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Shopping at discount grocery stores is like going on a treasure hunt. You never know what you might find, and that’s part of the fun!
We are extremely blessed to live near a small discount food store that carries a lot of speciality and organic products (not all discount stores do). I love popping in there a few times a month to see what I can find on sale. Just as I write this, I was able to save a lot of money on things like coffee, pasta, quinoa, cheese, and protein bars – most of which were already on our shopping list!
How Do Discount Grocery Stores Work?
You’ll find a lot of different discount stores out there. I’m going to focus on scratch-and-dent or discount grocery stores in this article.
These stores gather lots of different items together in one place that wouldn’t otherwise be sold at a regular store. It might be because they’re past their due dates. It might be that they got damaged during shipping, which is the case with dented cans or scratched boxes. Or perhaps it was a larger box of singles that was damaged and now isn’t the complete set, but the remaining items are still perfectly safe! Perhaps it is overstock or clearance they couldn’t sell. There are lots of different reasons why items end up at these types of stores.
That said, there are a few things you should know before you begin shopping:
1: Know the Food Expiration Dates
The vast majority of the food items I’ve found in discount stores have been past dated or very close to their due dates. That means you need to pay close attention to expiration dates on the packages. It isn’t unusual at some of these stores for some less popular products to sit on the shelf for several months, even years, which means their due dates might be a lot later than they were initially.
Another thing to consider is if the expiration date even MATTERS for the product. I’m cautious with canned fish and frozen meat products, for example. But I’ve found that canned vegetables and dried beans are perfectly safe.
You really just need to pay close attention to the product and its condition, considering you don’t actually know how the product was stored before it arrived too. Sometimes, it is a gamble and you just have to make a decision based on what you actually know about the food. And sometimes, you might still be wrong.
That said, I’ve still gotten some great deals for items that are only a few months past dated! More recently, I even got some products that were dated next year.
2: Check Seals, Lids, & Bags
This is another important consideration. I learned this the hard way with some canned fish. Normally, it’s great! But these were brands that didn’t use sturdy cans and the seals seemed to have failed a bit before I got to use the fish inside. Again, I was being super cautious given the food item. But it also taught me to double check seals and lids, especially for dented canned goods.
You can do the same for plastic bottle lids. Check the seals and make sure the lids aren’t cracked. For bagged snacks or pantry essentials like flour, you can gently squeeze the bag to tell if it has any leaks, which would impact freshness.
3: Know Your Prices
Just because you find something at a discount grocery store doesn’t always mean it is priced well. This will vary a lot from location to location. I’m blessed that our store prices things very reasonably based on the product’s retail value. But not every store is like this. And again, sometimes the person pricing the items doesn’t know the going value either.
In general, I find that the prices are better than regular store-bought. But not always. If in doubt, look it up.
For example, in the picture, you’ll see some canned salmon. Now, at a glance, that might not look like a great price for canned salmon, depending on where you live. But look closer…this is actually Wild Sockeye Salmon, which is considered more nutritious and usually costs more than “regular” salmon. You have to watch those little things that impact the price of something, because it really does matter.
4: Know What’s in Demand
Because of the way these stores work, they have a limited supply of a product. That means it won’t necessarily be left on the shelf when you come next time. It COULD be. I’ve seen several items that have been waiting for me if I changed my mind. But you can’t bank on that, especially for really good deals, unusual products, or products with high local demand.
Once, I visited a discount grocery store a few days after a local business owner did a shoutout on her social media. Products were picked over that day, haha, because so many people had seen her video and wanted to check on this store.
5: Know When They Get Resupply & Shop Repeatedly
Right after a resupply is a great time to shop because the products haven’t been picked over yet. Some stores may have a scheduled resupply, while others are more sporadic. Even so, many of them have Facebook pages, for example, where they will post the latest goodies. Usually the best of those advertised products go quickly, so don’t wait too long to visit.
The best strategy I’ve found is just to visit the store a few times a month. Chasing specific items can be fun, but I wouldn’t rely on it. It’s better to just shop what you have available that day.
6: Know How to Pay (Cash or Card)
Many of these stores are “Mom and Pop” sort of places, especially the small stores. That means they may only accept cash or if they do accept cards, they may have to charge an additional fee. This isn’t because they WANT to charge you more for using a card! It’s usually the opposite. But most payment processors take fees out of card payments, so they have to pass that expense onto you.
Cash is also the safest bet if you’re going to an Amish-owned store. Many of them do accept cards now, but it really depends.
7: Have a Running List in Mind
This is, again, one of those stores that you can’t shop like Walmart or Kroger. You can’t go with a list of things and expect to find all of them. You need to keep a running list in your mind of products your family regularly uses or categories where you need to stock up, and then you can build your additional purchases around those needs. Sure, you can go shopping with a list of items, but you won’t know for certain if they’re available until you get there.
One of my favorite things about these stores is that we can get some treats that we wouldn’t otherwise be able to get, either because of availability in our area OR because of cost. It really is a great deal if you find the right items. It is also a great resource if you have friends with dietary needs that can be expensive at the other stores.
Bonus: How Do You Find Discount Grocery Stores?
Not every place will have access to a discount grocery store, but in some areas, there are several. I’ve found they seem to be quite prevalent near Amish/Mennonite communities, as well as locations that are near major cities and/or interstates where resupply is possible.
When it comes to finding a store, know that some owners will sell discounted items across various categories and not just food, so they might be called something like a bin store, surplus store, scratch & dent store, etc. Googling “discount store” will likely bring up results, but vary your keywords to cover all options.
Next, check your local community Facebook groups and ask folks you know. This is especially good for Amish or Mennonite stores, since those aren’t advertised as heavily online.
Finally, if you have a choice between supporting one of these businesses and another grocery store, consider where your money goes. Like I said, most of these discount groceries are run by small business owners where every purchase counts. Sometimes, a few extra cents or dollars doesn’t matter as much as supporting real people doing a real blessing to the community – because ultimately, shopping at discount grocery stores isn’t just about saving a buck. It’s about making the most of your resources, so you can feed as many people under your care good food as possible! 🙂
