Is Yoshikei Expensive? A Conclusion for Working Moms | Investigating Reviews from Yahoo! Chiebukuro
For those thinking, "I'm interested in Yoshikei but it might be a bit expensive..."
My dual-income household uses Yoshikei, but before trying it, I actually hesitated, thinking, "No, it's definitely expensive."
In conclusion, Yoshikei costs around 2,000 yen per meal for 3 people (varies by region, course, and menu). At about 670 yen per person, it is more expensive than cooking from scratch, but cheaper than eating out or getting takeout.
In this article, I will honestly summarize my real impressions as a working mom with a 3-year-old daughter, reviews from Yahoo! Chiebukuro, and the question, "Does 'expensive' mean it's for the wealthy?"
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Is Yoshikei for the wealthy because it's expensive? → It's usable for ordinary people too
As I mentioned at the beginning, Yoshikei costs around 2,000 yen per meal for 3 people. While you can save more by cooking everything from scratch, it is a "mid-price range" that is significantly cheaper than eating out.
When you search for "Yoshikei," the suggestion "wealthy" appears, but personally, I think it is not that special of a service, and it's a price range that ordinary people can use normally.
Also, a discount applies if you order for 5 days at once. For the standard "Smiley Meal" course, it costs about 8,400 yen for 3 people for 5 days, which is 1,680 yen per day.
From my perspective as an ordinary working person, my honest impression is
"It's a bit expensive to use every day, but it's a viable option for busy days."
Here is an article that calculates the monthly cost in detail.
First-time users can try Yoshikei for 5 days at up to 50% OFF◎
When you use Yoshikei for the first time, you can use the 5-day course at up to 50% OFF. Even for those who feel it's "a bit expensive" at the regular price, doesn't this trial period lower the hurdle significantly? (That was the case for me.)
The discount rate varies depending on the course, so I recommend choosing a course where the 50% OFF applies.
Also, depending on the region, there are cases where you can try it for an additional 5 days after the trial ends. In my case, I was offered, "Would you like to try it for another 5 days at a great price next week?" and as a result, I was able to thoroughly test it for a total of 10 days.
However, please note that whether an additional trial is available depends on the region, so the same conditions may not always apply.
▶︎ [Try it for 5 days first] Try Yoshikei at half price
The pros and cons of Yoshikei that I learned from actually using it
I will summarize my realistic impressions after trying Yoshikei for two weeks.
Yoshikei's Merits | What I Learned from Actually Using It
Here are the merits of Yoshikei I felt after actually using it👇
It saves time, no matter what
No need to think about menus
Fresh flavors I wouldn't come up with myself
They deliver to your doorstep in a cooler box even if you're out
My honest impression is, "I knew it, but it really is easy" (lol).
Especially on days when I'm busy with work deadlines, housework, and childcare, it was a huge help to have zero time spent worrying about "what should I make for dinner...".
I can strongly recommend it to dual-income families!
Yoshikei's Demerits | Various things besides it being "expensive"
On the other hand, there were honestly some demerits too👇
There are hits and misses with the menus
Three servings were too much for a family of a couple and a 3-year-old
It is more expensive than cooking from scratch
First, regarding the menus, there were some that were "This is delicious!" and some that were "Well, it's okay, I guess." Personally, I have never felt that Yoshikei's meal kits were "bad." (The frozen bento boxes are... well...)
Also, in our home (a couple and a 3-year-old), three servings were a bit too much. That said, two servings wouldn't be enough and would be more expensive, so as a result, we choose three servings.
And the biggest thing is,"It's cheaper to make it myself..."that thought inevitably crosses my mind (lol).
Conclusion: This is how we decided to use it in our home
After trying various things, our conclusion was
to "only order on busy days and days when the menu looks good."
Honestly, it is a bit expensive for daily use, but if you think of it as "buying time," it is definitely worth it. You don't have to go to the supermarket and you can shorten cooking time, so you can increase the time you spend with your children.
I'm an average person, so it's tough to use for every meal (lol), but I think it is a very excellent service to use only when necessary.
▶︎ [First, just for 5 days] Try Yoshikei at half price
Is Yoshikei expensive? Real reviews posted on Yahoo! Chiebukuro
Wondering what others think, I took a look at Yahoo! Chiebukuro.
Positive reviews: "Delicious," "Generous portions"
I am currently using it. It is very delicious. I can eat ingredients that I would never buy at the supermarket! (Like celery, which we would never buy at home). As for the amount, if you order the pre-cut ingredient menu, I think there is a decent volume.
There were many comments saying, "I can encounter ingredients I don't usually use" and "It's generally delicious."
Negative reviews: "Tastes bad," "Portions are small"
On the other hand, there were also negative reviews.
To be polite, the delivered Yoshikei products are not delicious. The meatballs are so rubbery I thought they were fish cakes. My wife is busy with work so we have no choice but to order it, but I have never once thought it was delicious.
I wrote that it was a lot for my home, but there were also voices saying the "portions are too small."
I used it in the past. It's generally delicious, but the portions were too small.
Conclusion: Yoshikei has mixed reviews
There are people who say it's delicious and people who say it's bad, and people who say there is a lot and people who say there is little... It may be obvious, but Yoshikei is not a perfect service for everyone.
It may be obvious, but Yoshikei is not a perfect service for everyone.
[Peace of mind] The trial is a one-time purchase with no automatic renewal
The Yoshikei trial is a one-time purchase, so it will not be automatically renewed. In other words, you don't have to worry about things like "I realized I was being charged..."
In my case, after the initial 5-day trial, I received an offer saying, "Would you like to try it for another 5 days at a discounted price?" so I placed an additional order through the app.
(Although the regular price was displayed at the time of ordering, I was correctly billed half-price later.)
The process looks like this👇
Apply for the 5-day trial
Order an additional 5-day trial via the app
This allowed me to fully test it for a total of 10 days, and after that, I wasn't automatically signed up for orders; I just order whenever I need it. (Sometimes I use it once or twice a month, and other months I don't order at all.)
Personally, this lack of commitment was a major factor in why it's so easy to use.
▶︎【First, just 5 days】Try Yoshikei at half price
Will I be solicited if I try Yoshikei?
When trying it out, you might worry, "What if the solicitation is persistent after the trial ends?"
To conclude, in my case, there was absolutely no persistent solicitation.
"Please order again if you like!"
"I'll leave the catalog here, but you can also order online. You can opt out if you don't need it!"
It was just a light suggestion like that. There was no high-pressure sales atmosphere at all.
Looking at reviews, many people shared similar opinions.
I don't think the solicitation from the Yoshikei lady is that persistent. (The person who comes is also the one doing the delivery, right?) I actually had a good impression because she even wrote me handwritten notes.
On the other hand, there were also voices like this.
Among my mom friends, Yoshikei is famous for being persistent with solicitation and also persistent with reminders when orders lag. So, no one around me uses Yoshikei anymore...
However, many of these reviews are over 10 years old, so it's possible that the impression has changed significantly recently. Also, there might be some differences depending on the representative.
Conclusion | Yoshikei is expensive, but it might be worth it for these people
Honestly, Yoshikei is not cheap.
However,
if you are too busy and find it exhausting to think about meals every day
if you tend to eat out or get takeout often
if you don't want to worry about daily meals
I think it is a very good option for people like this.
Conversely, it might not be suitable for those who "just want to save money" or "don't mind cooking."
Honestly, if you are worried about it, you should at least try the trial. You can try it for up to half price for the first 5 days, it is a one-time purchase with no automatic contract, and it is okay to stop after the trial if it doesn't suit you.
The time you spend hesitating is the biggest waste, so if you are curious, I recommend trying it just once.
▶︎ [Try it for 5 days first] Try Yoshikei at half price