OSHKOSH (NBC 26) — 2nd Chance Goods, a family-owned grocery store in Oshkosh, is an inexpensive way to grocery shop, selling items that are bent, unpopular or past the best-by date.
- 2nd Chance Goods, located on Main Street in Oshkosh, is celebrating its 10th anniversary.
- Owners, Kirt and Laurie Schmidt, want to provide a welcoming community for Oshkosh.
- They buy unwanted groceries in bulk, then sell them at a discounted price.
Laurie and Kirt Schmidt opened 2nd Chance Goods in 2015. Laurie says it was a perfect transition from a life in church service.
“We loved being in ministry, we loved people, so we thought we could still minister to people by opening a bent and dent store,” she says. “We thought we can still help people, we can love people, and here we are, 10 years later.”
The Schmidt’s buy boxes full of unknown and unwanted food items– whether there’s a dent in the container, it was unpopular and wasn’t selling, or it is past the best-by date.
“People get all worried about expiration dates, but really, they are best-by dates,” Laurie says. “The best-by is for the sake of manufacturers.”
Laurie says the site StillTasty.com says how long you can eat a particular food item past its best-by date.
They pay around $25 for a box of food, Laurie says, but it’s a gamble whether the items inside are still good or not.
“Just a box of stuff that you have no idea what it is,” she says. “Probably bad loads are the most discouraging.”
The market is a way for people to save money.
“Just an option to the crazy high costs out there,” Laurie says.
But the Schmidt’s hope to be more than just a grocery store. From knowing the regulars by name, to making lists of customers to pray for, they want to create a community for Oshkosh.
“We just really care about people,” Laurie says. “So it’s kind of helping physically, helping monetarily, and hopefully helping spiritually.”
Laurie says they have new items every single day. The store is open Tuesday through Saturday. More information can be found on their Facebook page.
