SCIENTISTS have revealed the secret to bagging the best yellow sticker discounts at supermarkets.
University researchers have published a report on the best tactics, times and strategies that top money savers use to pick up heavily reduced items from shelves.
They found shoppers who get the best bargains:
- "Wait around" in the aisles for reductions – One shopper revealed they check the expiry dates of items such as cream cakes and then wait for a staff member to reach them with the yellow sticker gun so they can grab them straight from the reduction trolley.
- Are competitive – One shopper told the researchers that she loitered by a supermarket worker printing off yellow stickers for raspberries which were reduced from £3 to 25p each for a 150g punnet. She got there before another couple and managed to pick up 15 punnets, compared to the couple who only bagged four.
- Use trolleys as weapons – The report claims "shoppers are described as 'sharks' who use their 'trolleys as weapons' to prevent others from reaching reductions."
- Follow staff reducing items around the supermarket – Shoppers who regularly pick up yellow sticker items say they "stalk" reducers.
- Schedule shopping trips for when items will be reduced – The research found there is no universally good time for picking up reduced items, but that "final reduction usually takes place sometime in the afternoon or evening". The report said that shoppers who researched to find out when items are reduced in their local supermarkets had better luck with bargains. Shoppers said they did this by observing reducers day-to-day or by simply asking a member of staff.
- Can create recipes based on their reduced buys – You don't just need to be a good bargain hunter to bag the best yellow sticker items. The research found that you need to think like the TV show "Ready, Steady Cook" and come up with ideas for "what can be 'done' or made with the item". It says the best savvy shoppers will have "food, its storage and preparation and cooking and recipe knowledge". The report adds: "Competent yellow-sticker shopping depends on 'using' what is purchased."
- Look in the baskets of other shoppers – Look in the baskets or trolleys of other shoppers to check for yellow-sticker items you may have missed.
- Look in random chiller cabinets and end-of-aisle shelves – Yellow sticker food may not be in the right aisles so signs won't tell you where to look. They also won't be promoted. Shoppers say they often find reduced items at random in chilled cabinets or at the end of an aisle.
2The research led by Leeds Beckett University's Leeds Business School was published in the academic journal Area.
To find out the best ways of shopping for yellow sticker items, a team of three researchers analysed 968 posts on MoneySavingExpert.com from 326 contributors between March 2013 and July 2016.
Sarah Kelsey, senior lecturer at Leeds Beckett University, who led the research, said: "The findings from our paper reveal just how competent, creative and skilful yellow-sticker shoppers are in negotiating the unconventional rhythms of the supermarket and the unpredictable products available and in putting them to use within the home."
Calling on supermarkets to make yellow sticker shopping more accessible, she added: "Retailers are aware there are many shoppers that are interested in purchasing perishable short-dated food, but this facet of food retailing is not the most visually attractive.
When does your supermarket start reducing prices?
YELLOW sticker discounts allow shoppers to nab a bargain, often stocking up on more expensive items like meat and fish.
MoneySavingExpert has put together a list of reduction times per store, although it does vary depending on the location of the supermarket. As a rough guide, the first yellow stickers tend to appear mid-morning, and silly-price reductions begin early evening, when stores cut prices by 75 per cent and more. Here's where it thinks you can spot a bargain, store-by-store:
- Asda – Reductions start around 7pm and most have gone by 9pm.
- Co-op – Varies by store. Expect 50 per cent discount around 5pm, then 75 per cent by 8pm.
- M&S Food – Final reductions at 6.30pm in stores that close at 7pm and 8pm at stores that close at 9pm. Some items are marked down due to sell-by date after lunchtime rush.
- Morrisons – Reductions start late morning or lunchtime.
- Sainsbury's – Some stores start at 1.30pm, others don't start until 7pm. Dependent on store location and opening times.
- Tesco – No hard and fast rule. Some big stores start reductions at 8am, others don't start until early evening.
- Aldi – All items are reduced – to 50 per cent of recommend sales price – before stores open on their best before or use by dates.
- Lidl – Not enough info to say
- Waitrose – Dependent on store but usually just before closing time, according to shoppers.
"This is perhaps why supermarkets ‘hide’ this aspect of their operations in dark corners of the store or disperse the activity across the shop floor."
She said supermarkets could do more to promote yellow sticker food to make it easier to find and buy in stores.
The researchers now plan to find out how shoppers use yellow sticker food at home, including how they meal plan, store food, cook the items and if they waste anything.
They are looking for shoppers, reducers and supermarkets to take part in their study. To get involved, email Ms Kelsey at [email protected].
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We've put together a guide to bagging reduced item discounts at Lidl, Aldi and B&M.
Last month we revealed how a dad-of-one saves £1,000 a year on supermarket shops by bagging free food.
Meanwhile, one shopper shared a snap of a huge haul of food which cost her just £3.21.
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