Do you sell bulk food?  

We don’t sell bulk food items at our shop, BUT we are happy to share that we’ve partnered with the fabulous folks at Supply Bulk and are a pickup location for dry goods that you order from them. It’s quite simple: go to their website, put together your order, select YES! as the location for pickup, and pay for your order. We receive deliveries every two weeks, and you can come and pick up your order anytime we are open!

Do you sell laundry detergent strips?  

No. Learn more about the complex factors that went into this decision here.

Are you hiring?  

Currently, we are not. But! we are always happy to keep resumes on file in the event that things shift. Please feel free to email us at any point if you think YES! is a place you’d like to spend a lot more time at in the future.

I want to sell my products at your store. What should I do?

We love supporting other small businesses and artists! We are particularly interested in products such as pottery, jewelry, stationary and note cards, wall art such as framed photography and paintings, and home goods like soaps and candles. Please note that we ask all artists, makers, and creators to make a good-faith effort to use plastic-free materials when creating and packaging your items. If you sell products that would be a good fit for our store, please email us at yesplasticfree@gmail.com and we will be in touch. Please make sure to include information such as:

• A description of the products you sell

• A description of the price points for your products (a range is fine to start)

• A description of how much lead time you need to create the products

• Links to your website and social media (if applicable) or photographs

• Additional contact information, including your phone number and general availability

How do you select your products?

Before buying our products, we consider:

• What is the product made out of?

• What material is the product packaged in?

• What will happen to this product at the end of its life?

• Who is the product made by?

• Where is the product originally made?

• Where is the product shipped from?

• What is the product shipped in?

We are committed to stocking plastic-free products that come in limited packaging. We look for companies that treat their employees with respect and pay them fairly. Whenever possible, we source products from other small businesses that are Black- or women-owned. Most products are sourced in the USA, as local as possible to Massachusetts, in an effort to cut down on the transportation necessary to obtain them. We work with wholesalers to ship our products without plastic and in minimal packaging.

Are you zero waste? Is everything really plastic-free?  

We go out of our way to minimize waste. We stock our store primarily with products that are plastic-free and biodegradable. For example, even when sourcing gifts, we avoid plastic and look for alternatives made from metal, shell, glass, or fabric materials.

In addition, we work with wholesalers to ask that they send products with minimal packaging. We also ask that they avoid plastic packaging. For example, before buying pillows we ask that wholesalers do not individually wrap each one in a plastic bag. Before buying greeting cards, we ask that wholesalers do not use cellophane to wrap cards individually. 

That said, the truth is most things are never truly zero-waste, so we try to avoid this term in our marketing. Despite our best efforts, there is always at least some waste involved in the manufacturing and shipping process. There are also times that we make compromises for compelling reasons. For example, Last Swab is a reusable “cotton” swab that contains some plastic. However, they can be used 1,000 times and replace single-use cotton swabs. We’ve made the decision that some products like these are worth carrying. 

Will you judge me for my plastic?

Goodness, no! We drive cars, buy packaged foods, and forget our reusable cup sometimes! Eliminating plastic can be difficult, time-consuming, and frustrating. Honestly, this shouldn’t be on us as consumers to find these alternatives. Until larger companies take responsibility for their packaging and products, all of our judgment is reserved for their greed and laziness. In fact, we encourage you to judge them with us!