THERE’S no one better to ask for insider secrets at a store than the people who work there.
Whether it’s the tip Aldi checkout staff use to get customers moving or the annoying thing that Sainsbury’s workers say customers always do.
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Now, shop insiders have been spilling the beans to Martin Lewis’ MoneySavingExpert, and they’re full of expert tips.
One fan wrote in to reveal why you should only ever buy value cheese at the supermarket.
She used to work at a cheese factory and said the same block of cheddar would be cut up and sent to M&S, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Asda and Tesco.
“All the same cheese, wildly different prices. I have never bought anything but value cheese since,” she said.
She wasn’t the only factory to worker to confirm there is little difference between own-brand and branded products.
Lorry drivers, biscuit makers, cleaning product packers and more also said that when it comes to certain products, there’s no difference between luxury and value versions.
One fan said the same was true when it came to baby food. He previously worked for a premium baby food brand, which also made meals for Asda, Aldi and Lidl
He said: “As ingredients in baby must all be of a specific quality, there is very little difference in the end product, but a very big difference in price.”
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But there was some disagreement over the fruit and veg aisle.
One person who used to work in a frozen vegetable factory said the difference between branded and own-brand products were “minimal or non-existent”.
However, another fan who used to package carrots, leapt in to disagree.
“What was different was the expensive carrots had more workers looking for, and removing, unsightly or damaged carrots,” he said.
But rather than pay big bucks for fancy veg, he suggested buying in bulk and doing the sorting yourself – using the dodgy veg for soups and stews.
Another person, who used to work at Asda, swooped in with some valuable information.
She said the best time to get yellow-sticker bargains at the store was late in the day.
“Food with today’s date was reduced three times during the day, once in the morning, once around lunchtime and again at around 7/8pm.
“So anything with today’s date is always at its lowest price in the evening.”
Yellow-sticker hunting has become an art form for many shoppers, and particularly those trying to cut their spending during the cost of living crisis.
This week, experts warned that grocery prices are going up at their fastest rate in 1 1 years, with the average annual food shop bill set to go up £271.
That means insider intel is all the more important to find out the tricks of the trade that can help cut costs.
We heard from one Costco expert who revealed the occasions when you SHOULDN’T shop at the wholesaler.
And we’ve rounded up the exact day of the week that you should shop at all the major supermarkets if you want to nab the best deals.
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