Bargain hunters have been given a heads-up on when to nip into the major supermarkets to grab some discounted groceries that are nearing their expiry date.
You can save yourself a lot of money and get as much as 90 per cent off the full price of various food items in supermarkets if you take an expert’s advice.
With the ever-rising cost of the weekly food shop impacting Brits struggling to cope in the worldwide cost of living crisis, it’s vital to save money wherever possible. Of course you can to switch to supermarket own brands and cut back on luxuries to save wasting your hard-earned cash, but there’s another savvy way you could slash your shopping bill. An expert has revealed exactly how the major stores conduct their discount strategy, including what they mark down and when. It’s even possible to get as much as 90 per cent off of certain items if you’re savvy and put the time in.
According to the Daily Mail, Richard Price, a Grocery Expert at BritSuperstore, revealed that most major supermarkets, including Morrisons, Aldi, and Asda, follow a strategy for perishable goods which they conduct in two stages. The first reductions take place in the morning when they reduce items nearing their expiry date by anything from 10 per cent to 25 per cent. In the evening discounts can be slashed by 90 per cent, meaning a huge saving for the customer on goods that are still perfectly edible.
Richard commented: “The reason supermarkets offer these discounts in two stages is purely strategic: they don’t want to take a loss on high-demand items right away, but they also need to clear excess stock before it goes to waste.”
Here are the times the major supermarkets usually mark down groceries and what to look out for:
Perishable items like bread, meat, fruit, and vegetables are usually discounted by up to 75 per cent on their final day of shelf life. It tends to take place at the end of the day just before closing. Look out for other items such as canned goods with damaged tins that have been marked down too.
It’s advised to have a look in the morning and a few hours before the store closes when the bigger discounts of up to 90 per cent are often applied. Fresh produce, bakery items, and ready meals are the items to look out for. Details of promotions are also available on the Lidl app.
Ready meals, fresh meats, dairy, pies, and fruit and vegetables are often reduced by as much as 90 per cent. It usually happens early in the evening around 5pm and sometimes reductions are made in the morning too. Staff are often happy to tell you when discounts will be applied.
In the morning produce such as fruit and veg are often reduced, sometimes to as little as 10p. For stores that open early, get there as soon as possible as that’s when the best deals on fresh produce can be snagged. Another discount usually takes place in the evening too.
It’s a bit less exact with the Co-op because discounts depend on stock levels and shelf-life so just try your luck in the reduced section. Richard said: “The Co-op tends to discount various products, but it’s hard to predict the exact timing.” It’s always worth asking a member of staff if reductions are going to be made too.
The best time here tends to be before the store closes in the evening. Bakery items, ready meals and dine-in for two deals are often marked down and extra savings can be bagged on their bundle deals and loyalty card.
Sainsbury’s
Times vary here but the yellow sticker discounts can be spotted throughout the day. Richard gave a heads up to look out for large cuts on meats, fruit, bread and ready meals. Sainsbury’s also often offers discounts of up to 50 per cent for loyalty cardholders.
Discounts are generally spread throughout the day so head to the mark-down section for fresh produce and damaged section for other items. Richard said:: “Tesco has dedicated ‘reduced in price, just as nice’ shelves for ready-to-eat meals, fresh salads, and meats.”
Where do you find the best supermarket discounts? Let us know in the comments below.
