Supermarket Secrets - how to avoid them!

NeuroticVirgo

6 Sneaky Supermarket Secrets
by Leanne Ely, C.N.C

Can I beg and grovel? Just a little? Okay, here goes...please, I beg you, never go grocery shopping without a list and plan for what you're going to buy. Not only will you spend way more than you budgeted for, you'll most likely forget something that you'll need to get dinner (or another meal) done during the week. How frustrating is that!

Keep in mind that supermarkets know how you operate and seek to exploit your vulnerability when you walk in the door!



Here is a list of how to avoid supermarket's costly seductions:

1. Conquering the Entrance: Whenever you first walk into the store you're always bombarded with holiday specials, seasonal knickknacks, DVDs, or select sale items. Before diving into that mess of temptation and "deals" - evaluate. Do you need it? Surviving the entrance is just the first step. Think of yourself as Indiana Jones escaping a maze of booby traps.

2. Oh - Sale! BUT WAIT: The sales and specials will go beyond the entrance. They extend throughout the entire store. Especially those that have their own frequent customer cards. If it's not on the list, always ask yourself the same question: do you need it?

3. The Store's Personal Brand is Always Cheaper... Or is It?: Not so fast! Examine all your options! And do you have coupons? Brand names have to constantly compete and lower prices to go against the store's label, and more often than you might realize, brand names can be cheaper than the store! Check the price per ounce and do some comparison shopping. Phew, another close call!

4. Produce Doesn't Need to be Bought in Bulk: What most shoppers don't realize, is that produce brings in the highest profit margins for grocery stores. And that's typically the first department you wander into inducing shoppers to buy more produce than they probably need. It's good to eat your fruits and veggies, but buy what you need and leave the rest. If it's cheaper to buy a pre-made bag of potatoes than the bulk potatoes, but you only need 2 taters, in the long run, it's cheaper to pay for only what you need then to have those potatoes growing eyes in your pantry.

5. Let's Make a Deal: It's really easy and so rewarding! First, look for coupons and look out for double, even triple, coupon weeks! You will save an incredible amount and beat the system if you can manage coupons and be aware of sales before walking in. If you can buy an item you always need (say canned tomatoes) with coupons that are doubled or tripled, by all means, stock up! This is where penny pinching is fun.

6. Sale or No Sale: Sometimes a coupon and a store's promise to double or triple it doesn't mean you should buy it. Any junk food, even if it is only going to cost pennies on the dollar is not worth it. Don't get caught up in saving for the sake of saving. The food you buy and bring home will end up in someone's belly. Ask yourself if the food has quality nutrition before you buy. It's not worth it otherwise.

Go test the grocery store waters and see how skillfully you can avoid those trap doors when you enter armed with your list!

ElizabethRN59

thanks for sharing!!!

unmitigatedbadassery

Very good advice.

ktblum

Good tips! The only thing I disagree with is the potatoes. I think buying "pre-made", processed food in leiu of the original is rarely a good idea. Just buy a smaller bag of potatoes, or share with a friend. If you keep them in a cool, dry place they last forever.

susiewusie

I take it coupons are a big thing in America? Do they make massive savings for you ?

PegasusDeb

You forgot a HUGE one! Never go shopping when your hungry! I'm amazed at the crap I used to come with! Huh... who knew mom was right?! lol

I also disagree with coups. If they are for something that you actually use, then yes, use them. Back when I had money to spend, I used coups all the time... to buy crap I didn't need or use. It's mostly junk or processed foods, which I am staying away from. When I did a kitchen purge I was shocked (& disgusted) on how much money I had spent on crap I was now throwing away or giving to the scouts food drive.

I have discovered that I do tend to only use the "outside" aisles now. Meat, dairy & produce. All on the outer perimeter of the store. Once I get sucked into going down the snack aisle I'm a goner! So I shop with a list & blinders on! lol Go in, get out! The days of me dropping wads of money for stuff that sits on my counter are over. I guess I can thank the recession for that, but it was long over do at my house!

Tzavush

Great reminders!

NeuroticVirgo

I take it coupons are a big thing in America? Do they make massive savings for you ?

They can if you use them right. My mom is a super couponer, she will get a $300 bill down to $30-$40 with coupons. Its awesome. But I've see all the planning and organization that takes, I don't think I'll ever be able to do that.

NeuroticVirgo

I totally got sucked into all the holiday stuff yesterday.

torregro

I learned to buy what I need in the produce department, and not what they want me to have. I always used to think that if the asparagus came in a rubber banded bundle, I had to buy the whole thing. Now I know that if it's sold by the pound, I only have to buy what I can use. I figure I live close to several stores and why not let THEM store it and take the risk that it goes bad?
I make a salad that calls for half a head of red cabbage. Now, I just tell the produce manager that I only want half a cabbage, and he slices it for me and wraps the other half in plastic. Probably someone else could use a smaller portion as well.
If it's sold by the pound.............that's how I buy it. Much less wastage at the house now.

thumper44

Sales at one store doesn't mean it's the cheapest price around.

Bigger boxed stuff doesn't always mean better price.
ex Cheerios - Last time we went shopping the big box wasn't the good deal - we got 2 smaller boxes.

This one gets me. You know that they purposely try to deceive people
If you are comparing products - make sure they are same serving size.

Quick look at these two cereals would make you think they are almost the same. All the numbers are close to each other.


and


Except the multi grain cheerios has 33% more per serving. 1 cup compared to 3/4 cup

thumper44

I don't drink pop as much as I used to (4/day) now I'll maybe have 1-2 ginger ale a week.

This is another form of marketing the companies are doing.


This one shows it for the full bottle, but I know many bottles/cans it only shows "per serving" - 8oz = 240ml.

- The bottle has 2.5 servings and 70 grams of sugar = 70grams of carbs = 280 calories in SUGAR = 14-15 tsp of sugar
- A can is 355ml so a can has 1.5 servings = 42 grams of sugar/carbs = ~ 170 calories in SUGAR = 10 tsp of sugar


So, why would companies make the nutrition information for 1 cup when they don't sell it in a single serving size.
Maybe because they like to show the 100 calorie number for people who don't read the labels properly?

susiewusie

I take it coupons are a big thing in America? Do they make massive savings for you ?

They can if you use them right. My mom is a super couponer, she will get a $300 bill down to $30-$40 with coupons. Its awesome. But I've see all the planning and organization that takes, I don't think I'll ever be able to do that.

susiewusie

OMG thats amazing ! ooops dont know what I did there lol

Atlantique

I totally got sucked into all the holiday stuff yesterday.

The best time to buy holiday stuff is the week AFTER the holiday. They practically give it away then!

LuckyLeprechaun

I take it coupons are a big thing in America? Do they make massive savings for you ?

They can if you use them right. My mom is a super couponer, she will get a $300 bill down to $30-$40 with coupons. Its awesome. But I've see all the planning and organization that takes, I don't think I'll ever be able to do that.

THIS! you have to decide what your time is worth. A lady on the "Extreme Couponing" show proudly explained that she spent 30 hours per week preparing for her shopping trip. Even with the large savings (she saved about $350), if you calculate that based on the 32 hours she spent total, she was making $10/hr. In California, that's just above minimum wage. IDK about you all, but I do not have an extra 30 hours per week.

Atlantique

I learned to buy what I need in the produce department, and not what they want me to have. I always used to think that if the asparagus came in a rubber banded bundle, I had to buy the whole thing. Now I know that if it's sold by the pound, I only have to buy what I can use. I figure I live close to several stores and why not let THEM store it and take the risk that it goes bad?
I make a salad that calls for half a head of red cabbage. Now, I just tell the produce manager that I only want half a cabbage, and he slices it for me and wraps the other half in plastic. Probably someone else could use a smaller portion as well.
If it's sold by the pound.............that's how I buy it. Much less wastage at the house now.

I end up hitting the grocery store twice a week now. If I try to go once a week, I end up with rotting produce, but if I go twice a week(second trip only for more veggies/fruits) I actually use what I buy.

Almost all my fruits are frozen these days, as I tend to use them most in smoothies AND they are cheaper. So no spoilage and they're already frozen to thicken my smoothies. If I can hit a sale on fresh, great! The frozen stuff will be fine hanging out in my freezer!

thumper44

I end up hitting the grocery store twice a week now. If I try to go once a week, I end up with rotting produce, but if I go twice a week(second trip only for more veggies/fruits) I actually use what I buy.

Almost all my fruits are frozen these days, as I tend to use them most in smoothies AND they are cheaper. So no spoilage and they're already frozen to thicken my smoothies. If I can hit a sale on fresh, great! The frozen stuff will be fine hanging out in my freezer!

Yep this is me now. I'll go back to grocery store, that way I won't have any rotting waste.

Frozen fruits are great in smoothies - Banana's and strawberries are my fav.
Ready to buy lots of strawberries when they're a good price and vacuum seal and freeze them up.