Comments on: The Truth About Grocery Store Flyers

By: JD

JD — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 20:23:24 +0000

Grocery sales are many times very confusing for the average consumer. It is intentional with many stores. Most customers will not question their charges unless it is blatently obvious. They count on that.

We have a store here which advertises ‘buy one get one free’…in the fine print at the bottom it states that you must buy two in order to get the second one free. You used to be able to get one for half price if you only wanted one. Now if you buy one you are charged full price.

There are also the ads of items on sale for y price but if you buy 10, you get it for a cheaper price. Little gramma who lives on a limited income, alone, and who would probably not use 10 of something in five years is forced to pay a higher price. This is true for college students, and anyone living in challenging circumstance. I find this very discriminating.

They are force feeding you to buy more than what you actually want or need. Or if you buy 10 of a particular participating product you get another $5 off. If you shop for this you have to be very careful to not get an item not included.

Also…don’t assume that all flavors or types of something are on sale. You can have Hamburger Helper on sale, but there can be one or two flavors that are not on sale. Most ads will state ‘selected varieties only’…..this covers their butt in any ad disputes.

Stores put a few really ‘hot’ items on sale. This gets you into the store, and 90% of people will buy more once they are in the store. And the price you are paying for the other items is usually covering the cost of the hot sale items.

It is true…stores do sell shelf space and ad space. In this store the potato chip section is 90% Frito Lay, because they pay for the space. They will grab every dollar they can at any expense.

The same goes for all the stuff hanging in the aisles on strips. These items are virtually all profit for the stores. Gift cards are also all profit for a store.

As far as regular tags and every day low tags…you can have a regular price tag that(for instance is 1.00). The item changes to an everyday low price of 1.00 with the regular price changing to a higher price. In reality there is no change.

I have a lot of comments I could make on corporate management, the employee struggles, and the customer service. But that is a whole different story

By: J.

J. — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 22:55:53 +0000

At least twice that I can remember, Target put something on sale for higher than the regular price. My price book helped me to discover this, and I always shop sales carefully there.

I definitely find the sale flyers useful for produce, meat and some canned goods and staples. But most of the things in the sale flyer are overpriced name brands or convenience foods that would be cheaper to make from scratch.

By: Bonnie

Bonnie — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 19:58:06 +0000

You make a lot of valid points. I have my own price point for my items and only use the flyer as a guide. So, a 12pk of canned soda only becomes of interest when it’s 4/$8 or 4/$9 and since they shrunk the size of the ice cream containers yet again, my price point is $2.25/48 oz of Breyers. So when my partner’s favorite cereal went on sale in one of those “buy 10″ to get the low price, I found several other things that we use on a regular basis too. The cereal will get used quickly even though it has a great expiry date and I have a pantry for storage, so it worked out.

Thanks for the great tips!

By: Bargain Babe

Bargain Babe — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 15:12:20 +0000

Wow, this is a great post. I’m going to link to it on BargainBabe.com. Thanks for these insights!

By: Amy

Amy — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 12:02:36 +0000

I stock up sale items when I know we’ll use them. I do look online for coupons that match my list before I go in the store. I’ve been browsing coupon generators like this one to find some incredible coupons http://www.crazybargain.com/2009/06/coupon-of-the-day.html

By: kriswithmany

kriswithmany — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 18:22:07 +0000

I’ve been very annoyed with “reduced price” or “price drop” recently. I’ve seen the stores I shop at raise the price, and list the “normal” price as being even higher than that! I’m sorry, it hasn’t been that price for a long time, if ever!

By: Camille

Camille — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 23:33:51 +0000

A few months ago our local Kroger brand store had their store brand sour cream “on sale” in the flyer for 4/$5 for the 16 oz. The week before I made a mental note of their non-sale price (the sour cream had been on sale weeks before for $1.00): $1.16 was the non-sale price! It pays to keep a price book!

By: Christa

Christa — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 21:05:19 +0000

One easy way to find your way through the noise in grocery store ads is to use a company that tracks prices and finds the great deals in each ad for you. A great one in Southern California is: myfrugalicious.com

By: Cheryl

Cheryl — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 17:15:27 +0000

This was a great post! I have recently started shopping for grocceries online, and it’s turning out to be great. For $10 they bag your entire order, and I usually find a $10 off coupon for an order of $100 or more in their flyer. To have them delivered it is only another $6, which I would pay for gas to go there anyway. I shop the sales and use coupons. This past week, my bill would have been $194 and I paid $144. I try to stick to meats, produce, and not a lot of pre-packaged meals. They always have deodorant, toothpaste, and cereal on sale, and the brand varies by week, so I buy the sale brands then use coupons. Some weeks I stock the freezer, like wheat bread, hot dog and hamburger rolls, and all my bread items, buying 4 each. That way I have them there when I need them and can skip that item in my cart for a week or two! Having a big upright freezer makes this great! They also have specials for money off your next order. We had a killer fruit salad one week, since blueberries, strawberries, watermelon, and mangoes were all on sale. We buy roasts on sale and cut them into steaks, throw them in a zip loc with marinade and toss some into the freezer for a poor sale week. About once a month I go to Walmart for the things that are cheapest there and stock up. We’re feeding a family of 7 and my kids are high school and college age, so it helps to stretch those dollars! Online shopping makes it easier to resist those impulse items roaming the aisles! AND you can shop at midnight from your couch!

By: Kristen Sullivan

Kristen Sullivan — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 12:25:01 +0000

Trent thanks for this piece.

In addition to taking advantage of the right sales – I try to cook frugally too. FiLife publishes “frugal recipes of the week” that might be worth a look:

http://www.filife.com/stories/frugal-recipe-of-the-week-ginger-fish-marinade

By: Isaac Grover

Isaac Grover — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 16:40:35 +0000

Trent, thank you for this article. Before my wife passed away, she did all the shopping so I never had to care about this stuff. Now as a single parent, I have not only learned my grocery store, locally owned and operated, but also plan the week’s meals loosely based on the weekly flyer. Also, I have determined that the house brands are in many cases less expensive than the name brands even with the sales and coupons.

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 17:22:55 +0000

Sales fliers can be misleading for sure. For instance most people think that something listed in the sale flyer is a great deal. But it might only be on sale a few cents. This isn’t a great deal. Also, sometimes the sale on a 16 oz package is still more expensive than than regular price of a different size (I am talking per ounce here). As nice as it is to get the sales fliers, you have to be careful.

By: Darin

Darin — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 18:08:14 +0000

Most stores that have “sales” also attach temporary prices to the store shelves over the regular price. Rather than keep track of the regular price, I make it a habit of carefully pulling back the sale price sticker or plastic insert to see what the regular price is.

At the grocery store I shop at (Cub) they usually indicate what the difference is, but other stores do not.

I have caught myself several times before buying a larger quantity of an item on sale only to discover it’s not much of a savings.

By: Katy

Katy — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 15:24:33 +0000

The comments about husbands really cracks me up! It’s so true that the grocery stores KNOW that most men (and some women) tend to “grab and go”, and they really use that to their advantage. Can’t blame them. That’s how businesses work. But being informed goes a long way towards being in control of our spending. Thanks for the tips and info, Trent! (I’m glad you shared about how companies buy space in the sale ad…Good to know…)

By: Danielle

Danielle — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 14:07:02 +0000

My aunt just turned me on to grocerysmarts.com and I love it. You need a passcode, but I found the one for my area by typing “California Grocery Smarts passcode” into Google.

What I love about it is the links to online coupons for whatever sale items have them. By the time I’m looking at Grocery Smarts, I already know what I want to buy and this helps me save even more. It also helps me find items that are less than 50 cents (like hand soap, last week, which I needed and stocked up on for 45 cents each).

By: John

John — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 23:57:53 +0000

@Shelly. Sounds like my favorite store, Wegman’s.

By: DrFunZ

DrFunZ — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 22:15:45 +0000

Yep! We have been brainwashed – Stop and Shop came out with their “Everyday Low Prices” just as the recession hit. Apples that were usually $.99/lb were set at the “Everyday Low Price” of $1.29+/lb. There is nothing low about it; it is actually higher! But it sure is everyday! Even unbagged lettuce heads! 2 heads for $5. So, I weighed the heads; they were 6 oz each. 12 oz of green leaf for $5!! Making it WAY more expensive than meat! So much for eating lower off the food chain.

The best deal if you can find it? “Abundance” brand cereal from Ocean State Job Lots. 2 giant bags with whole grains, extra fiber, dried fruits and almonds and no added junk – only $3!! I now buy all tuna, sardines, pasta, salad dressings and like items from this type store. Off-label for some things is just fine – 0r, in the case of the cereal, even better!

By: Larabara

Larabara — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 19:32:42 +0000

I live in LA, and one of the many advantages is the relatively low cost of produce, especially in summer months. Most of the seasonal produce is featured on the front and back pages of my store flyer. Shipping costs figure in the prices. A lot of produce is grown in California, and doesn’t have to travel far to get to the grocery store. I buy in bulk and freeze everything I can to help stretch the food budget in the winter. I’ve heard good things about Jon’s, and it’s on my route from work; I’ll check it out and compare their prices to my neighborhood independent grocery store. If the prices and quality are right, I’ll be shopping there!

By: Jeremy

Jeremy — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 18:53:38 +0000

Another thought about quantity and sales. Sometimes the price of the 2/$X is more than buying one unit of a larger size. For example hot sauce was on sale last week. 2/$5 of the 16 fl oz size. The 23 oz size was less than $5! My wife and I love hot sauce. So buying the larger size is justified. Just because it is on sale and in the flyer does not mean that it is a bargain.

By: sara

sara — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 18:50:04 +0000

Oh man! I’m probably in a different part of the country from everyone, but I buy almost everything off of the sale fliers. It’s all fruits/veggies/grains, though, and eggs and meat sometimes, not the packaged stuff.

I first read the big chain grocery and see, like this week, oooh, kiwi, 4 for $1. Ah!

Then I read my sales flier – 1st and 4th pages – for the international grocery. Their sales on fruits and veggies are always better. Kiwi 10 for $1, for example.

I guess because their clientele is making most of their meals by scratch, produce and fruit are always really cheap (and good!). The great sale right now has been 3 lbs of oranges for $1. Also, peaches and nectarines are 2 lbs for $1, and Italian squash 2 lbs for $1.

My roommate and I buy what is in season, and I cook up the veggies with rice/lentils/beans sometimes meat, and we’re good to go.

If anyone lives in LA, I highly recommend Jon’s!