A recent YouGov survey commissioned by Tesco reveals that more than two thirds (69 percent) of shoppers now look for mark downs in store, but when is the best time to pick up a yellow sticker bargain? Express.co.uk asked Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury’s when people are most likely to find a discount.
Tesco said reductions happen throughout the day with reduced products grouped together in certain key areas of the store, making it easier for customers to find.
Colleagues scan any items that have a short use-by-date and if the system identifies that a yellow “Reduced to Clear” sticker is needed then it will generate one.
Although Tesco wouldn’t disclose any more information, bargain hunters say the best time is usually an hour or so before closing, although there’s no guarantee there will be anything left.
Asda also said store colleagues markdown items that are due to go out-of-date multiple times a day, but times vary from store to store.
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Meanwhile, Sainsbury’s also couldn’t pinpoint the best time for customers to get yellow sticker reductions, so Express.co.uk asked former Morrison’s employee Al Baker for his behind-the-scenes knowledge.
Al, who runs The Penny Pincher money-saving blog, told Express.co.uk: “It’s hard to give a time these days, but normally stores do the first reductions first thing and the final reductions between 7pm and 9pm.
“Lots of stores now tend to be more reactive to the amounts they have to reduce, so might change the price at different times, rather than the older set times – if they don’t have much, they might bypass the final reduction entirely to save margin, as they know it’s likely to sell with a smaller reduction!
“I always advise speaking to staff and asking what time they reduce to be sure, as it can vary widely between stores and the type of store for example whether it’s a smaller convenience store or larger supermarket.”
Al Baker know a thing or two about discounted food – not only did he used to work at Morrison’s but he used to rely on them to feed his own family after he became bankrupt.
He said: “I have been in a situation where I’ve literally just had pennies in my pocket – we’ve struggled massively.
“Luckily I’m a qualified chef so I could always rustle something up out of what was left.”
As well as hunting for yellow sticker bargains at local supermarkets, Al advocates using food waste apps like TooGoodToGo and Olio to find reduced food items.
Olio helps people save money by alerting them to free food their neighbours don’t need.
TooGoodToGo, on the other hand, enables people to have the odd treat from a local shop or restaurant for around a third of the price.
Express Money conducted its own investigation into which supermarket offers the best yellow sticker bargains out of Asda, Tesco or Sainsbury’s.
I visited stores in Bristol between 8pm and 9pm on a Wednesday evening and found Asda offered the most reductions, while Sainsbury’s followed closely behind and there was hardly any bargains to be had at Tesco.
However, it’s important to point out Tesco may have had some cracking reductions that sold out just before my arrival.
Express.co.uk asked Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury’s why there seemed to be less Yellow Sticker Bargains on the shelves these days.
All supermarkets said they were not discounting less, so it would seem there are fewer bargains to be had because hard times mean more people are shopping for discounted food.
Al Baker said it could be down to a number of reasons such as low stock, more demand and food apps like Olio making better use of food from supermarkets. He said: “It’s a perfect storm; more demand, less on the shelves equalling less bargains sadly!”
