YELLOW stickers are the perfect way to get a bargain at the supermarket.
But what’s the best time to shop in order to find them? A study by Which? finds out when you should visit Aldi, Asda, Lidl and M&S to bag discounts.
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Yellow stickers are normally placed over a product’s barcode to offer a new, lower price.
This happens if the item is near its sell-by date or the supermarket needs to shift stock.
But since costs are constantly on the rise, reduced products usually sell fast as soon as they’re on the shelves.
Ele Clark, Which? money editor, said: “Rising food prices and the cost of living crisis are putting huge pressure on household budgets at the moment – with many of us looking to cut costs where we can.
“Yellow reduced stickers can make products considerably cheaper than they would have been otherwise and it can be well-worth paying attention to when your local store makes reductions.”
To help you find them, we’ve listed exactly when to shop and where. After all, it could lead you to a handy discount.
Remember you can find your nearest supermarket branch using the store locator tools – these are on each chain’s website.
To start with, Asda said yellow stickers are usually added to items twice a day – once in the morning and once in the evening.
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So you’ll need to be up bright and early to have first pick, but it’s not all or nothing. You can check again at the end of the day.
In terms of M&S and Aldi, the two told Which? that times vary per store.
However, it’s best to visit near to when the store closes. Shutting times are easy to find on the website after you select which one is nearest to you.
And make sure you look for red labels at Aldi – the discount supermarket uses those instead of yellow stickers. It normally marks down perishable products like bread, meat, fruit and vegetables by either 30% or 75% on their last day of shelf life before stores close, so keep that in mind.
Also, you’ll get a 30% discount on ambient groceries at Aldi such as cereal, pasta and tinned food if there’s a problem with the packaging.
And if you’re shopping at Lidl, rules are similar to Asda. It tends to reduce items in the morning and then again at the end of the day – but feel free to visit throughout the day in case your local store does it more regularly.
As for Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose, each one said there are no specific times when employees apply yellow stickers.
A good tip is to ask the staff in the supermarket when they tend to apply discounts, as they’re the people in the know.
You could call ahead to your local store too so you’re not disappointed.
But once you know the best time, you won’t want to hang around as bargains tend to go quickly – what’s on offer will be subject to availability.
How can I cut costs when grocery shopping?
There are plenty of other ways to save on your supermarket shop aside from hunting for bargain stickers.
Making a list could save you some money and allow you to budget better, for instance.
Going own brand can also save you cash and taste just the same, if not better. For example, we compared Asda products to branded versions and found at least four were nicer – and cost less.
Ele Clark adds: “Shopping around and buying own-brand products is also an easy way to save hundreds of pounds a year, as is avoiding expensive convenience stores if you can.
“Those prepared to switch to a cheaper supermarket for their regular shop will likely find some great value alternatives to their favourite brands.”
Plenty of supermarkets also run wonky veg and fruit schemes where you can get cheap prices if they’re misshapen or imperfect.
For example, Lidl runs its Waste Not scheme offering boxes of 5kg of fruit and vegetables for just £1.50.
There’s also Too Good To Go which is a surplus app where you can pick up leftover supermarket groceries for free – just keep in mind the quality usually isn’t perfect.
