I did a no spend week last week so instead of showing you pictures of the meals I made for my peeps, I want to talk about where to look for markdowns and “in store” specials at your local grocery store. The the pictures you see in this post were all taken at Fred Meyer last week when I tagged along with Mrs. HB to do her grocery shopping.
From my experience, I know some stores are better than others at marking stuff that’s nearing it’s expiration date. Some stores just flat out throw the stuff away {which totally bums me out}, but most stores have atleast a scratch and dent section. And the key to saving big and shaving a little off your grocery budget is finding where it’s at in your local store.
There is a market for this stuff, people are happy to buy it at a reduced price and I wish more stores would take the time to mark items down rather than throwing them out. The funny thing is… the age demographic I see most looking through the markdowns, is the older crowd. And I don’t necessarily think it’s because they are on a tighter budget either. They just take the extra {maybe 60 seconds} to find the deals. I LOVE IT!
I feel like the biggest and best deals to be had are in three areas. The produce section, meat department and baked goods. Why? Because they are all time sensitive items. Produce and baked goods can/will go bad much sooner than a can of corn. Meat? If it’s not frozen, the store needs to sell it within a few days of cutting it.
The only time I really ever see a deal on canned food or boxed items is if the packaging is damaged, the store is re-doing a shelf and they don’t have room for the “older version” of a particular product, or if it’s a seasonal item {Valentine’s Day candy is a good example}.
Bread, and baked goods are something you should never pay full price for. EVER. These are typically pulled from the shelves a day or two before their “sale” date.
Some stores it’s literally a game of hide and seek, while others, you are practically tripping over all the markdowns. If you haven’t found any markdown sections in your store, ASK where they are. That one simple question could save you hundreds of dollars off your grocery bill over the course of a year.
So, I want to hear from YOU now.
- What stores do you shop at?
- Where do you find the best markdowns in the store?
- What’s the best markdown deal you’ve ever brought home?
Sharing is caring. 😉 The more we help each other, the more we can all save.
Stay awesome on this cold and rainy monday,
~Mavis
- Total Spent This Week $75.06 Groceries, Take Out/Bakeries $36.99
- Total Spent in Janaury on Groceries $202.99
- Total Spent in February on Groceries $143.94
- Total Spent in January on Take Out, Date Nights, and Bakery Treats $42.19
- Total Spent in February on Take Out, Date Nights and Bakery Treats $118.45
Go HERE to read more Shopping Trip Stories.
MH says
Fred Meyer is my favorite place to look for markdowns. I especially love it when they have gluten free and dairy free items marked down.
Sue R. says
Fred Meyer does a good job with “markdown” labels being easy to spot as you walk through the produce, meat and dairy sections.
A friend said her local Safeway has LOTS of markdowns in the meat section because that particular store is located in a part of town that isn’t as busy as some. Might be worth driving a little bit to check those types of stores.
Deborah says
I have always been good at finding the mark down section in most stores. In some cases I go to the mark down section first. I am not into extreme coupon clipping. If it’s something we use daily or weekly yes. I don’t need 47 different kinds of shampoo taking up space in my linen closet just because there was a coupon and it was on sale. Store brands are often a clear winner and are often cheaper then the name brand product even after you use the coupon. What I really love is finding that Name brand produce in the marked down section and you have a coupon! Now that makes my heart sing. The real issue is; If you won’t use it, don’t need it, don’t like it, why waste money on it? Happy hunting.
Christina says
I believe that Fred Meyer is the same as Kroger in Kentucky where I live. I get lots of deals there. Especially on Wednesday mornings since their ad starts new on that day.
I also found out that our Walmart marks the deli things down around 7:30pm as they are cleaning it for the evening. Rotisserie chicken for $2.50!
Laura says
My favorite markdown was a package of 6 heads of Romaine lettuce for 99 cents. Woot! I find that Fred Meyer meat markdowns are not a great deal usually, but some other stores are much better. Since it is dependent on the individual store manager, you really need to shop around to find the best deals. Trader Joe’s bananas are always a better deal than the markdown bananas, but those are convenient if you need them and don’t have time to go to the other store.
Stacy says
WOW….a Sonic-care in the markdown bin!? I would have had to check that out!
Suzanne says
I’m always so sad when I see your pics of deals like this. Stores in Oklahoma don’t do this. The only thing you ever find marked down are shelf items that don’t go bad but they aren’t going to carry anymore. I don’t know if there’s a law against marking down food that’s near it’s expiration date or what, but no matter how many stores I go to, nobody ever marks food down.
Mel says
Yes, I am in the same situation. No stores around me do mark-downs, even for food that is close to expiration. And, perhaps for that reason, it’s not uncommon to buy something that turns out to be expired (as in spoiled, not just past the date) around here. They sometimes label things as mark downs, but the price is about the same as the usual price–just a slight sale in disguise. Every now and then, I find something that’s been discontinued and is marked down, but it’s usually something so over-priced to begin with that it just brings the price down to reasonable.
Randi says
I like the Fred Meyer markdowns. Although i am wondering if some stores move the mark down bins around (like Costco moves their products). I went yesterday and the bins (normally near the dairy area) were gone.
I have ‘trained’ my kids to keep an eye out for the clearance labels. I once bought 20 boxes of instant oatmeal at .49 cents apiece. The clerk said it was because the packaging changed and they needed to make room for the newly repackaged item. Score.
Linda says
Fred Meyer and QFC seem to have the biggest reduced food areas. Safeway has some. My Grocery Outlet usually has carts with markdown items in the frozen food area. I’ve even found marked down items at my local pet food store. It pays to pay attention.
TerriS says
I’m going to have to start shopping earlier in the day. The markdown section is never that full. Normally there are only a few stragglers. I shop that FM. Is there a better time to shop? I do not know when stores tend to have the best selection.
Andrea D says
The closest grocery store to me is a Giant (PA). This is my favorite part of grocery shopping. I always shop for the meat markdowns. If I don’t need it for dinner that night I can freeze it immediately. If it doesn’t have that yellow sticker, I don’t buy it. And during these winter months the produce markdowns are a life/money saver. My 12 year old son would eat a half dozen apples a day if they are on the kitchen counter (thankfully my in-laws, who live next door, have apple trees so in the summer they are free) My kids like to spend their own money on the bakery markdowns- a dozen bakery donuts for 99 cents, or a cake that was 15.99 marked down to 4 or 5 dollars. One of my favorite things about our Giant is in the produce section- they keep a basket of bananas and clementines with a sign that says “Free for kids 10 and under” and our bakery section does a kids “Cookie Club”- but the manager lets the kids choose anything from the bakery- donuts, muffins, bagels, or a cookie. So the kids get a free snack while we are shopping.
Emily B. says
I love the stores that offer a free piece of fruit for the kids, or a cookie!
Kayla says
My local Save Mart has a great produce/meat/bread markdown section, BUT you have to shop the right time and day of the week. I simply asked when they do their mark downs for the week. My store goes through Thursday/Friday mornings and marks everything down before the weekend delivery arrives. So, I shop Thursday/Friday mornings and there are tons of deals. If I go any other day, there is very little. Sometimes it is about timing and not being afraid to ask.
My local Smart and Final does all their markdowns on Monday mornings. They usually have the best meat prices. In the past, I have gotten boneless skinless chicken breasts for $0.79/lb and bought 30 lbs of it. Happy hunting!
Marcia says
Here’s where I shop:
1. Local produce delivery – they come to me!
2. Trader Joe’s – no markdowns, they donate near-expiration food to food bank and soup kitchens
3. Costco – no markdowns
4. 99 cent store – great deals on produce. Kind of like they get “overage” in many cases.
5. Regular grocery stores
– Albertson’s, has markdowns on meat, and B1G2F deals, but they are usually hidden on the top shelf, and I can only see them in the mirrors. I don’t shop here often, they are close to work. Maybe only 6 times a year.
– Ralph’s, has markdowns on bread. Usually a big rack. Don’t go here often either, but when I do I check out the bread rack
– Vons (owned by Albertson’s) – haven’t found discounts here yet, and of course this is the store next to my house
– Tri-county Produce – they have a reduced rack for produce and bread. Again, it’s out of my way so I don’t go often. But when I do I get some good deals.
I find on produce that I can get the best deals at 99 cent store anyway. Same for bread.
For meat, I’ve been lazy and just have been eating less of it, rather than chase down deals.
Mavis Butterfield says
I find markdowns at Costco all the time. They typically have an asterisk in the upper right hand corner. I find more Costco deals on the east coast rather than the west coast though.
Debbie says
How do u get local produce to come to u?
Marcia says
We have a few companies in town that do produce delivery. I used to belong to a CSA, where you go to a farm to pick up what is in season once a week (we have a few of those too). But – ours stopped running in late 2015 due to the drought, and hasn’t started up again. The other few are not in convenient locations.
So enter the other companies…found this one through my neighbor. Basically, the company goes to the farmer’s market FOR you on Saturday morning, and deliver Saturday night. They have a number of farmers that they work with directly. On Monday, they send out a list of what you are getting that week (based on what is in season and what the farmers are picking). They let you customize it (for example, I don’t like fresh spinach and would sub extra kale).
It’s a little bit more expensive than going to the farmer’s market yourself, because of the delivery fee. ($5 a week is my estimate. They probably make a little more than that, because I assume they are getting a bulk discount on the produce that I wouldn’t get if I went to the market.) But it is SO convenient when you’ve got a full time job and 2 kids and baseball practice and swim lessons and…
I already had FOUR lunch time grocery runs this week. Two to Costco! I’ll have to keep my eye out for markdowns. I’ve never seen them here in CA, but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist. Maybe I just don’t know what to look for.
Produce delivery is going to depend on your location. My other friend uses a CSA where they have 2 pickup locations in town – one of which is a convenient location for her.
Val says
Costco does mark things down, but it is subtle. Product that is not going to be restocked/seasonal has an asterisk in the upper right corner. The trick to the marked down items is to look out for prices ending in 97 cents. Usually the first marked down is 25%-50%. When only a single item is left or very few, you may notice that the manager has written a special markdown. Take the sign with you, as it is not in the system, and has to be manually entered then have a manager do an override at the register. Cashiers are usually not aware of these special markdowns, so mention it before the cashier scans it. Also, if you can see it on the price sign, on the bottom right is the date when the sign was printed … you can see if the price has been recently adjusted or not. My favorite was when the flower bulbs would be marked down to $6.97 for 50 or more daffodil bulbs! I worked there part time for 8 years. Right now the furniture (what might be left) is really marked down … mostly building manager specials.
Jennifer H. says
I’m in the Southeast and find my best bargains at Kroger, Publix and Target. Our Kroger is best for produce and bacon markdowns, although this morning I found 16 oz. Wonderful pistachios marked down to $1.79 as they are rearranging our entire store. Publix, which is a chain in the southeast, does not do meat markdowns, but does mark down packaged and canned goods and lets you use coupons on them. I have gotten many items for free at Publix with a combo of clearance and coupons. Our Target has the best meat markdowns but not on any certain day. I was able to get hamburger for .77 cents per pound last week with markdowns and the Target credit card.
Tammy says
I shop at:
primarily at Aldi, which has an aisle of “specials” that are things they don’t carry on a regular basis. When/if they’ve been in the store for a while, they will get marked down. But usually the items get bought out before they get marked down.
Trader Joe’s, no mark downs
Wal-mart, for anything I can’t find at Aldi or Trader Joe’s. I don’t think they have produce or bread marked down, but I could be wrong. I hate shopping at Walmart anyhow, so I only go in if absolutely necessary. 😉
Athena says
Every Walmart I’ve ever shopped at does bread/bakery and meat markdowns. I’ve never seen produce markdowns there though. Since we moved to an area with an Aldi I do almost all of our shopping there. I occasionally go to Walmart for things I can’t get at Aldi (very little) and then always check the meat for markdowns. The bakery markdowns they usually put at the back of the store near the milk on racks. Sometimes they also put markdowns of packaged food on racks near the doors/checkouts. I always check those racks when I see them!
Between Aldi, sales at our United/Market Street stores (owned by Albertson’s), Zaycon Fresh and bimonthly trips to Costco we get all that we need at better prices than Walmart.
Rebecca in MD says
Our local Food Lion in MD has wonderful mark downs on meat, and I always check when I am in the store. I have to ask my other stores why they don’t do it – – – Redner’s Warehouse and Shoprite.
I think it is criminal that some stores just throw things away rather than mark them down or donate to a food kitchen/bank.
Pamela says
My favorite local store here on the East Coast is Shoprite. I don’t find too many mark downs but there is a small area near the express checkout which has some. For the most part it is bakery items. Very rarely produce. And of course I often see holiday markdowns (or some other items extra reduced) near the checkout lines in shopping carts.
Marybeth says
I’m on the East coast. Shoprite always has marked down meat in the regular case. I usually go around 10 am. I scored chicken thighs marked down to 30 cents a lb last week. I bought all four packs. They usually have markdown organic meat which is way out of my price range even marked down. I always say hi to the meat manager and he usually tells me what he marked down that day.
My Stop and Shop has an aisle for marked down items that are shelf stable. I always check it out. Each department has their own shelf such as meat, dairy, bakery, produce.
Aldi just leaves it where it normally goes and marks it with stickers unless it is holiday stuff. Then its usually up front.
Meat Farms has the best marked down fruits and veggies in my opinion. As long as I use/process them within 2 days they are fine. They also have cold cut ends marked to 1.49 a lb. They are the only place I know that does this.
Targets are always on end caps for shelf stable or marked where the item normally is such as meat.
I always check whenever I go to the store for mark downs. I look at them first.
UpstateNYer says
I am in NY and i also shop at Shoprite. I like to shop in the evenings after dinnertime. The crowds are gone and the markdowns are made after 7 pm in my store. I have found prepackaged vegetables, bakery items, meats and pre-made meat meals marked down on some trips. Anywhere from 35-50%off. In the freezer they go, if I am not ready to use them in the next few days!
Recently, I began shopping at the local Freihoffer’s Bakery Outlet (It is similar to Entemanns but local). Two days a week they mark down all breads of any type and hamburger/hot dog rolls to 99 cents each. Donuts and other bakery items are marked down too. You can get spices and dairy items at a reduction there as well. But you must bring your own bags.
Debbie N says
My kids make fun of me because I know where the clearance is in every store I go to and I always have to check it. It does pay off though. Today I went to the store to get eggs and I found lots of specials. I bought brownie mixes for 25 cents, Texas toast bread and hot dog rolls for 50 cents, a big big bag of cereal for 2 dollars and some Graham cracker pie crusts for 40 cents.
Sue Lester says
It’s weird reading “Fred Meyer” store. Here in Michigan,and a few surrounding states, we have “Meijer” ( pronounced Meyer) stores and, until his death a few years ago, Fred Meijer ran the operation.
Meijer has most of the marked down stuff in the department…Produce in produce, meat in meat. Meijer isn’t just a grocery store, so other mark downs ar e put on end caps near their department or shipped off to their Thrifty Outlet store.
Here in Grand Rapids we also have a place called Dailey Deals. Shopping there is a treasure hunt. They buy stuff that didn’t sell in the major grocery chains (lots of jalapeño pepper stuff) or has been discontinued by the manufacturer, at drastically reduced prices. I’ve gotten some really good deals there. The downside is that when stuff is gone it’s gone for good. I got addicted to Welch’s peanut butter and jelly snack packs; when DD ran out I thought I’d pay the long dollar and get them at Meijer or Walmart. No such luck. It seems that Welch’s has stopped making them.
Emily says
Just as important as where the markdowns are is When they are. I always find the best selection of produce markdowns in the morning. Often as good as half off.
Emily B. says
I gotta tell ya, I am green with envy when I see you post the awesome discount photos at the grocery store. I live in MN, and shop at SuperTarget (decent pantry staples but not so hot with the meat or produce) , Cub Foods (standard large grocer), and Byerlys (more upscale but 2 blocks from my house, so yeah.)
Super Target – The will mark down prepared produce and fruits, though not by much. A small plastic container of berries cut up will retail for $6.99, and there will be a $1 off sticker. Same with any fresh meat, it’s minimally discounted. Zero bakery items are discounted.
Cub – The put all shelf stable items in the back corner of the store, like it’s some terrible secret, HA! There is a small clearance meat area that has decent discounts, but the meat has an expiration date of that day or the next. Zero fresh produce or bakery items are discounted.
Byerlys – Those that shop here aren’t here for the bargain prices. It’s a premium store, and you pay a premium for the items in it. They do have a SMALL bin (again in the back corner of the store) that has super random things like, alcoholic drink mixers, or cocktail toothpicks. Never any produce, meat, or bakery items. I will shop there because this is a privately held local family company that does AMAZING things for the community, and will be the first in line to donate to any of the local schools. When my daughter was in HS and played volleyball, I was in charge of the snack store. There were many times I picked up bags of bakery treats for free that were were able to sell to raise money for the boosters club.
There is so much food waste, and people on a small income that would snap up these deals if they were available.
We do have ALDI stores throughout the cities that people flock to for inexpensive basics. Very small store, with limited options and the produce and meats can be a little sketchy.
Wendy says
I split up shopping between warehouse stores and clise out stores. Plus where I live there are lower level stores such as price rite that is,a division of shop rite. The former having very good prices on produce, certain meats and other goods. Not a big selection of everything though. Shopping around takes time but once you get to know the stores in your geographical area….savings in your grocery budget csn be had. We also have a n outlet for baked goods as well. I never pay full price for bread, English muffins, danish, etc. Sometimes very good cookies are 99 cents a box!.
Lisa MTB says
I’ve started paying attention and have noticed markdown tags on some of the produce items in my local grocery store like the ones you have in your photos. The sale produce items are just mixed in with the regularly priced produce at my store. The markdown bakery items, however, are located waaaay across the store from the bakery, and there are some 10 for $10 sale dry goods located pretty close to the discounted bakery items. I don’t think I would have noticed if you hadn’t been posting your photos, though, so thanks for doing that!
Mimi says
My eyes are trained to spot those red and yellow stickers at Fred Meyer. I find bags of organic apples, perfectly good grapefruit and lemons, and bananas for a buck each. I’m a little more picky in the meat department. I won’t buy reduced ground meat or chicken but I’m more than happy to pick up a roast or ham at a discount. I always check the quick sell bread racks. It’s a crap shoot as far as freshness goes but always worth a look. If milk is tagged for quick sell I’ll stash it in the freezer after putting it into quart jars. It never goes bad if I keep the quantities small.
Today I bought 10 jars of Fred Meyer peanut butter for $1.00 each and they paid me .26 to “purchase” a can of Bush’s garbanzo beans. Small victories but in my world every penny counts. 🙂
Susan says
For anyone interested, there is a $1/2 e-coupon (new) for FM peanut butter. Up to 5x = 10 jars for $1 each. There
are also many other 5x coupons- mostly FM/Kroger items. Check out your e-account 🙂
Ellen in Clackamas says
I usually only shop at Safeway. Don’t see bakery or veg/fruit marked down but there is a bin for meat and it is the first place I look. They also have a couple of shelves in the way back that has misc things on it like pasta or diet drink powder.
PEGGY says
At the grocery store near my daughter’s house, in a bit of a smaller town, they have lots of products they keep on tables in the center of one of the freezer aisles! I recently got a few 18 oz. jars of organic peanut butter and organic shampoo and conditioner and skin creams. The peanut butter was $1.00/jar and the skin creams, none were more than $3. This was for the higher priced moisturizers, and hand creams, I got enough of them for all 3 of my girls Christmas stockings! I look every week or two to see what’s on the tables, one thing for sure, this store in particular likes to get rid of stuff at a great price and they put it right out in the open, it’s a smaller chain store that is very big on customer service. Love it. 🙂
Emily E. says
We usually shop at Giant Eagle and get fuelperks which is money off of gas after you spend a certain amount. I ALWAYS go to clearance sections and in Giant Eagle, they simply put a few carts together in the middle of the meat section that have mark downs in them. It will be anything from holiday cookies, OTC meds, paper products, or vitamins. You never know what you’ll find. One of my best steals was Skinny Cow candy and bars for 25 cents each and sour mints for 25 cents each! I also love Rite Aid clearance areas. I got a dog training collar for $4.95 clearance from $20 and name brand lotions and body sprays for cheap too!
Laurie says
I find that Vons has the half off markdowns right before the butcher goes home. That is at about 9 pm. I have a lot of luck with Saturday nights. I also have a lot of luck with grass fed beef.
Jennifer says
I live in NC, so my favorite store is Harris Teeter. It’s only a mile from my house and it’s on the way to everything else we go to, so I am in there almost daily.
The produce dept. and meat dept. are great about reducing items. My fave find in produce are $1 bags of potatoes (3# reds and 5# russets) that will last as long as 3 weeks in my pantry and $1 cauliflower. We love it steamed, but I refuse to buy it at the regular $3.50.
The meat dept. will reduce by 30% the first day and 50% the next, but I have found $2 whole chickens, $4 rib eyes, etc…
Oddly enough, there is an HT across town, but they rarely have any markdowns at all. I’m hoping they contribute to the local soup kitchen as we have one that is very active.
TX Deborah says
We only have one grocery store, and a couple of Dollar stores. As for marked down foods, the grocery store has one for produce, and one for meats. The produce is placed in a basket, usually in a large bag. The meats are at the end of the meat shelves. The best deal I ever got was about 6 pounds of ripe bananas for $1. I froze them and made banana bread with them. Just thaw them, mash and make your banana bread. They seem much sweeter after they’ve been frozen.
Carole says
Rarely if ever see markdowns here. I believe our big chain store donates that stuff to the local food bank which is fine. But customers would likely take advantage of that too. I grow most of our veggies, thanks Mavis for the inspiration, make our bread so I only buy meat, fish and stuff on sale anyway.
Susan says
My one and only grocery store generally throws the food out..the employees don’t even get it..to get to any other grocery stores require a 50 miles per round trip, to get to a Walmart requires a 100 mile round trip and to get to a. Costco or Sam’s Club requires a 300 mile round trip. We don’t get any bargains unless we happen to raise it or at a farmer’s market in the summer.
Lizeth says
Love this post! We usually go to El Super (Mexican grocery shop), Costco, and small Mexican butcher or tortilla shops. The small Mexican shops have super deals on meat since they butcher the animals themselves. My mom still likes to make things like blood pudding and cow head meat tacos or goat stew to stretch meat consumption, me? Not so much, and my kids won’t eat that stuff lol but the good news is my kiddos don’t really enjoy meat anyways so when I do get meat it’s usually a whole chicken that I’ll make 3 or 4 meals out of and maybe some chuck roast that I’ll use to make flautas, baked tacos, and cabbage stir fry or taco salads. All these markdowns in other states sound awesome though!!