Reduced/Shortlife items - do you buy them?
Poll: Reduced/Shortlife items - do you buy them?
Total Members Polled: 95
Discussion
Wondering what the thoughts on here are?
I used to avoid anything being “yellow stickered” believing it was poorer quality & a stigma for buying it but have in recent years changed my attitude.
I tend to have a look when on the weekly shop & buy something for immediate use, I feel I’m doing my bit for reducing food waste & enjoy figuring out a meal around an unplanned purchase (unless I’m being lazy & reduced item is something like a pizza!)
However, one thing I have noticed is, there doesn’t seem to be the same amount of deeply discounted items there used to be, suggesting the supermarkets near me are not having to push so hard to move short life stock.
Was wondering if more people are buying it or they’re donating it to food banks / “to good to go” sites as some sort of corporate social responsibility thing & need to ‘maintain” a stream of items (I know also there’s not such a stigma amongst staff & they often share out the good reduced stuff)
I do still see from time to time hotel chef’s /takeaway owners I recognise bulk buying reduced items in supermarkets & wondered if there’s some sort of alerts they get as to what’s available (I’d support that kind of initiative but I know a few who’d look down their nose if they thought the Mushroom “soup of the day” was just to make use of a pile of reduced mushrooms!)
I used to avoid anything being “yellow stickered” believing it was poorer quality & a stigma for buying it but have in recent years changed my attitude.
I tend to have a look when on the weekly shop & buy something for immediate use, I feel I’m doing my bit for reducing food waste & enjoy figuring out a meal around an unplanned purchase (unless I’m being lazy & reduced item is something like a pizza!)
However, one thing I have noticed is, there doesn’t seem to be the same amount of deeply discounted items there used to be, suggesting the supermarkets near me are not having to push so hard to move short life stock.
Was wondering if more people are buying it or they’re donating it to food banks / “to good to go” sites as some sort of corporate social responsibility thing & need to ‘maintain” a stream of items (I know also there’s not such a stigma amongst staff & they often share out the good reduced stuff)
I do still see from time to time hotel chef’s /takeaway owners I recognise bulk buying reduced items in supermarkets & wondered if there’s some sort of alerts they get as to what’s available (I’d support that kind of initiative but I know a few who’d look down their nose if they thought the Mushroom “soup of the day” was just to make use of a pile of reduced mushrooms!)
Edited by AndyAudi on Thursday 1st February 08:08
We have a Co-op on our doorstep, and I often go for a walk in the evening and pop in on the way back to see what they've got.
Handy for sandwiches/lunch items for work the next day, I don't mind consuming food the day after it's 'best before' date. A £3 sandwich reduced to a 1/4 of the original price, why wouldn't you.
Handy for sandwiches/lunch items for work the next day, I don't mind consuming food the day after it's 'best before' date. A £3 sandwich reduced to a 1/4 of the original price, why wouldn't you.
Happy to buy it, most shelf life dates are very conservative and so the risk of any issues is minimal.
It helps to reduce food waste, as the supermarkets dump huge amounts of edible food.
Some friends pick up stock from supermarkets for the local food bank, and there are still skips full of food at the back of the supermarkets.
They drop off bags of stuff for us that are left over after the food bank closes (can be a fairly random collection :-) ) and we are happy to use it over the next few days.
It helps to reduce food waste, as the supermarkets dump huge amounts of edible food.
Some friends pick up stock from supermarkets for the local food bank, and there are still skips full of food at the back of the supermarkets.
They drop off bags of stuff for us that are left over after the food bank closes (can be a fairly random collection :-) ) and we are happy to use it over the next few days.
Bluequay said:
The yellow sticker Jackals know all the big mark down times. You can see them to start to gather about 5 minutes before ready to pounce\harass the shop assistant into marking down what they want first.
Often seems like the assistant gives the items to waiting family, friends?Bluequay said:
The yellow sticker Jackals know all the big mark down times. You can see them to start to gather about 5 minutes before ready to pounce\harass the shop assistant into marking down what they want first.
Me and the Mrs popped into a Tesco in Swindon once and witnessed this. We didn't know what was going on at first as there was a big crowd of people waiting around the end of an aisle. But then as the Tesco employee came over people started pushing and shoving one another, screaming, shouting all over some cheap bacon and salmon. Was actually really sad to see. Liamjrhodes said:
Ill buy something if I see it when passing.
I feel sorry for the shop assistant that has to do it, in our local morrisons they have to place a barrier around them to prevent the idiots fighting over the cheap stuff its crazy!
I have no issue in buying reduced food . I feel sorry for the shop assistant that has to do it, in our local morrisons they have to place a barrier around them to prevent the idiots fighting over the cheap stuff its crazy!
I'm not sure some are "idiots" as you say.
Some people rely on it given all the other mounting costs.
I feel for these people
I'm not happy if I haven't got at least one thing from the clearance shelf, but I don't time my visits to the supermarket to coincide with the best times to get the deepest discount. I hold the view that most stuff will freeze and be OK for a bit, and so far I haven't poisoned myself. Actual volume of cheap stuff seems to vary from week to week, as does the level of discount, but as I shop first thing in the morning I probably don't get the best selection.
I used to buy yellow sticker items a lot, then noticed my stomach wasn’t happy. When I lived in a more salubrious part of London, there were yellow stickered items a plenty.
Then I moved to a less salubrious part of London, noticed there are regulars who know all the price reduction times, its a bit like a gathering of vultures and really quite stressful. The store assistants regularly have to tell people to back off and not snatch.
I rarely buy them now.
Then I moved to a less salubrious part of London, noticed there are regulars who know all the price reduction times, its a bit like a gathering of vultures and really quite stressful. The store assistants regularly have to tell people to back off and not snatch.
I rarely buy them now.
All the time, when I go to tesco the first thing I do is check out the reduced bit they often have some great deals and it might influence what else I buy shopping 
Waitrose often have Charlie Bingham ready meals reduced, great for popping into freezer. I got 2 the other week for £4 as opposed to £9.
Waitrose often have Charlie Bingham ready meals reduced, great for popping into freezer. I got 2 the other week for £4 as opposed to £9.
I have a mate who I call fat Derek, I call him fat Derek because, well, he's fat and his name is Derek.
Fat Derek knows when the yellow stickers appear and he buys the lot, regardless of if he actually wants the stuff.
Fat Derek is the guy who examines every item on every shelf, picks it up, turns it around, reads all of the label before returning it to a different place on the shelf.
Fat Derek can spend hours in Aldi, so many hours that Parking Eye have him on speed dial!
Fat Derek knows when the yellow stickers appear and he buys the lot, regardless of if he actually wants the stuff.
Fat Derek is the guy who examines every item on every shelf, picks it up, turns it around, reads all of the label before returning it to a different place on the shelf.
Fat Derek can spend hours in Aldi, so many hours that Parking Eye have him on speed dial!
ferret50 said:
I have a mate who I call fat Derek, I call him fat Derek because, well, he's fat and his name is Derek.
Fat Derek knows when the yellow stickers appear and he buys the lot, regardless of if he actually wants the stuff.
Fat Derek is the guy who examines every item on every shelf, picks it up, turns it around, reads all of the label before returning it to a different place on the shelf.
Fat Derek can spend hours in Aldi, so many hours that Parking Eye have him on speed dial!
Bet he's a breadsqueezer.Fat Derek knows when the yellow stickers appear and he buys the lot, regardless of if he actually wants the stuff.
Fat Derek is the guy who examines every item on every shelf, picks it up, turns it around, reads all of the label before returning it to a different place on the shelf.
Fat Derek can spend hours in Aldi, so many hours that Parking Eye have him on speed dial!
Liamjrhodes said:
Ill buy something if I see it when passing.
I feel sorry for the shop assistant that has to do it, in our local morrisons they have to place a barrier around them to prevent the idiots fighting over the cheap stuff its crazy!
This. I don't make specific trips, nor time my trips, to "get the bargains". But if I'm in Tesco I'll stick my head around the end of the aisle where the yellow stickers hang out. If there's something there I'm buying to use in the next day or two anyway, I'll consider buying the stickered alternative. Trouble is, I'm often looking at stuff that hasn't been cut in price by all that much. Or it'll still be cheaper to buy a long dated two-for-one clubcard deal. If I was in serious need of cheap food I think I could swallow my pride and sharpen my elbows ready to lurk at the "best times", but so far I've not found the need. I feel sorry for the shop assistant that has to do it, in our local morrisons they have to place a barrier around them to prevent the idiots fighting over the cheap stuff its crazy!
I don't pay all that much attention to Best Before or Use By dates anyway. I can think of only one item I've actually thrown away because it had spoiled this year, and that was a bottle of salad dressing that I'd normally have finished quite quickly but, for pretty obvious reasons, Christmas excess tends to get in the way of eating much salad. It had been open in the fridge since early December, with a three week Use By date. When I opened it after giving it a shake and preparing to give it a sniff, I saw that a thick plug of the dressing had dried out in the neck of the bottle, so it went straight into the bin.
I don't have a problem with buying things on offer. Only things that I would have bought anyway and I have a dish in mind.
My (student) children also itoduced me to this: https://www.toogoodtogo.com/en-gb
My (student) children also itoduced me to this: https://www.toogoodtogo.com/en-gb
Patio said:
M & S curry's for me
If reduced I grab and freeze
Also good for trying the odd thing you've not had before( can also work against you)
Yeah me too but their reduced curry prices are not nearly as low as they used to be. Doesn't often feel like a bargain these days. If reduced I grab and freeze
Also good for trying the odd thing you've not had before( can also work against you)
Gouging b
ds! 
boxst said:
I don't have a problem with buying things on offer. Only things that I would have bought anyway and I have a dish in mind.
My (student) children also introduced me to this: https://www.toogoodtogo.com/en-gb
Me too on both counts. Had some cracking bargains and with 'Too Good To Go' we had so much Miss Millie's Chicken for £5 last year, I had to invite family and neighbours around in a rush to finish it. My (student) children also introduced me to this: https://www.toogoodtogo.com/en-gb
If you have a freezer, most stuff will keep in there anyway, so you just need to plan ahead for your meals or take something out as a surprise!
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