Seems I have more money than brains....

16 years ago

and I don't have that much money!

I'm so ticked with me! I decided to purge my spices, it really needed to be done.

So I tossed what I thought was old and ordered all new from Penzey's. The spices and herbs were reasonably priced I thought. The order arrived today, double order because I wanted to do the same at the cottage.

Anyhow , for some reason I had it in my mind that the spices and herbs would arrive in little plastic zip lock type bags so I ordered 32 of their small jars. The jars aren't too pricey but the shipping was a bomb! What was I thinking!

To add insult to injury the spices all came in perfectly good little plastic jars! I don't need the glass ones at all...at least I don't think so.

Anyone have experience with the little plastic jars the spices come in? Do they work well? What the hell am I going to do with 32 little glass jars? OK maybe I need more spices but I'll get them at a bulk food place!

man what a dumb move on my part.....thud!

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Comments (32)

Gina_W
16 years ago
Oh dear Sharon! The {{gwi:1493294}} is what I buy. I only buy the large glass jars for those I use a lot of. You should return the glass jars.
User
Original Author
16 years ago
Gina the shipping to return them is $32 ..... and the credit will be 38.08...... : ( So I ship them back and end up with $6.08 in my pocket....having paid $69.00 (including the spices) to get them here. I don't know why on earth I assumed they would come in little bags.....should have asked.

No one to blame but me.
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lindac
16 years ago
Fill the tiny little jars with a tiny bit of home made jam and give them away.
Make sachet from your own herba...pack into the jars and give them away...make little scented candles in the little jars and give them away...
Linda C
jimtex
16 years ago
I think I would keep them and make up some spice blends with the bulk spices and give some as gifts and keep some for my own use. I bet you can slowly but surely use them all.
compumom
16 years ago
Sharon, don't beat yourself up too badly. The spices that you bought were very reasonably priced and their quality can't be beat. Save the jars or do as the others suggest, in the end it's not all that much. I totally agree with Gina, the small bottles are great for most spices, I only use the larger jars or bags for bulk items. Do you know anyone traveling from Ontario to a city where Penzey's is located? You can always send them along on their trip and they can ship or visit the store for a return or exchange.
changeling
16 years ago
If it was me, I would use them for various spice recipes that I usually use, and you ladies suggest!!
Example: Thyme/sage/salt/pepper/garlic for some pork dishes I like.
Ship them to me, I'll take them in a second, I even like my idea! My God am I starting to learn!!
triciae
16 years ago
Drill a hole in the jar lid. Screw the lid into the underneath of a garage cabinet. Fill jars with various small tacks, nails, brads, screws, tidbits, etc. Screw jars onto their lids. Label. Instant organization. I've done this using baby food jars from DDIL. Works great.

/tricia
User
Original Author
16 years ago
oh need to clarify...the original shipping costs to get it all here, jars and herbs was $69

the full bill was $198.96

91.88 for spices and herbs
38.08 for jars
69.00 for shipping

I need my head read.....no matter how you cut it , it makes for mighty pricey spices.

Oh well, a round of golf would be at least that much. Dinner out would come close, tickets to see Bette Midler in Vegas ......is a double! So when put in perspective, what a bargain!!! LOL
Terri_PacNW
16 years ago
LOL Sharon..I just hit submit on an order to Penzey's on Friday...

I think you should make up a few blends and put them in your jars..maybe some cinnamon sugar in two others....Maybe even flour for dusting pans?
Next time you order...buy the small BAG...not the small jar. LOL

Here's my Smokey BBQ Rub recipe.

Smokey BBQ Dry Rub
2 t smoked Paprika
2 t kosher salt
1 T sugar (I use raw.)
1/2 t freshly ground black pepper
1/2 t cumin
1 t garlic powder
1/2 t chile powder (I used Ancho Chile and plus a generous sprinkle of Mexican Oregano.)
1/2 t cayenne
Yields: About 3 Tablespoons

I make this times 4 and keep in tin to have on hand.

It's good on anything. Some times I quick sprinkle it on boneless skinless chicken breasts or pork chops and sear...
annie1992
16 years ago
Hey Chase, did you sign up for the swap? You could send spice jars, LOL.

The next time, send ME to Penzey's. I'll bet I can ship them to you cheaper than Penzey's will!

Annie
Terrapots
16 years ago
Don't kick yourself, we've all made mistakes like this. One thing I've learned I never order stuff to be mailed w/o knowing how much it's going to cost. Penzey's must be a high end store but did you know most spices are produced or processed by one company. My son works at this company that processes spices and herbs from around the world and sends them back out to places around the world and the U.S. for their own packaging. I saw a lot of known and unknown spice companies in their glass display. They have sales people and buyers all over the world. I think the only spices you can verify their origin are the ones you buy at the farmers markets, those that sell directly to consumers or in your own backyard.

As for shipping, they rip you off on this. I shipped a package to a friend, candies, oils, foodstuffs, etc, filled a 12x10x8 size box delivered in two days just before xmas by Fedex Ground and it only cost me 5.73. I did have to buy the box at Staples, however. I would keep the spices in the glass jars and use the plastic jars for your beading hobby, LOL, or donate them to the schools. They take all kinds of things for crafts for the kids and it will make you feel better about the whole thing and you won't have to see them all the time.
lindac
16 years ago
I was going to echo what Annie said......and I would buy the bags and tell you to tun to thes tore and buy a bunch of baby food, feed the strained liver to the dog and whas the jars and use them for spices.
$198 for spices and jars....oy! Think of the nifty Le Cruset pot you could buy....
$70 for shipping? He!! I would drive them up to you for that!
Linda C
Terri_PacNW
16 years ago
Well shipping is crazy to Canada..
But live and learn...Annie and Linda will now place and deliver your orders. LOL
sally2_gw
16 years ago
Is that why shipping was so high, you live in Canada? Wow, I had no idea that shipping across the border would add up so much. I have ordered mail order before and nearly accidentally had it shipped over night, and I was amazed at how much the price went down when I changed to ground shipping.

There is a Penzy's in Dallas just 10 miles from me, so next time you need something, let me know and I'll see if I can get it for you and ship it myself cheaper.

By the way, I've noticed there's not as many glass baby food jars any more, so those little spice jars just may become very valuable before long.

Sally
maggie2094
16 years ago
Ooooh, Lucy. You have some esplaining to do!

Chase, sounds exactly like something I would do. Your intentions were good!

Bette in Vegas!!!! Awesome. I read that Cher is inking a deal for a long term show as well.
BeverlyAL
16 years ago
I buy the plastic bottles.

You may as well stop beating yourself up and put those little bottles to good use. There are some good ideas here. If you don't have all of the spices there are out there you may want to order some others in the future in Penzey's little plastic bags and pour those into your glass bottles. Shipping would probably be less on those also. Could Meredith use some of the bottles? I know you probably don't want to think of future orders right now, but I think I might investigate a different spice company in the future also. How about The Spice House? Is their shipping as much? I have come to like them better than Penzeys.
maggie2094
16 years ago
I like the idea for candles that Linda mentinoed. Would a tealight fit? Cute to have them all over outside in the summer when entertaining.

You could also do a tiny stem and have one at each place setting for a dinner party.
homesforsale
16 years ago
Sharon..Monique hears you loud and clear..
I never even thought of ordering from Penzey/s ..
Now I just won't:(

We are not lucky:(

Jain emails me deals galore..shipping to Canada is astronomical!

Fancy Flours tickles my fancy..

Shipping is horrendous to Canada..Posh Chicago ..etc.. EBay..
I don't blame anyone except me and my coveting:)

Then duty.. GST and PST.. Pauvre nous....
mitchdesj
16 years ago
Chase, was it the duty and taxes that added up?, the actual shipping cost had to be much less; I ordered some shoes on a whim last spring from Florida, by the time customs and taxes were tacked on, they were pretty expensive shoes, but I had to have them.

Don't feel bad, we canadians get tempted by those evil U.S. websites and end up doing what you did............. lol..........
lakeguy35
16 years ago
Man, those shipping charges are crazy IMHO. Sharon, I've had more than three duh moments in my life so I feel for ya pal. I'm with Terri and Beverly with use for the jars. Perfect for sharing some of your favorite spice blends with family, friends, or setting the kids up with some of the basics. Cheaper than tuition for sure....LOL!

Bette is great live if your thinking about that for your Vegas trip. Maggie, Cher is a done deal too, I hope to go see her again, she signed a three year deal for 60 million if I remember correctly.

David
maggie2094
16 years ago
David - I saw her last "farewell" (lol) tour. Hmmmm...4 years ago maybe. Love her! Good for her. Remember reading once - if ever the world was wiped out, two things would remain - Cockroaches and Cher:) They are both indestrutible! She rocks.
annie1992
16 years ago
Terrapots, I don't think Penzey's is particularly "high end". I bought a jar of cardamom there for $3.49 when the local WalMart wanted $12 for the same size bottle! Their vanilla beans were cheaper than our local Meijer's too.

Many places will really get you on shipping, though. I have a Penzey's about 50 miles from me, and so I avoid the shipping costs by shopping there a couple of times a year. I have to be careful not to impulse buy, though, when I'm there I can sniff everything. The almond extract, for instance, smells SOOOOOO good, way better than any of the grocery store stuff, and I always end up buying it. Now I've learned to like it in frosting better than vanilla, so I'm hooked!

And I still think I could buy it locally and ship it to Chase cheaper, plus it gives me a reason to shop at Penzey's a bit more!

Annie
lindac
16 years ago
Chase said she thought she had more money than brains....but after this lesson it might seem that's not so...
DARFC>>>>>
Terrapots
16 years ago
Annie, I've never heard of Penzey's except here. It is somewhat frustrating to pay a high price for something that would be cheaper if it weren't so hard to find locally. That's often the case around here as we are at least an hour away from "civilization" in any direction. But we are pretty close to fruit, nuts, milk, etc.
laceyvail 6A, WV
16 years ago
I buy all my spices from Penzeys; I especially like some of their mixed spices--Rogan Josh and Vindaloo. And there's a couple of other blends that are great on pork chops or chicken.
Terri_PacNW
16 years ago
terrapots..I just placed an order on Friday. My shipping was 7.95 because I was in the mid $30 range. The quality and the price even with shipping is worth anything I can get locally. I'm almost to the point of only ordering 4oz bags for refills..but I do always have to toss in a few "small" jars for try me's.
User
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks for all the great ideas guys but I still feel like a dolt!

I went back on the web site and it's clear they offer both bags and bottles. Why on earth did I think I would receive bags when clearly I ordered bottles? The bags would have cost way less in shipping too.

Anyhow the only answer seems to be to order 32 more spices, herbs and blends so I can fill up the jars!

Off to the Penzey site......LOL
annie1992
16 years ago
terrapots, I live in the boonies in northern Michigan, smack in the middle of a rural/agricultural area and adjacent to the Manistee National Forest. The closest shopping other than my small independent grocery or WalMart is 50 miles away in Grand Rapids, that's where my local Penzey's is. Penzey's is based in Wisconsin so it started as a Midwestern thing. So, the closest Trader Joe's is 4 hours away, no Wegmans, not even a Kroger store. Lots of fruits and vegetables, most of which I raise myself, along with my own beef, pork and chickens for eggs. That's why I just love Penzey's, it's one of the few places I actually HAVE within driving distance, LOL, and it's practically across the street from G.B. Russo's, one of Ann T's old shopping meccas!

As for price, I buy their Vietnamese cinnamon, I see it's $7.19 for a 4 ounce bag on-line. My local independent grocer has McCormick spices, who knows how old. Plain "cheap" cinnamon is $4.99 for 2 ounces, so the Penzey's is cheaper, better and available when I make my shopping trip 2 or 3 times a year. I'd probably save money having it shipped, with the current cost of gas....

I always buy their cinnamon, their almond extract, peppercorns and some vindaloo seasoning for the boss, who likes things so hot that the enamel on her teeth bubbles!

I agree, Chase, order some more. I got a bottle of sumac last time I was there to make Lars' Algerian chicken. For less than $3 I expanded my food horizons. (grin)

Annie
kayskats
16 years ago
Chase: of course, ordering 32 more spices in the answer -- the only answer.
Thanks for helping the lower "provinces" in our time of need.
lakeguy35
16 years ago
Maggie, I saw her farwell tour too....one of the best concerts I've been to. And yes, I remember that statement about the roaches and Cher...LOL!

Sharon, sounds like a plan and I'm glad to know about the jars vs. bags. I think it's time for me to purge what I didn't after the move.

David
jimster
16 years ago
"...the shipping to return them is $32"

Wait. Is that based on what Penzey's charged you to ship them? Find out what the actual cost would be for you to ship them back. It might be considerably less. I would think so.
beanthere_dunthat
16 years ago
Good grief. Chase, I've mailed stuff to a friend in NF -- heavy things like books and such -- and that sounds outrageous for shipping!

The glass bottles are better than the plastic for storing spices, especially ones that tend to clump. But even if you don't want to do that, you could just pack them away for a few months, then use them for the holidays. A little collection of baking spices to augment a gift or something of the sort? I would not put candles in them. The glass is probably not tempered and could shatter. The herb company I buy from sells the same bottles and specifically says not to expose them to high heat because they are not tempered glass.

Seems I have more money than brains....

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