Save at the Grocery Store By Following A Few Simple Tricks
With the price of groceries continually on the rise, shoppers need to resort to some creative shopping habits to ensure they get the most from their money. A few simple tricks can increase the items in your shopping cart while also reducing what you pay at the cash register.
First and foremost do not overlook the use of coupons. You can find coupons in the Sunday newspaper, in circulars delivered to your mailbox and in many places on the internet. Always visit a manufacturer’s website to find special coupons that can only be printed there. Join a coupon club or purchase bulk lots of coupons on the online auctions. The savings add up quickly when you use them correctly.
When you use a coupon buy the largest size allowable on the coupon. This allows you to take advantage of the already discounted price of the bigger sized product. Compare coupons with the sales at your local grocery. Generally, when a coupon is run in the Sunday paper you can guarantee the product is currently on sale at the store or will be that coming Wednesday. Manufacturers try to combine coupons with discounted pricing in an effort to move their product. It is silly not to take advantage of this. Look for double or triple coupon days. Many grocery stores will run this special on certain days of the week.
Try to shop on Tuesday evenings and Thursday afternoons for your best deals. On Tuesday evenings the meat department, deli and bakery will drastically reduce all the items that were on sale for the previous week. It is against regulations to remark these items so they must push them out or they have to throw out the product. You will also find many reduced produce items at this time. Thursdays are the best days to find the current sales items. While sales at the grocery store generally begin on Wednesday, the store spends Thursday stocking its shelves for the weekend. By shopping on that day you will increase your chances of finding the sales items.
Don’t overlook wholesale or bulk food stores. A wholesale club offers many discounts on large purchases. If there are certain items that you use a lot of in your home you should not pass the opportunity to buy those items in bulk. Wholesale stores also offer many good deals on non grocery items, such as cleaning products. A few wholesale stores are now accepting coupons which adds to your savings.
Grocery stores and wholesale stores both carry their own private label. Generic items retain the same quality as name brand items and will save you money when purchased. Often, if you read the back of the label, you will see that it states “manufactured by … for…” The name brand producers are selling discounted items for stores to private label and call their own. It is the same food – only cheaper!
Finally, when you are shopping always look at the end caps for sales items. The store will place loss leaders at the end of each row. This is a way to create impulse buying, but is also a great way to save money. When you combine a loss leader price with a coupon you have created one great sale. Never shop from the very top or very bottom of the shelving. Grocery stores place all the expensive items on the top shelf. As a rule, they generally place impulse items on the bottom shelf. This is because children can see at this level and are apt to pick up the item. The middle shelves are where you will find the best priced items on the most common products.
Creative shopping is fairly simple. A little bit of time clipping coupons and deciding to shop on certain days of the week can add up to a lot of savings. If you live near several grocery stores, do not be afraid to shop at all of them. Finding the best deal on an item does not make you cheap, it makes you smart. Everyone wants to get the best value for their money, making a few changes in your shopping habits can guarantee that that happens.