Marks and Spencer can be quite pricey, but a former employee has shared insider tips on when to visit the store to find the best yellow sticker discounts on food
Spring marks the beginning of picnic season, and when the sun makes an appearance, few things beat having the means to pop down to your local M&S for some of their premium snacks. Marks and Spencer doesn’t come cheap, though — but one savvy shopper has cracked the code on cutting costs simply by timing their visit to perfection.
Having worked at the bakery of a Marks and Spencer while studying at university, they now know exactly when to head in to snap up those coveted yellow-sticker bargains. For those unfamiliar, staff place yellow stickers on items approaching their use-by date, offering some fantastic discounts — if you get there first.
Over the past few years, this insider knowledge has helped them bag as many yellow-sticker deals as possible at their local M&S foodhall.
When should you visit Marks and Spencer for yellow stickers?
Many shoppers make the mistake of heading to M&S near closing time in the hope of finding yellow-sticker bargains — but according to this insider, you’re unlikely to strike gold at that hour.
Working night shifts was a favourite, as the final few hours before closing were invariably hectic, leaving staff far too stretched to get round to applying yellow stickers, reports the Express.
In their experience, yellow stickers tend to go on during the quieter periods in store, meaning it’s typically the overnight workers who get the job done. For the best chance of bagging those coveted yellow sticker deals at M&S, heading in as soon as the doors open is your best bet for spotting the most discounted items.
Alternatively, popping in during the late afternoon, somewhere between 3pm and 5pm, is also a shrewd move — during closing shifts, this was typically when lunch items and bakery goods would get their yellow stickers.
The ideal times to visit are either 9am when the store first opens, or around 4pm if you’re hoping to snap up sandwiches or pastries at a knockdown price.
It’s worth bearing in mind, though, that managers would instruct staff not to apply yellow stickers if a crowd had begun to gather, as it would block the aisles and cause considerable disruption.
There were also periods when yellow stickering had to be paused entirely, simply because customers were pestering staff members, preventing them from getting on with their other duties.
Nobody enjoys being watched or hassled while at work, so if you spot someone applying yellow stickers, do the decent thing — be courteous, keep your distance, and let them crack on without interruption.
Timings may vary slightly at your local M&S, but if you politely ask a member of staff during a quieter moment when they’re not rushed off their feet, they may well let you know when the yellow stickers are due to go out.
