Will you buy from the short dated section in the supermarket?
By pandaeyes
@pandaeyes (2065)
March 21, 2010 6:46am CST
Today I did my weekly shop.
It is not a very huge task but I drive 5 miles to the shop, spend about 30 minutes roaming the aisles with my list, then drive back with it.
I always visit the reduced sections and grab any bargains if they are something we would normally use.
Today there were some very nice sausages and a pork pie that we will have for lunch.
The items are usually put for reduction if they have damaged but not opened packaging or if the date is nearly reached by which they can be sold.
Some people look in horror at the reduced section, they see it as coming down in the world to even think of buying from it but not me, I always visit it.
I wont bus things like smashed chocolate or leaking packs but often I come away with drastically reduced items.
Last week I spent only £10 because so much was reduced. I can earn that on line so it helps a lot with our budget.
What about you?
Are you a bargain hunter or do you find the idea of the reduced section too much of a come down in the world idea?
7 people like this
17 responses
@warvial (1146)
• Singapore
22 Mar 10
Definitely I won't mind the short dated section if the food there are still of edible state. I am not sure how other people perceived that section. But I do have reservation buying stuffs from the section. I definitely would really like to save cost.
But the thing is, I am not sure how well the items' condition in the short dated section in your supermarket are, but the items in the supermarket that I visit are horrible (I mean those in the short dated section).
Some of the stuffs, they are actually rotten, other than it being short dated and/or out of shape. Thus, it's not a pretty sight to see especially when I thought that I got a good buy, only to realise that I have picked up something that I can't even eat.
Thus, I really would like to get stuffs from the short dated section to save cost but the supermarket's short dated section that I have been to are not giving me the opportunity to benefit from it.
1 person likes this
@warvial (1146)
• Singapore
22 Mar 10
Hi, I am thinking it could be that just by accident the stuff turned rotten because it's was sort of smashed and exposed to the environment over a period of time (I am assuming such situation, giving the benefit of doubt to the supermarket but how true it is, we don't know).
I am definitely okay if the item just looks imperfect because it's the reduced price session but rotten stuffs is definitely a no-no for me.
1 person likes this
@pandaeyes (2065)
•
24 Mar 10
A lot of the time it is due to poor handling by the staff.
Dropping things and not putting them to the front of the shelves.
@pandaeyes (2065)
•
22 Mar 10
I think if things are rotten, they shouldn't be putting them on sale at all.
I have to admit, our local corner shop which sells food, does have some quit manky looking vegetables on the shelves at times and I wouldn't buy it .
@hofferp (4734)
• United States
21 Mar 10
I'm not exactly a bargain hunter, but if I find something that's been reduced because it's almost ready to expire and it looks good, I'll buy it. I don't really pay that much attention to expiration dates, I pay attention to price. Again, if a can is dented, I just pay attention to the price and go from there.
1 person likes this
@pandaeyes (2065)
•
22 Mar 10
I always check dented cans for leaks but if they are sound, I snap them up.
I haven't ever found anything wrong with the contents.
Often they are brands I cant usually afford to buy so it is a good way to try things out.
@cyberfluf (4996)
• Netherlands
23 Mar 10
I allways look at the reduced section. If something is not yet over date or damaged, I see no problem in buying from it. I have bought crisps, meat, dairy and much more from this section. Sometimes they also put products in this section that aren't near the extent date, but are not coming back in the assortiment of the shop anymore. I bought a refill for my airfreshener with 70% discount because it was discontinued. Not damaged, good for a couple of more months to come.
It's a great way to save, but be sure that if the extent date is close you remember to use it in time. That's all.
1 person likes this
@pandaeyes (2065)
•
24 Mar 10
Yes that's true.
We have had some end of range things like that.
Last year I bought a massive bag of sugar just because the top of the bag was stitched and the stitching had come a bit loose.
I haven't seen any more so I think it might have been more due to no one liking to buy such a large amount all at once.
@derek_a (10874)
•
22 Mar 10
Yes, I have done this a few times, but not from foods that will go off quickly, like poultry etc. I did it once, for a meal the following day, but it had gone off and we couldn't eat it. I will now search for the longest date available when it comes to meats. Cans and dry food packets though are generally OK to buy when out of date. 
_Derek
_Derek1 person likes this
@pandaeyes (2065)
•
22 Mar 10
Yeah you do have to watch out for poultry and meats.
If it leaks or smells it is left on the shelf.
I think you do have to use more than just the sell by date to guide you.
I will put anything like that in the freezer as soon as we get home if I am not cooking it at once.
@mentalward (14690)
• United States
22 Mar 10
I'm definitely a bargain hunter. It's in my genes, I think. Last year, when my husband had lost his job and I had not yet been approved for disability, I learned even more ways to cut back on expenses. He has since found an even better job and I have received my approval for disability and have a nice monthly income from it but I still look for bargains, including those bargains in the supermarkets.
The way I see it, the less I can spend on something, the more I'll have to spend on other things. This works whether you need to save money or not. I think that wasting money should be a crime. With so many people struggling today to make ends meet, I'd feel guilty if I spent more than I had to.
I love to shop in second-hand stores, too. As the saying goes, One man's trash is another man's treasure. 
@pandaeyes (2065)
•
22 Mar 10
I see it like that too.
We can manage to have some savings and not feel desperate when something that is broken needs fixing because we are careful with spending our housekeeping money.
The little things all add up in the end.
@louisefrank (356)
•
21 Mar 10
I'm always looking for bargains when I shop. I'm a sucker for "buy one get one free", "buy three for the price of two" etc. I always scour the aisles for that shelf of reduced price or damaged items. I don't care when the "sell by" date is either - if it's a perishable food and it smells OK, that's all right by me. I've picked up some real bargains of food that was close to its sell-by date. No food lasts long in my house anyway - we have teenagers who hoover up food like a famine is coming tomorrow.
1 person likes this
@verabear (796)
• Philippines
22 Mar 10
Whenever possible, I would go for the bargain item too. Be it food or other items. When it comes to expiry dates, as long as I know the food will be consumer in the next day or two anyway, I don't mind. I think that we all do what we can to save money, and as long as it doesn't cost us our health, there's no problem.
@pandaeyes (2065)
•
22 Mar 10
Yes I always check by smell too on close to date items.
When they are putting new reduced things on the shelves, they usually have a throw away pile too which is damaged packets and leaking stuff which is awful because it is just careless handling usually by the shelf packers and often the things thrown away look okay but you cant risk it when there might be something else has got into it .
@pandaeyes (2065)
•
22 Mar 10
Yes me too ,I cant see why anyone would pay full price when the reduced is full of the same thing.
We buy bananas most weeks and there are often bags of them in the reduced section looking perfectly alright but people wont go and look so we usually have our pick of the bags.
@recycledgoth (9894)
•
21 Mar 10
I often have to rely on the reduced items in the store, I can save a lot of money by shopping later in the day and picking up the on date items. We often buy joints of meat that have been reduced and put them into the freezer, also a lot of the fresh vegetables can be bought cheap, prepared and frozen. We seem to be able to save quite a lot of cash by shopping this way.
@pandaeyes (2065)
•
22 Mar 10
So do we,I can't understand why some people turn their noses up at the reduced shelves.
One of my relatives would have a heart attack if she had to buy from there .
She would consider herself a pauper.
@p1kef1sh (45681)
•
21 Mar 10
My lunch today cost 50p. Stew and dumplings and Bombay potatoes. An unusual combination but not as bad as it sounds. We were in a hurry and didn't have time to do the proper sunday lunch that we normally have. But to feed two of us for 50p is quite amazing! Sainsbury's apparently! I am an avid Lidl/Aldi shopper, we buy our meat from a farm shop - but she''s amazingly cheap (£1.98 for 8 pork sausages and we watch her make them) and then I go across the road to buy my free range eggs for £1,60 a dozen. We have thought about keeping chickens but they wouldn't produce such cheap eggs. I also use our local Poundland (where everything is £1) and also read Martin Lewis' website every day to see what bargains are out there. I don't know how I ever found the time to go to work!
1 person likes this
@pandaeyes (2065)
•
22 Mar 10
Oh I like Martin Lewis site too.
Sounds like you are making an art out of finding bargains to feed yourselves.
@weasel81 (2496)
• Australia
21 Mar 10
it's a good way to save money, i'll get meat that is on special. then put in the freezer if anything, as for pork pies yum and i'll make my self feel sick with them. but it's the only time i buy them is when they are reduced. i also like the 2 for 1 specials and have found out here in aus. that safeway/woolworths is the best place for getting kids school lunch things. they seem to have more on special than coles.
1 person likes this
@pandaeyes (2065)
•
22 Mar 10
We had pork pie yesterday and its true, we don't ever buy them unless they are reduced.
If I see a nice joint that is reasonably reduced I might stash it away for when the kids are home.
Sometimes the reduction isn't enough in my opinion and so I will leave them even though they are nice.
@Biomechanoid (2923)
• Estonia
22 Mar 10
I have such habit too. You can find very good products in that section for a very good price. I buy a variety of food here, the one that I know I am going to consume today or next day, so it won't go bad before I'll eat it. I think it's a great way to save money and also to reduce the waste of food, the terrible waste of food that we encounter every day. So much of food gets thrown away, because people don't buy all of it. I think that supermarkets should donate this food to the homeless people, if it's obvious that they won't manage to sell the whole stock.
1 person likes this
@pandaeyes (2065)
•
22 Mar 10
I hate that food that is edible is thrown away.
It is a crime.
If a shop doesn't want to sell it ,they could at least stop locking the bins up so that people who want it can go and get it.
Not that I would, I draw the line at going through their bins but I think some people are desperate and it wouldn't hurt to let them have it.
@Sandra1952 (6047)
• Spain
21 Mar 10
Hello, Pandaeyes. You're talking to someone who can spot a yellow reduced sticker from 100 yards away, even though I need glasses to drive! When we lived in England, there was no fresh stuff in my freezer or fridge that wasn't either reduced or half price special offer.
It doesn't happen so much here in Spain. For one thing, they seem to have more idea about ordering, and most food items are much cheaper here anyway, so people tend to buy more.
There's nothing wrong with buying perfect products at a reduce price, and if that's coming down in the world, well, I'll see you in the bargain basement.
1 person likes this
@pandaeyes (2065)
•
22 Mar 10
I have hear that the markets are very good on the continent.
Our markets are okayish but once a week only and I find their fruit and veg is often no better than the supermarkets anyway.
I don't know what we would do if we couldn't buy reduced items LOL
@doormouse (4599)
•
21 Mar 10
i love the reduced section,i get the freezable stuff,so even if it goes out of date the next day,it doesn't matter coz i just freeze it as soon as i get home,and then we eat it later on in the week
1 person likes this
@pandaeyes (2065)
•
22 Mar 10
Same here.
I like the delicatessen counter reductions too,they make great pizza toppings.
We have enough fish in the freezer at the moment for 6 portions of fish and chips.
@dimitarivanov (228)
• Netherlands
21 Mar 10
no way, personally I think factories add to the expiration date a little bit and I think those products are already expired even if they be cheap I don't. I try to eat healthy but it's not very easy in my country especially with those foods and lack of control. I am not trying to make a negative image here but speak the truth. You should try to grow something on your own =D it's fun. Plus it's more delicious and healthy that way.. otherwise food industry just lacks the control and I am distrustful of labels in general...
1 person likes this
@pandaeyes (2065)
•
22 Mar 10
Aha! Someone who doesn't like them!
I think at least here, companies like to cover themselves by under estimating the dates rather than vice versa, plus , they have a sell by date which is when the shop should display it until ,if you look on our labels, often there is a use by date too which is 3 or 4 days later.
I often by meat on sell by when the date is today and then freeze it till we want it.
We do grow a lot of vegetables and fruit but our season is not year long for growing ,even with a greenhouse.
@3SnuggleBunnies (16374)
• United States
24 Nov 11
The reduced section is the first place I head to when I get to the store (that have them anyway) I can't afford full price on things and with the economy still not doing so well we need to pinch our pennies wherever we can. I often buy reduced meats, day old bakery, and just things they are no longer carrying or like you near exp. Alot of dry goods are still good after the sell by date as long as the package is sealed.
@Anne18 (11029)
•
17 Nov 11
When I visit the supermarket the first places I go to are the reduced fruit and veg , then the reduced meat and then finally the reduced bread sections. I go that order because its the way the supermarket is set out.
I only get the real bargins and as its foods that I wouldn't normally buy it means the family gets a treat as well
@pandaeyes (2065)
•
22 Mar 10
I think you are lucky to have such a lot of choice of places to get meals outside.
here it is quite expensive and the choice is not that wonderful either.
