The Orange Shop

Mona, Just to close the loop on the package weight issue -- there's really no way we can offer the fruit by weight. We use standard shipping containers that are made up of trays that hold the fruit, and the cartons in which we stack the trays and seal them. We pack as much fruit into a tray as it will hold. However, each tray will have a slightly different weight, even if it's the same variety, because all the fruit doesn't weigh the same. So, as much as it would seem that measuring the weight of the package sounds simple, because we're dealing with a natural, rather than manufactured, product, there are no "standards" - Mother Nature just doesn't do it that way! No matter how we try to finagle things, each box of fruit of the same size box will have a different weight. In closing, thanks for the kind words -- we appreciate you more than you know. It's thoughtful customers such as yourself that take the time to provide feedback that help us get better, which is our ultimate goal. So, it's only fair that you are rewarded!

Today, Wednesday Jan. 19, I got the surprise of a half bushel box of oranges from The Citrus Shop! As I had not found Pete's reply here at that time, I was quite surprised, non-plussed even! I could not understand what these oranges were doing on my doorstep! So it took me a while to find the page with the reviews here, and now I understand! I have to say I am more than touched by this gesture of generosity! They did not have to do this! So thank you for your kindness. I have no problem whatsoever with the Quality of the fruit, including the delightful page oranges WITH the healthful pips in them (which are a perk, really!). The trays I got today are very juicy and sweet, too, firm and easy to peel! A great variety indeed! I would like to extend a suggestion for how to sell these beauties: sell them by weight, not volume! That way, there can never be any confusion! It is a practical way to express a price for a merchandise, and it leaves no grey zones of misunderstandings! If I know I ordered a certain weight, and if I get that, I am happy. And I think most customers would feel the same. Just for an example: I bought cranberries from MA, 30 pounds exactly. They arrived here in great condition, and just for fun, I did weigh them: there were 32 pounds in that box. As you may imagine, I was more than pleased with that. It will make me want to order them again next year. So, I don't see why oranges can't be handled the same way! And it would make life right the first time around! Anyhow, I really must say I am impressed with Pete's generous "make-up" gift to me. He really did not have to do it and I really did not expect it, but yes, I am grateful and very pleased! Thank you, Pete! All the best, MMVV

Mona, The Orange Shop apologizes for your experience with your fruit. I'll try to respond to the issues one at a time. First of all -- the question of weight. We ship in standard size boxes in trays to protect the fruit. We express the size of the box in "bushels", which is a volume-based standard. All the bushel boxes are the same size, but the fruit inside will be different, so the weight will vary. When the fruit is small, as with Pages (one of the parents is Clementine), the boxes weigh less. However, since Pages are small, there's a lot of them in a box -- up to 100 or so in a bushel. I purposefully did not include the weight in the Page and Navel/Page products because they do weigh less -- I just used the bushel equivalent -- but I forgot to change the fine print down below that had the all-variety averages. So, my oversight caused you distress, and I apologize. Based on your comments, though, I may use a weight range instead of an approximate amount in an effort to be more clear. I think we also need to explore different packaging options for Pages since, as you say, they can rattle around in the trays since they are deep enough to hold grapefruit, too. This was our first time offering them, so things like this came up that we didn't anticipate. As far as the fruit size in the box of Navels, in a bushel we do pack different sized fruit. Each individual tray has a uniform size so we can pack them in a pattern, but we get a range of fruit sizes from each tree, so we include trays with different sizes, too. We like to mix them so people can have the option of, for example, sectioning the big ones and squeezing the smaller ones. Since the big ones don't fit in the manual juicers, and the small ones take too long to section, we include both. Again, the weights expressed are approximate, so the actual weight will vary. Lastly, as far as flavor, everyone has different tastes. Most people agree that Pages blow away any other citrus variety in the flavor department, and of course, Navels are just a good orange. Perhaps your taste buds like a different kind of flavor, though, so we're going to see if we can't find the one you like the best. With your permission, we're going to put you on the monthly plan for the rest of the season and ship the upcoming varieties when they're ripe each month. You'll receive Honeybells in January, Temples in February, Honey Tangerines in March, and Valencias in April. They all have different flavors, and some are never available in stores, the same as Pages. We hope that we can make you a fan of at least one, and hopefully all, of the fruit varieties we grow! I suspect we can beat a Clementine with one of them. Again, we apologize for your experience, and hope that we can make it right. Pete Spyke, Owner.