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Every week, good food goes to waste. Not because it isn’t worth eating — but because it didn’t find a buyer in time. The Soon to Go program exists to change that. Soon to Go is Local Pass’s answer to one of the most persistent challenges in the local food system: surplus. Whether it’s the last dozen eggs before a new batch comes in, a beautiful crop of tomatoes at peak ripeness, or a batch of bread baked fresh this morning — these products deserve to reach a plate, not a bin.

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Why It Matters

The local food system only works if it works for everyone — farmers, producers, vendors, and the communities they feed. Food waste undermines that system at every level. It represents lost revenue for vendors, a missed opportunity for customers seeking affordable local food, and an unnecessary environmental cost. When you mark a product as Soon to Go, you’re doing more than clearing shelf space. You’re participating in a cycle of care — signalling to your community that great local food is available right now, at a fair price, and that it should be enjoyed rather than discarded. This is what a stronger local food system looks like. Not perfect, not effortless — but intentional.

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How It Works

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The Discount Is Automatic

When you mark a product as Soon to Go, the platform automatically applies a set discount to the listed price. You don’t need to manually adjust the price — it’s calculated and displayed instantly. All you need to do is to decide on the discount amount. Customers see:
  • The original price crossed out
  • The discounted price highlighted clearly
  • A green Soon to Go badge on the product card

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A Dedicated Section in the App

Soon to Go products don’t just get a badge — they get their own home. Every product marked with this flag appears in a dedicated Soon to Go section within the Local Pass app, making it easy for customers to find discounted local products specifically. This means your surplus gets promoted — surfaced to shoppers who are actively looking for deals on local food. It’s a channel within a channel: your product appears in your regular store and in the Soon to Go marketplace section.

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The Green Badge

Visibility matters when you’re trying to move products quickly. The Soon to Go badge is a bright green label that appears prominently on the product card — unmistakable to anyone browsing your store or the marketplace. Customers know at a glance that this product is available at a reduced price and won’t be around for long. That combination — urgency, visibility, and value — is what makes the program work.

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What Products Are a Good Fit

Soon to Go is designed for products that are:
  • Approaching the end of their shelf life — still perfectly good, but need to move in the next day or two
  • At peak ripeness — fresh produce that’s best enjoyed right now
  • End of season — the last of a harvest that won’t be available again until next year
  • Surplus from a large batch — more than you expected to have on hand
  • Day-old baked goods — still delicious, but no longer your “fresh today” priority
It is not intended for products that are already past their best, damaged, or unsuitable for consumption. The program’s strength depends on vendors using it with integrity — customers trust that a Soon to Go product is a great deal on real food, not an outlet for product you shouldn’t be selling.

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How to Mark a Product as Soon to Go

You can apply or remove the Soon to Go flag from your Inventory page using the bulk action tool — this means you can update multiple products at once, which is especially useful at the end of a market day or before a long weekend. To mark products as Soon to Go:
1

Go to Inventory

Open your Inventory page from the dashboard sidebar.
2

Select the products

Use the checkboxes on the left of each product row to select the items you want to mark. You can select multiple products at once.
3

Open the Soon-to-Go bulk action

In the bulk action bar that appears at the bottom of the screen (when 2 or more products are selected), click Soon-to-Go.
4

Choose Add or Remove

A prompt appears asking whether you want to Add or Remove the Soon to Go label. Select Add to mark the selected products.
5

Set the discount (if prompted)

Confirm the discount configuration and click through to apply.
To remove the Soon to Go flag: Follow the same steps, but select Remove when prompted. A confirmation dialog will ask you to confirm the removal before it takes effect.
You can also apply or remove the Soon to Go flag for a single product through the product Edit form, using the flag toggles in the product settings panel.

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What Customers See

When a product is marked as Soon to Go, here’s what customers experience:
  • A green “soon-to-go” label appears on the product card in your storefront
  • The product is listed in the dedicated Soon to Go section of the app
  • The product page shows the original price crossed out and the 50% discounted price
  • The visual treatment is distinctive enough to stand out without any additional action on your part

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Tips for Getting the Most from Soon to Go

Mark products early in the day. The sooner a Soon to Go product is visible, the more time customers have to find it and place an order. Marking items first thing in the morning or the evening before gives them the best chance of selling. Use it consistently. Customers who discover great deals through Soon to Go will come back and check your store regularly. Building that habit in your audience means your surplus moves faster over time. Pair it with a good photo. Products with real photos — not placeholders — perform significantly better in the Soon to Go section. If you haven’t added a photo to a product yet, this is a good moment to do it. Be generous with what you include. The more real and varied your Soon to Go selection is, the more valuable the section becomes for customers. A single item occasionally is less compelling than a rotating selection that shoppers can rely on.

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A Note on Trust

The Soon to Go program works because of trust — customers trusting that vendors are offering genuinely good food at a fair discount, and vendors trusting that the community will show up for it. Local Pass is committed to upholding that trust by keeping the program clearly defined and well-maintained. If you have questions about whether a product qualifies, or if you’d like to suggest improvements to how the program works, reach out to the Local Pass vendor support team. Together, we can make sure more good food finds its way to the people who will enjoy it.