The Ready Store Logo

The Ready Store

Is This Your Business?
star star star_border star_border star_border

3.0

Overall Score

LAST UPDATED: April 21st, 2024

The Ready Store is a subsidiary of the Saratoga Trading Company, headquartered in Draper, UT. The company was founded in 2002 by Jeff and Amy Davis, who started out by selling 72-hour kits from their home. Today the company is small but thriving, still owned by the founding couple. 

The company-produced freeze-dried foods from Saratoga Farms are guaranteed to last for 20-30 years and there is a wide variety of emergency food, survival kits, and other preparedness products. The Ready Store has been mentioned in the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times. 

Top Ranked Companies

thumb_up

The Good

  • ReadyCLUB Membership
  • Water Supplies
  • Other Inventory 
  • Price Match Guarantee
  • Educational Resources 

ReadyCLUB Membership

For customers who frequent The Ready Store at least three times a year, the company’s club membership benefits pay off quickly. For $39.99 per year, customers get free shipping on all orders and get a 2% purchase credit back. Plus, you can auto-ship at your own pace and budget and pay as you go with big kit purchases. 

Water Supplies

The Ready Store is as equipped with as many water supplies as any other company we’ve reviewed in the industry. The Ready Store sells water filters, purifiers, water storage containers, barrels, spigots, water preserver drops, and water purification tablets. 

Plus, it sells portable water pouches as well as canned drinking water that can be purchased in 7-day, 3-month, and 1-year serving quantities. The canned water is purified with added minerals and increased alkalinity and is guaranteed for 30 years. 

As a side note, The Ready Store sells a can of “dehydrated water” — the perfect gag gift. 

Other Inventory

The Ready Store carries an extensive array of food storage, including EasyPrep™ freeze-dried food pouches, military meals or meals ready-to-eat (MREs), dehydrated foods, and standard storage items like wheat and rice. There is also a wide selection of other preparedness items including:

  • Survival gear and kits
  • Shelter
  • Sanitation
  • First aid
  • Tools
  • Books
  • Communications
  • Cookware
  • Fuel and power items
  • DIY supplies

Price Match Guarantee

If you find the same product offered at a lower price by a competitor within 10 days of your original order date, The Ready Store will match the total price or refund the difference as long as comparisons include the product price plus shipping and handling charges. 

Educational Resources 

In addition to the store, there is a large educational section of the website, which includes a well-stocked blog, weather tracker, calculators, and videos. There is a section offering printables designed to help you prepare your own readiness binder — a great idea, since online articles are unlikely to be available when disaster strikes.

Interested users can also connect with the company on social media, including a Pinterest page featuring a wealth of informative information along with fun extras.

thumb_down

The Bad

  • Price Match Conditions 
  • Return Shipping Policies

Price Match Conditions

The Ready Store’s price match guarantee is an awesome feature but there are a number of stipulations that customers must meet to take advantage of it:

  1. Prices matched must be within the allowed discounting parameters mandated by some of the company’s suppliers, and these parameters are not described. 
  2. The guarantee only applies only to retailers shipping from the United States that have the identical product in-stock and the product is priced accurately.
  3. Products being price-matched must be offered by a commercial retailer and not sold by individuals on online auction sites or through classified ads. 

Return Shipping Policies 

Returns are done on a case by case basis and each question must be discussed by contacting customer service through their phone number or email. In most cases, The Ready Store has a generous returns grace period of 130 days, but customers must pay for return shipping in addition to a 15% re-stocking fee. There are competing online sources that do free returns. 

gavel

The Bottom Line

The Ready Store is an emergency prep company we can recommend. It’s an especially good company for individuals who purchase preparedness supplies regularly because they can make use of the ReadyCLUB membership free shipping and other benefits. 

The price match guarantee assures consumers that they will find what they are looking for at a competitive price. And if you want to try a freeze-dried Mountain House brand entree for free, you can get a sample by just paying $1.99 for shipping. 

View Top Emergency Prep Companies 

Was this content helpful?
thumb_up Yes thumb_down No

Star Rating

info

1.9

star star star_border star_border star_border

19 Reviews

Review Breakdown

5 grade

16%

4 grade

5%

3 grade

0%

2 grade

11%

1 grade

68%

Sentiment Criteria

Value

star star star_half star_border star_border

Quality

star star star_half star_border star_border

Service

star star star_border star_border star_border

Trustworthiness

star star star_border star_border star_border
cancel

Filter by:

arrow_drop_down

Sort by:

arrow_drop_down
info
star star star star star

June Cook Manteca, CA

I can't say enough good things about the Ready Store. Our family have been customers for several years now. We live in Alaska and have always found that they ship quickly and all items arrive in perfect condition. Their tutorials are a great help and the reviews they put up with every item help a lot with decision making. Their telephone representatives are courteous, kind and never condescending. (I'm sensitive to that attitude, being 73 and used to younger folk talking down to "the old folk".) If you have any questions, they are always happy to answer quickly and though I've never had any reason to return anything, I'm positive they would handle that as efficiently and politely as they do everything else. I'd recommend them highly to everyone.

9 years ago

star star_border star_border star_border star_border

Tahra Godfrey ,

I placed an order with the Ready Store one year ago. It has been nothing but problems all along the way and I still feel like after contacting the company through Customer Service many many times I haven’t been heard. It was understandable that in the beginning after Covid hit and then we had an earthquake it would be difficult for the items I ordered to be available right away. I was totally fine with waiting for three months as I was told. But I didn’t hear anything from the company after that time. It wasn’t until I reached out to the company again and again that I realized just how difficult It may be to actually get the products I ordered. Then all of a sudden I received boxes of full meals. When I called about them I was told that somebody in the warehouse had made the decision to fill orders based on what was available instead of waiting for these back ordered items to come in. I returned those and Hunter replaced the original order that I had wanted. But that just pushed my order down to the bottom of the waiting list. So then I had to wait another three months they said before they would come back in stock. An email from Monica on Dec. 31, 2020 stated “Rest assured, your order remains in full force and is expected to get there as quickly as possible.” So I tried to be patient and waited a few more months. Today marks a year exactly since I first placed the order so I thought I would login to my account and see if there had been any progress made. It showed that the order had fully shipped but UPS wasn’t able to provide any tracking information. So I called up the store and was told that the order DID fully ship but it was so long ago that they don’t have any shipping information for it. I don’t buy it. Nothing arrived here from the store in that time. If I hadn’t checked to see what was going on with my account, this company would have continued to show that the order was filled and shipped. But my sweet Mom, who wanted to purchase emergency meals for us, would be out the money already collected for the order but the product would never be fully received. Over the phone today, I was told those particular MREs aren’t even being sold by the company anymore. Good to know. I was given the option to replace each MRE with a full meal. As generous as that may sound, they were not meals that my family would like to eat. In an emergency I want to feed my family meals that they are more familiar with and comfortable eating. It’s my job to take care of my family and I was really hoping that it wouldn’t be this difficult to get to that point. I don’t feel prepared. This store is not “Always Here/Always Ready”. I’m so frustrated. I asked to have the order refunded. I just hope that the refund will go through faster for my sweet Mom than this original order has taken. Customer Service just has not been very helpful in the sense that they keep saying over and over again just wait three more months just wait three more months, “I’m sorry we’re doing the best that we can”. But to have someone in the warehouse first make a decision for me and send us boxes of food that we did not want and then to show in my account that the order was fully shipped when honestly I don’t think that anything ever was shipped from that order, it’s ridiculous. I would really appreciate a response from somebody who isn’t just being told to send out canned responses. As a mother, I have a strong need to prepare my family for as many possibilities as I can. I just want to be heard.

3 years ago

star star_border star_border star_border star_border

Robert Gilliland Burlington, CO

We placed an order on 12-1-19. Estimated to ship on or before 12-5-19 and estimated delivery 12-10-19. On 12-12 i tried to get ahold of them but all calls went to voicemail, they never called back. 12-13 i tried 3 more times, and again it goes to voicemail. Finally i go online and their customer service comes on and ask how can i help you. I tgive him my number and ask him to call me because i wanted to order. This guys name was Hunter. I told him i placed an order on the 1st and when it was supposed to be delivered, but yet it still says order pending. They already recieved paymet whats up with my order. Anyway he makes up this BS excuse and says they will send it out right away. Our order was delivered on 12-19-19 and said it was status fully shipped. It was supposed to be a 6 pack of cranberries, but it was a 3 pack. All other items were there that we ordered. I called them on 12 -20 and Hunter answered the phone. I told him the order was short and he told me they ran out of cranberries. He told me they refunded to our account for the 3 cans. We never got a confirmation about a refund. It's now 12-29 still showing nothing on our account. In the beginning of this when i first complained Hunter said he would send a gift card as well, surprise, it wasn't there...lol. Gonna try again tomorrow to see if they gonna make it right.

4 years ago

star star_border star_border star_border star_border

Ashley C. Baytown, TX

Ordering from this place was a nightmare. I tried to order one thing, paid extra for shipping, and was promised that it would be delivered in 3-5 days. Weeks go by without any word from them. I even had to call them and request a receipt and tracking information, as neither was originally given. They almost never pick up, no matter when I called, and when I asked about my order, I was given the same lame excuse every time: that they were suddenly out of that product and had no real idea when they'd get more, only that it might be delivered by the end of that week. It never was, no real apology was given, and I will never try to order from them again. Definitely a disappointing sand frustrating experience!

4 years ago

star star_border star_border star_border star_border

Michael Blair San Diego, CA

Do not conduct business with ReadyStore…this criminal organization stole from me on my very first order. Placed an initial $700.00+ purchase request on June 13, 2019. On June 22nd received an e-mail stating some items were out-of-stock (these things happen…I appreciated being informed). Received another e-mail June 26th stating a move to a bigger warehouse would cause further delay in delivery (again, it was reassuring to be kept informed). July 1st an e-mail said the order was, “fully shipped.” After receiving the shipment, discovered $140.00+ in products are missing from the order. Due to the lengthy shipping process and zero explanation regarding the missing products, I can only assume theft by ReadyStore. Attempts to determine the status of missing items go unanswered. The ReadyStore (800) number is out of service. The company’s (385) number goes to voice-mail where they never respond to messages. Even e-mail is ignored which is strange because my e-mail inbox seems to receive ReadyStore advertisements on a daily basis. Some of these offers seem good; but, I have no reason to believe ReadyStore will fulfill their obligations after an order is placed and money received. I won’t be fooled again.

5 years ago

star star star_border star_border star_border

Shari Evers Lehi, UT

I had decided to really start working on food storage. In order to manage it financially I was going to do a little each month. I had noticed on the Ready Store that you could actually set up a monthly plan. Make a list, put amount you want to spend each month, then it’d be shipped to you. No brainer. Well, my orders never went through so I never received products. A little bummed.

6 years ago

star star_border star_border star_border star_border

Gzbird Missoula, MT

We have used the ready store twice now. Both orders took quite a while to get. We are still waiting on part of a order placed in August and have had nothing but excuses when we call in to ask about it. They claim back orders and short supply but the exact same items have arrived from their competitor within 2 weeks without issue. They are also still selling the items they claim not to have without so much as a notification on their site about delays nor a email. We placed a large order thinking their issues last time were a fluke but after 3 months of excuses with this order we will not order from them again and give our business to their competition.

9 years ago

check_circle

Review Source

star star star star star

August Moulton Lehi, UT

A friend once brought canned bacon from this store on a camping trip. It was surprisingly AWESOME! This is the kind of stuff you want in your bug out bag when it all goes south for trades and bad days.

5 years ago

star star_border star_border star_border star_border

Dustin Atlanta, GA

Businesses, like the ready store, who withdrawal funds immediately from a customer's account and then do not fulfill that order and ship it immediately or the next business day is bad business etiquette. I don't mind waiting for my order to be fulfilled as long as money is not withdrawn from my account until it has been fulfilled and ready to ship (indicated by a tracking number notification).

3 years ago

star star_border star_border star_border star_border

Ross Brockton, MA

I placed an order on a Sunday, and when I received the confirmation it stated UPS ground to my PO Box.I e-mailed them and asked to cancel the order. They responded asking me why I wanted to cancel. I replied the carrier can't deliver to a PO Box. They responded the next afternoon telling me it shipped. UPS states the address was updated, and the package was delivered to the side door. I don't have a side door. I can't rate the product, I never received it, but the claim process is still goung on a month later.

4 years ago

star star_border star_border star_border star_border

Hamil Tavernier Silver Spring, MD

I received a contaminated can of white chicken. Ready Store wrote a letter to me saying they would refund my money and give me a coupon. I left a message on their telephone number which said they would return my call. Not only have they failed to respond but I am unable to contact them by email or phone. I would give them zero stars if I could. Very disappointed.

5 years ago

star star star_border star_border star_border

Angie L Hanzel Saratoga Springs, UT

I have found the Ready Store to be really over priced. I stopped by their retail store in Draper and found that their customer service was really lacking and their store didn't have a lot of product. I probably wouldn't ever shop here again.

6 years ago

star star_border star_border star_border star_border

Joel Little North Richland Hills, TX

I ordered a case of MRE's. I heavily use them when backpacking/hiking. Every single heater I had did not work. This is not a user error, but a defective product. I emailed the company only to never have anyone contact me with my inquiries/concerns, even after multiple emails a month later. Product that does not work: 0/1 Stars Non-existent customer service: 0/1 stars It cannot get any more black/white than this. Too many good products/companies to waste another dime giving the Ready Store a second chance if they can't even make contact.

8 years ago

check_circle

Review Source

star star star star star_border

Grant American Fork, UT

I used to go to the brick and mortar “The Ready Store”, and was sad to see it go. I am glad it still has an online presence. It has fair prices and good people than run it.

5 years ago

star star_border star_border star_border star_border

BB Nashville, TN

It's a rip as far as delivery is concerned. I placed an order for 5 cases from them based on their website saying 2 to 5 day delivery. A month later still no part of the order has arrived or even been shipped. Wish I'd read the other reviews before ordering. This seems a usual complaint. Buy from a more reliable competitor.

6 years ago

star star_border star_border star_border star_border

Rasberry Moose

The 5 gal. water containers I received have no openings under the smaller vent caps and they have a horrible chemical smell in them.

6 months ago

star star_border star_border star_border star_border

Matt Houar Murrieta, CA

I would give them zero stars. The food was guaranteed for 25 years. Well opened it after 9 years and it was bad. Food was stale and tasted horrible. Place is a scam

4 years ago

star star_border star_border star_border star_border

Ed Sun City, AZ

Nice courteous people but they shipped me four 5 gallon water containers without the included lids. Never responded to my emails requesting correction of the problem.

9 years ago

star star star star star

Kim Gilbert, AZ

Geat company, knowledgeable and work to gain trust.

4 years ago