The #1 Thing Shoppers Don’t Realize About HomeGoods’ Food Aisles
Compared to HomeGoods’ easily spotted home decor items, the pantry area of the store can feel confusing to some shoppers who might not understand how a seemingly random assortment of olive oil, crackers, vinegars, and spices ended up at the store. But according to one industry expert, there’s a surprising truth behind HomeGoods’ food aisles that most customers know nothing about.
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Most HomeGoods food items are “failed import projects.”
The intel comes from a recent TikTok video posted by gourmet food company owner Thomas Sheridan (@kensingtonfoodcompany). The import expert begins the clip by explaining that most of the food products in HomeGoods are failed projects from producers overseas, listing Italy, Spain, and Portugal, and “everywhere over in Europe” as common finds.
“These amazing food companies try to break into the American food market and can’t really make it, so then they sell off the product they have in the warehouses at pennies on the dollar to try and get some of their investment back,” he explains.
These items are usually “some of the best quality.”
Although these items never took off stateside, Sheridan goes on to explain that it has nothing to do with how they taste.
“Usually, some of these food brands are some of the best quality,” he says. “They really believe in their product, they really believe they can succeed here, but they don’t make it, and it ends up here [at HomeGoods]. And you can find some gems!”
He goes on to point out the example of an Italian mineral water he saw being sold by the case, saying it was “100 percent” a failed import project: “This company tried to make a name for itself, probably brought over five or 10 pallets, and it just didn’t work, and they had to move it before it expires.”
He then points out a thin layer of dust that had settled on the top of the plastic cases, further explaining that they were likely sitting in a warehouse before someone decided they needed to move them through the market before they expired.
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The HomeGoods food aisle can have some of the best bargains in the store.
Sheridan continues to look through the available items at his local store, adding that he had previously met with many of the companies, been pitched on them, or even worked with them in some capacity. This included Italian macarons, organic Italian pasta, Italian cocoa biscuits, chocolates, candies, and more.
Still, Sheridan rests on his assessment that these products are absolutely worth buying when you see something that interests you. “I guarantee you, they are the best of the best quality you will ever find,” he says confidently. “They just didn’t make it. It happens! It’s expensive to bring products over, [and] it’s hard to break into the market.”
And take note, bargain hunters: He says that there are absolutely some gems in the store’s inventory—and save some serious money: “You can find some top-notch stuff here for a fraction of what you would have paid when it first came to market.”