FAQs

Why Shop Zero?
Unnecessary packaging and disposable items have turned us into a careless society, disconnected from the well-being of our planet.  It seems easier to throw things away and buy more, rather than rethink our choices. But at what cost? Earth’s future and our own with it? Since 2017 we’ve been giving South Africans the option to shop producing very little to zero waste, which helps prevent and divert as much trash from the landfills and oceans as possible. Customers are encouraged to buy only what they need, utilising reusable packaging. This way you buy as much as you need and Shop Zero™ waste.

Do you have a physical store?
Yes, our new home in Observatory is no 224 Lower Main Road. 

Do you deliver nationwide?
Yes, we do. We have free* nationwide delivery available. Please see more below.

Will my order arrive at my door?
If you reside in a main centre, your parcel will arrive at your door, yes. We make use of Pargo for outlying, remote areas and farms. Therefore if delivery is outside of main centres, your parcel will need to be collected at a Pargo Pick-up Point. These pick-up points are all conveniently located at petrol stations, pharmacies or other frequently visited stores. We will check which pick-up point is closest to your address and inform you via email. An SMS and/or email will then be sent to you as soon as your package is ready for collection at your chosen Pargo parcel point. This way we’re keeping the environment in mind by shortening shipping distances and reducing individual shipments to outlying, remote areas. Thank you for shopping consciously with Shop Zero™.

What is the cost of your delivery service?
Please see the tables below to see how much shipping to your area would cost. If delivery is to your address in Cape Town and you are not offered a free delivery option please contact us so that we can update our system.

Local Cape Town Area
We deliver for free to the following areas for all orders of R400 or more. If your order is below R400 the flat rate delivery fee is R50. 

Camps Bay  Clifton  Bantry Bay	Sea Point/Fresnaye  Green Point  De Waterkant
Oranjezicht/Vredehoek  Tamboerskloof	Gardens Cape Town CBD
Woodstock/Salt River  Observatory  Mowbray	Maitland  Athlone  Pinelands
Newlands  Claremont  Harfield Village	Rosebank  Rondebosch  Bo-Kaap
Bishopscourt  Constantia  Kenilworth  Higgovale	Ottery  Plumstead  Wynberg  Devil’s Peak Estate

Greater Cape Town Area
We deliver for free to the following areas for all orders of R550 or more. If your order is below R550 the flat rate delivery fee is R70. 

Belhar Bergvliet Bothasig	Bellville Bloubergstrand Brackenfell
Brooklyn  Durbanville Heathfield	Crawford  Diep River Edgemead
Epping  Goodwood  Hanover Park	Elsies River  Grassy Park   Khayelitsha
Kensington Lansdowne Meadowridge	Kuils River Llandudno Monte Vista
Marina Da Gama Kirstenhof Retreat Stellenbosch North Tokai Parklands	Melkbosstrand Montague Gardens Milnerton Philippi Stellenridge Stellenbosch South

If you reside in any other area in South Africa, delivery is free for orders of R850 or more or pay R90 if your order is below R850.

How long does delivery take?
We do our best to get our Cape Town orders out same day, but delivery could be 1 – 2 days after receiving your payment.  Nationwide parcels may take up to 7 working days from funds clearing in our account. Our courier partners will need to travel a little further to deliver to outlying, remote areas therefore your shipment may take a couple of days longer than to a major area where our courier partners have a depot or delivery hub. Please note that unexpected bad weather, loadshedding, closed roads, strikes or disruption in our couriers’ transit times could extend the delivery time.

Can I track my order? 
Yes, you will receive either an email or an sms so you can check on the status of your order.

Can I place an order online and collect?

Yes. Shop Zero™ is making zero waste shopping even easier by offering a click & collect service to our customers. Order your items online and collect them at our store between 09:00 and 17:30. You will receive an email or sms once your order has been packed. Our address is 224 Lower Main Road, Observatory, Cape Town.

What payment methods do you accept?
We accept MasterCard and Visa credit cards and payment via EFT or Snapscan. We also offer a Pay Later service where customers can enjoy getting their goods now and pay in 4 equal installments over 6 weeks, interest free. Choose ‘Payflex’ as your payment method at checkout and select ‘Pay Later.’ Apply in minutes for your ‘Payflex’ account, get your Shop Zero™ goods now and spread your purchase across 4 equal fortnightly payments.

Is your checkout 100% secure?
Absolutely. Our website is very secure. You can enter your credit card information and shop in safety at www.shopzero.co.za. Your sensitive information for example passwords or credit card numbers, is private when it is sent to our site and protected by our website’s SSL encryption. 

How do you pack your online orders?
Our food products are packed in brown paper bags that are made from recycled paper.  We then pack each online order in a reused box which we collect from deliveries made to us by our suppliers or donated to us by family and friends.  We seal the boxes with 100% fully biodegradable, non-reinforced paper tape.  

According to the forest conservation organisation Canopy, as reported in Sourcing Journal, each year 3 billion trees are cut down to make 241 million tons of cardboard boxes, mailers, void-fill wrappers and other paper-based packaging. Sending your order in a reused box is one of the ways we are committed to lessening our environmental impact. We’d also like to encourage all our customers to reuse their paper bags at least three times to reduce their carbon footprint.

Thank you for shopping more environmentally conscious with Shop Zero™.

What is your policy on returns?
If you have any issues with a product you bought from us online, please email us and we’ll address it personally. Due to the environmental impact of returning items, we do not accept returns or issue refunds (unless agreed otherwise). We are confident we can come to a fair agreement if a product you bought from us is defective, although we ensure all products are in good order before we pack and ship them.

We encourage you to research all products before you decide to buy them, or call or email us (before you order) with any product questions you may have. We are happy to help! Thank you for caring about how your purchases affect the planet.

Do you sell your products for other companies to resell? 
Please send us an email to info@shopzero.co.za if you would like to make a bulk order.

We’ve always been curious about the names printed on your shelves. Who are they?
Shop Zero™ was founded by Janneke Blake in August 2017 when she took the leap to reach her dream of bringing a zero waste, plastic-free lifestyle store to Cape Town. Quickly thereafter she launched a crowdfunding campaign to open up the store. Those who believed in Janneke’s concept of bringing this zero waste store to Cape Town made a contribution in return for a reward. They essentially helped open our doors and their names will never be forgotten. Thank you again to the amazing people who supported the crowdfunding campaign back in 2017.