by Howard Moscoe
This can of Heinz beans was made in Canada and tastes just the same as the beans that your mother spoon fed you when you were a child. So what’s wrong with them? Well nothing other than the fact that instead of French the backside of the can is printed in Hebrew. I bought them for 79 cents at my all-time favourite store, ALMOST PERFECT. The same beans without the Hebrew label were priced for $1.59 at the nearby No Frills.ALMOST PERFECT is a gem of a discount store tucked away in a plaza on the north side of Sheppard Avenue, about half way between Keele Street and Dufferin Street. (1150 Sheppard Ave. W). It is a food clearance outlet that is the best kept secret in Downsview.This is where you can pick up an endless variety of products that you either won’t, or can’t find in other retail outlets. There you’ll pick up brands that you recognize like Kellogg’s, Betty Crocker, McCain, Hershey, and Lay’s; as well as, brands that you may never have heard of like, Super Slim, Chris Formly, Great Canadian Meat Co., Fairmarket, and Tangy Zangy. How do products end up at ALMOST PERFECT? Often times manufacturers overestimate sales, or launch products that just don’t catch on. For example, have you have heard of Heinz Red Thai Sauce? Fortunately, for ALMOST PERFECT shoppers, the goods end up on their shelves at a discounted price.
The best part of the fun of shopping here is that you never know what surprise you can expect to find. What my daughter who lives in New York loves best about the store is she can get a range of organic and vegetarian products at bargain prices. (Yves vegetarian patties, $1.77) In fact, some of the products come up from the US because American manufacturers don’t want their products to appear at discount prices in local markets. Long before TARGET came to Canada ALMOST PERFECT was selling ‘Archer Farms’, TARGET’S private brand products, not only because TARGET didn’t want their discounted products to be sold in the US, but also because they were made in Canada. ALMOST PERFECT also has a huge variety of frozen food products. 50% of the store is filled with freezer cases. Wondering what the story behind Almost Perfect is? The company was founded in Whitby in 1998 by two Sisters, Carolyne Boiani and Pamela McGibney. In 1999 they took over a Sara Lee factory outlet at the Downsview location. From two outlet stores the company has since expanded into the largest ‘food only’ surplus retailer in Canada with ten stores, and an eleventh scheduled to be opened in Cobourg in the Spring of 2015. So why haven’t you heard about ALMOST PERFECT? As Carolyne explained; “We don’t advertise because our manufacturers expect us to be discrete. We don’t want to undercut their retail sales.” That’s probably why ALMOST PERFECT has largely stayed out of the Toronto Market, so we are lucky to have their only Toronto store right here in our community. I learned how to be an almost perfect shopper, and want to share a few tips with you. When you see a new product buy one, take it home and try it. If you like it return to the store and stock up because it might not ever be there again. Also, try visiting the store on a regular basis to get the best selection, and make sure you keep an eye on the product dates. The beans I bought had a January 2015 “best before” date, but I still bought two cases because how often does a can of beans go bad?You’ll love it as much as I do!