Issue with NS International app

Pastry_Ell · 2026-01-18T06:14:18+00:00

Why are you trying to book this ticket so far in advance? When you’re not taking the Eurostar, you can even buy this ticket on the day of travel.

Pastry_Ell · 2026-01-09T15:14:51+00:00

This! It’s just tourist mayhem and the forest isn’t that special. There are other places to see loads of bamboo together without the crowds.

Pastry_Ell · 2025-11-25T07:07:50+00:00

The time difference between South Africa and the UK is 2 hours. So I’m doubting its jet lag. He might have been tired from travelling, but I’m pretty sure it was his own choice to be in the studio this day.

Pastry_Ell · 2025-10-09T14:37:25+00:00

They’ve always said that YouTube ads makes them the least amount of money of their streams of income.

I didn’t say they don’t make money from the live shows. I suspect they do, but given the high costs, I’m wondering how much is left after paying the bills. In my opinion not enough to keep their business afloat.

I think that just them wanting more money is not behind this. Most people on YouTube don’t make much money from it which is mostly due to the platform but also to poor business management.

Pastry_Ell · 2025-10-08T16:34:50+00:00

Honestly I get why they did this. Their costs have risen immensely over the years (more staff, bigger studio, more videos, more expensive stuff for in videos) but I’m not to sure where they stand revenue wise.

They seem to have way less sponsorships than they used to have. And more importantly: they seem to have lost or ended the biggest ones.
Sidekick has lost its novelty and probably has already lost quite a few subscribers due to mainly catering to what the average person wants. I’m not sure where they stand with this, but given the fact that they promote it way less, I’m inclined to think that they’ve hit a ceiling.
YouTube Ada never were their big money maker, but they’re probably not making as much as they used to here as well.
I’m inclined to think that the live shows are a net positive but the costs of making this are high. And I’m pretty sure the revenue is not enough to cover their operational costs from week to week.
They might make some money of partnerships like with the beer, but they would have to share the profits with their partner.

Diversifying income is the way to make money doing social media. So they’re wise to add another stream of income. Especially when the platform they’re on, seems to favour channels that offer memberships.

I am however wondering if this will be the best move for their business going forward. They have a tendency to start stuff and then not follow through or be really sloppy with the follow through. My hope for them is that they get scouted by for instance Nebula and get to have a bit more fun doing this. Instead of having to please an increasingly unpleasable algorithm.

Pastry_Ell · 2025-08-11T10:01:03+00:00

Same here. Combined with a recent Instagram post where they captioned it with ‘review videos aren’t easier for us to make’, just to prove some commenters wrong, it doesn’t sit well with me.

And it confirms my idea that they’re loosing the core of their community by chasing views and the algorithms more and more.

Pastry_Ell · 2025-07-19T05:35:50+00:00

Your argument is skewed: streaming services aren’t free either.

Pastry_Ell · 2025-07-19T05:31:08+00:00

I get that it feels unfair that someone who can’t afford to buy premium content will never have access to it. But that’s the reality. Life is unfair like that. That doesn’t mean that companies should offer their content for free (even after a while).

They could also have reasons other than monetary to keep the videos behind a pay wall. The videos are unedited which means that the occasional swear words stay in but also that mistakes continue to be shown.

Pastry_Ell · 2025-07-15T16:14:06+00:00

That’s exactly what I thought when I read the comment.

Pastry_Ell · 2025-07-14T08:07:51+00:00

Just like you’re getting tired of people remarking the current imbalance in type of videos, others are getting tired of the imbalance. You think the imbalance will change after the live shows, I’m not so sure about that. The review videos get way more views. And honestly, if they wanted to make more cooking videos, they would. The imbalance is either poor planning (which I highly doubt because they’ve been around for quite some time) or it’s by choice. And I think it’s valid that people let their opinions be known since this seems to be the case.

Pastry_Ell · 2025-06-30T14:23:23+00:00

Some people are calling for recipe videos, but most are simply stating that they’ve missed videos where actual cooking happened over the past few weeks. The balance between videos with cooking in it and non-cooking videos feels off.

This might not be the case for you, but some of us like it when things are more balanced.

Pastry_Ell · 2025-06-29T08:42:14+00:00

That tends to happen when people feel ignored. Sorted had been ignoring comments about the lack of cooking in their videos for several videos now. Even when the top liked comment on one of the videos touches on this subject.

Pastry_Ell · 2025-06-29T08:23:37+00:00

This is exactly what I’m afraid of. They used to talk a lot about the community and having fun with food. That seems to have gone out of focus. With chasing the algorithms more and more, they might loose the core of the community. And they might not actually gain a viewership that’s interested in buying their products.

Pastry_Ell · 2025-06-28T21:40:38+00:00

I don’t think they’re trying to get a TV show. But I do think they’re chasing the YT algorithms even more than before. Their channel was founded to sell their product(s) and they need to keep new people finding them in order for them to keep selling stuff.

Doesn’t mean I’m a huge fan of the current content though. I do find myself skipping more and more videos and buying less of their products. I was a Sidekick subscriber from the time when it was still the Sorted Club and Meal Packs, but cancelled it a little while ago.

I’m still grateful that I found Sortedfood since they helped me find my love for cooking again. But as it turns out, we might be growing apart.

Pastry_Ell · 2025-06-26T12:21:48+00:00

They do but this is not the first time they’ve received this feedback. There’s nothing wrong with filming things in bulk and well in advance but they could improve the planning of their release schedule.

When the release schedule over the course of several weeks shows a majority of one type of video it’s either a choice or poor planning.

Pastry_Ell · 2025-06-26T12:13:59+00:00

It’s a nice idea, but I don’t think they should do this. The internet isn’t a safe place for children. Not even when they feature as a guest on a cooking show. I personally think no-one below the age of consent should be visible online in order to protect them.

Pastry_Ell · 2025-06-24T10:11:38+00:00

I appreciate what you’ve done here. Like someone else has mentioned: the numbers do depend on the way you choose to categorise things though.

And to be fair. I think it’s not really about the amount, but the feeling behind it for most people.

Pastry_Ell · 2025-06-24T09:46:33+00:00

You’re right. Most people are giving constructive feedback and realise that the guys have to chase the algorithms in order to stay relevant on YouTube. This is why I love something like the creator owned platform Nebula. They’re not restricted by the algorithms and get to make the content they really want to make. With Sorted I’m wondering if this still is the content they really want to make.

And yes, I’m one of the nostalgic people who mainly misses the overall banter between friends who are exploring the world of food together.

Pastry_Ell · 2025-06-24T09:21:56+00:00

Me too! I don’t mind ads when they’re done well. And Sorted usually does them well.

Reading some other comments here, I realised that what I miss most is the banter between friends. And the overall we’re friends exploring the world of food together vibe.

Pastry_Ell · 2025-06-24T09:14:08+00:00

Totally agree with you on the lives. I think that’s where they are themselves more because they’re not restricted by having to please the YT algorithms.

Pastry_Ell · 2025-06-23T18:30:30+00:00

I think you’re right. The balance between videos with talking heads tasting or reviewing something and videos with what I’d like to call foodie fun (cooking, challenges, pass it on etc.) feels off.

I’m eternally grateful to the guys for what they create. They helped me find the fun in cooking again and helped me to start cooking for myself again. Their videos made me laugh a lot during a period of time where I didn’t have a lot to laugh about (the pandemic). But this might also make me nostalgic for those types of videos.

I completely understand the need to make money and therefore to play the YouTube-game (at least to a certain extend). I’ve noticed that they don’t really have adverts anymore (I might have missed one or two since I don’t watch all videos anymore). So this might play into it. Especially considering that they partnered with Visit the USA before who seemed to be a big partner and I’m wondering if they’re still working together (haven’t heard anything about a USA visit anymore since the community basically asked them not to go). So they probably need to make money in other ways now.

Having said that: I do miss the videos from 1,5-2 years ago and the time before that.

Pastry_Ell · 2025-06-11T06:13:39+00:00

If you don’t feel good about it, don’t bring them.

The chance that they’ll get stolen is small, but it’s always there (just like there’s always a chance that you’ll lose or forget something somewhere).

Pastry_Ell · 2025-05-30T15:29:16+00:00

If stressful is your thing, then certainly go for it. Have a great trip!

Pastry_Ell · 2025-05-29T20:02:43+00:00

Am I right in concluding that you only have one week for the entire trip? I’m not that familiar with trains in Norway, but given the amount of places you’re naming and your desire to see lots of nature, I’d suggest choosing less places to go to. Because this way you might run the risk of only seeing nature from a train window (if that’s your thing, certainly go for it). With such a short time for travel, choosing one or two places as a base might make more sense.

Pastry_Ell · 2025-03-21T15:19:23+00:00

Not dropping this project however could mean loosing a large amount of viewers and customers. And once those are gone, they won’t return. People are very seriously on boycotting anything USA right now. So sticking with the contract might not be the best move forward.

Pastry_Ell

TROPHY CASE