-wrapped with ziplocks, making them easy to store.

The package has a description of the sort, the date of roasting. You won't get confused or forget.

There's even an invoice. Everything's legit.

After I wrote my review, the manager called me to figure out what was wrong (see above). So, the company is good and responsible. I just need to explore their product range better.

I'm adding this review after making my second order. Unfortunately, I'm really disappointed that I don't want to order from them again. The second order took just as long to process (4 days), although it arrived a day sooner. I ordered an aromatised coffee, but it doesn't smell at all! Not a single hint of a scent. Read about it in my separate review. I'll just say that their product descriptions are a mess (different information in different places), and they hide bad reviews. But in their feed, you'll see plenty of reviews with 4 and 5 stars.

I don't see the point in shopping here. I wouldn't recommend it, and I won't be back.