As the month-end squeeze bites, food rescue app Refreshi is selling surplus food from supermarkets, bakeries and delis at half price or less, from just R39 a bag, and these are the stores where shoppers are getting the most for their money.
With payday still days away and more than a third of South Africans saying their household is worse off than a year ago, food rescue app Refreshi is urging families to stop paying full price for dinner and rescue it instead. Through the free Refreshi app, shoppers in the Western Cape, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape can reserve a Surprise Bag of quality unsold food from a participating supermarket, bakery, café or restaurant at around half its retail value, with prices starting at R39, and collect it from the store during a set window that same day.
The timing is no accident. The final stretch before payday is when household budgets run dry, yet it is also when perfectly good food keeps coming off South African shelves and going into the bin. CSIR research estimates that the country loses or wastes around 10.3 million tonnes of edible food every year, roughly a third of everything it produces. A great deal of it is food that simply did not sell before closing time, sitting a few kilometres from homes that have run out of money for the month.
The pressure on wallets is well documented. NielsenIQ’s Consumer Outlook Guide to 2026 found that 37% of South Africans felt their household was financially worse off than a year earlier, and 70% of that group blamed the rising cost of living. TransUnion’s Q1 2026 Consumer Pulse Study found that 51% of South Africans had already cut back on discretionary spending such as dining out, travel and entertainment at the start of the year. For many households, the Friday-night takeaway is the first thing to go.
“Good food shouldn’t be a luxury, and perfectly edible food shouldn’t go to waste while households are struggling to make their money last until payday,” says Jakob Holbak, CEO and founder of Refreshi.
“Refreshi solves both problems in one go. Consumers get quality food for less and retailers recover value from surplus stock. It puts more money back in people’s pockets and more good food on the table, rather than in the bin.”
Since launching in March 2025, Refreshi has helped South African households save R18 million on groceries while recovering R16.6 million in revenue for local stores. More than 250 000 meals have already been rescued across 700 partner stores nationwide, pointing to growing demand for a smarter, more affordable way to put food on the table while keeping good food in circulation.
A lifeline for stores too
The model works for retailers as much as it does for shoppers. Every unsold loaf, punnet or ready meal is money a store has already spent, and Refreshi gives businesses a way to win back part of that value while opening up another route to market.
Magda Stapelberg, owner of Kwiksparat Lion’s Square in Somerset West, says the partnership has changed how her store handles end-of-day stock.
“Selling products on their expiration day at 50% off has helped us to regain some money on items that would have been wasted. The app is incredibly user-friendly on both ends, and store pickup is effortless. Best of all, it drives new foot traffic through our doors, with customers picking up their Refreshi bags regularly staying to browse and purchase full-priced groceries,” she says.
Where to rescue supper before payday
To make stretching the last few rands before payday a little easier, we’ve rounded up some of the best-value Refreshi stores across Cape Town, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape, along with what shoppers can save and exactly when to collect. From bakery bags for under R40 to deli hauls worth nearly R300 for just over R100, these are some of the standout spots to rescue supper without paying full price.
In Cape Town, Kwikspar Alphen Constantia is a standout, offering R120 worth of food for R55, with collection daily between 16h00 and 17h30. The store has also donated roughly R107 000 from its Refreshi sales to FoodForward SA since April 2025. Further afield, Kwikspar @ Lion’s Square in Somerset West, Kwikspar Langverwacht in Kuils River and Kwikspar Bergvliet in Diep River each offer a variety of categories worth more than R100 for between R49 and R59 , with afternoon collection available daily.
Gauteng shoppers can find one of the biggest savings at Deli One in Morningside, Sandton, where a bag valued at R200 costs R89 , putting more than R111 back in shoppers’ pockets. Collection runs from 15h30 to 17h00 on weekdays and 15h00 to 16h00 on weekends. In Rosebank, TiAmo Italian Deli at 9 Yards packs R142.64 worth of food into a R70.42 bag, collected daily from 14h00 to 15h00. Creme Cafe in Lenasia offers R157.64 worth of food for R71.11, with collection from late afternoon into the evening depending on the day. In Centurion and Midrand, Superspar Mall @ 55 offers a R110 bag for R49, while Superspar Polofields offers R126.82 worth of food for R59.73. Both have daily collections between 14h00 and 17h00.
In KwaZulu-Natal, Fulham Bakery in Glenwood delivers one of the sharpest deals on the list, with R80 worth of food available for just R39. Collection runs from 14h30 to 15h30 on weekdays, 10h30 to 11h30 on Saturdays and 11h30 to 12h30 on Sundays. Bibi’s Bakery in Newlands East offers one of the region’s most convenient collection windows from 12h00 to 16h00 daily. Shell Overport in Berea and Superspar Village Market in Westville also offer R100 bags for R49, with collection from 15h00 to 16h00 and 14h00 to 15h00 respectively.
Fork out less for more
Rescuing supper takes a few taps. Shoppers download the free Refreshi app, browse Surprise Bags from nearby stores, then reserve and pay in the app before collecting during the store’s window. The contents are a surprise, but the price, store and collection time are all visible before booking. Each store can only offer what it has left on the day, so the best bags go to those who book early.
“Payday might be a few days away, but supper is tonight,” says Holbak. “Before you spend R200 on a takeaway, open the app and see what R49 can rescue around the corner.”
