Yellow Sticker Hints And Tips
Are you constantly searching for ways to save money on your groceries? As a self-proclaimed expert in finding discounted items marked with yellow stickers, I have insider tips on how to score the best deals at supermarkets. I can also explain why finding these yellow sticker deals is becoming more complex.
As you may already know, yellow sticker bargains are discounted food items that are typically fresh and found in supermarkets. These items have short use-by dates and are marked with a yellow sticker indicating a reduced price. Shopping for these yellow sticker bargains is a great way to save extra money on your weekly food expenses.
The availability of yellow sticker bargains has decreased recently due to important factors.
Due to the cost of living crisis, people are now searching for discounted items, including those with yellow sticker bargains. This has resulted in a higher demand for these products, making them more challenging to find. I used to work at Morrisons for 3 years as a code checker. As a code checker, my primary responsibility was identifying items with a short shelf life and discounting them via a yellow sticker. When I started the job, we had around ten regular customers per night looking for a deal. However, when I left in April 2022, just as the cost of living crisis began, the number of customers had increased to around 40 to 50 people every night, making it harder to find discounted items.
Food waste apps have revolutionised the way supermarkets deal with excess food. Apps like Too Good To Go and Olio have partnered with supermarkets of all sizes to offer them a chance to get rid of surplus food without relying on traditional yellow-sticker reductions. I have experience producing Too Good To Go’s “Magic bags”, which involve adding products to the bags instead of reducing prices. This has led to fewer yellow-stickered products on the shop floor, reducing customer availability.
An increasing number of supermarkets are embracing food waste reduction strategies. For instance, Aldi has recently partnered with Too Good To Go to reduce food waste by selling excess food through the app instead of using the traditional system for discounted products. Similarly, Sainsbury’s has launched a bulk buy scheme for excess fruit and vegetables by placing them in loose boxes, which means fewer yellow stickers for customers to spot on the shop floor.
Supermarkets have implemented improved inventory management techniques to reduce the number of items marked down and wasted. By tracking sales data and adjusting their ordering, supermarkets are better able to avoid overstocking and minimise waste. Due to the increasing cost of food production and the cost of living crisis, supermarkets prefer to sell out an item rather than discount or throw it away. This is partly why you may see more empty shelves in the shops. Throwing out products costs supermarkets a lot of money, so they have a vested interest in wasting as little as possible.
There will permanently be reduced items in the reduced section, offering discounts for bargain hunters, but we may see a year-on-year reduction.
What’s the best time and way to get great bargains?
Most significant supermarkets offer discounts on products that have yellow stickers on them. These discounts are typically offered twice daily – in the morning, early evening, or at the end of the day. However, it’s worth noting that different supermarkets may have other strategies for reducing food prices.
The morning discounts range from 10% to 25% off, and the evening discounts offer up to 90% off, depending on the store’s policy.
Why offer two discounts? This is purely a matter of profitability. Suppose a supermarket puts a whole chicken on display at a discount of 90% at 9 am. In that case, it will sell immediately, and the supermarket will incur an immediate loss. However, the discount was reduced to 10% earlier in the day. In that case, someone coming into the store to buy a chicken for use that night will see the reduced item and buy that rather than paying the total price. The customer still makes a saving, the short-dated product has gone, and the supermarket is likely to have made a profit on the sale rather than losing as much money/profit by reducing the price earlier.
If the chicken remains unsold by the final reduction time, the staff will reduce its price again. This price drop will likely attract bargain hunters looking to save as much money as possible on grocery shopping. Although the supermarket will still lose money on the chicken, they have one more chance to clear it at a higher cost and save as much profit as possible.
At Morrisons, the first reduction on products is usually made on items dated for the next day, generally around 9 or 10 pm. These products that receive a discount are put out either that night or the following morning, depending on how much is left on the shelf. Then, the “finals” discounts start at 5 pm the next day, with up to 90% off to clear out any remaining items.
Different departments offer varying discounts. Products such as ready meals, fresh meats, dairy, dips, coleslaw, pies, and pastries usually have a discount of 90%. The store’s automatic discount is 80%, but the store manager can increase it to 90% to clear excess products. Fruits and vegetables often have the highest chance of unsold items, so they are typically discounted by 90% to prevent wastage. Any remaining items might be placed into a “Too Good To Go Bag” for the next day.
Fresh bread and cakes are typically discounted by 80%, except for speciality or “free from” bread, which usually has a 90% discount. Similarly, items in the butchery, delicatessen, and in-store bakery sections are typically discounted by 80%, and this discount may increase to 90% if there is a larger quantity of goods to be reduced. Suppose excess stock or shorter-dated products are delivered. In that case, whole pallets of particular products may have to be discounted. In such cases, the discount may be applied earlier to avoid wastage.
To clarify, Morrisons doesn’t simply dispose of unsaleable stock. Instead, food products are placed in unique waste bags, which delivery drivers collect. The waste is then transported to be used as fuel for energy production incinerators and converted into energy that can be sold or used. Therefore, you won’t typically find large bins of food waste behind supermarkets, as the waste is dealt with in this manner.
Feel free to ask a staff member about reduction times. I used to feel ashamed to inquire about discounted items as I thought I was a low-class individual. Still, the truth is that many of us depend on these deals to reduce our shopping expenses, and stores need to manage food waste. Therefore, staff are usually happy to inform you about the best time to find a reduced deal.
The best approach when shopping at local convenience stores is to inquire about their business hours. These hours vary significantly from store to store, as they have different peak periods than larger supermarkets. As a result, they may reduce the prices of clearance items much earlier or later than other stores.
One of my best shopping tips is to avoid shopping alone. Yellow sticker items tend to be placed simultaneously in different store areas, making it challenging to be in two places simultaneously. To avoid missing out on bargains or getting caught up in the crowd, I used to bring my daughter along, and we would split up. I would head to the meat department while she went to the fruit and vegetable section. This way, we could grab discounted items from both sections and avoid the rush.
Make a plan or shopping list before you head out, and stick to it. If you need meat and maybe potatoes, look for those, stay under-excited, and grab whatever you see! Bulk buying can increase your costs; if you need adequate storage facilities, you may be able to store/use the products before they are no longer edible, which is a waste of money and food. Also, it means those who needed that product more than you missed out unnecessarily. It’s only a good bargain if you use it!
It can be challenging to properly check the items you’ve picked up during busy times, especially when there’s a rush to grab the best deals. However, taking a step back and carefully examining your selected yellow sticker items is essential. Although these products are usually in good condition, there may be quality issues that staff may need to catch up on while they are busy attending to other customers. Hence, it’s always a good idea to check the following:
Please keep the following points in mind while buying food products:
- Check for any signs of mould on the product. If you find any, avoid buying it.
- Make sure that the product is sealed properly. Only buy something if the seal is fixed.
- Smell the product. If it doesn’t smell okay, don’t buy it.
- Check the product visually. Suppose you notice any visible discolouration, such as brown meat. In that case, it is customary sometimes, but if it looks off-colour or doesn’t look right, avoid buying it.
- Look for blown packaging. If a product’s packaging has an inflated effect, like a balloon, avoid it, as it is a sign of decomposition and the presence of bacteria, which can make you ill.
- When purchasing fresh produce, visually inspect for damage and give a gentle squeeze to verify quality.
By following these tips, you can become an expert at finding yellow sticker items, which can help you save money on groceries while enjoying delicious food.
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