A SUPERMARKET has slashed the price of mince pies to just 4p each – but you won’t find them at Aldi or M&S.
As the festive period dies down, many retailers will be slapping reduced stickers on boxes of the yuletide treats.
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Posting on Extreme Couponing and Bargains UK, a private social media group with a staggering 2.3 million members, one savvy shopper uploaded a picture of a stacked boxes of pies from Co-op for just 25p for six.
“Well, the mince pie season is over I guess, because all of this lot were down from a quid to 25p each in Co-op Southampton,” the post read.
Other sweet-toothed shoppers can also nab a box of heavily discounted mince pies from M&S.
A pack of six all-butter treats will only set you back £1.25.
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Whoopsie deals, also known as yellow-sticker bargains, tend to crop up when supermarkets shift food that’s approaching its use-by date.
The way shoppers know these items are discounted is because supermarkets put a yellow sticker on packets indicating the revised price.
They can also be used to offer discounts on food in damaged packaging or on lines that are being discontinued, such as Christmas chocolates once the festive season is over.
Often there will be an entire shelf or section of the supermarket dedicated to these clearance bargains but sometimes you can find them tucked away with full-priced items.
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When do supermarkets put out yellow-sticker bargains?
The time supermarkets put out these bargains tends to vary.
Generally, supermarkets tend to slap a yellow sticker on items first thing in the morning, after lunch, and just before closing time – and the biggest discounts are usually just before stores shut.
Scott Dixon, a complaints expert who blogs at the Grumpy Git, told us after 1pm is a good time all round for discounts, while self-proclaimed “coupon kid” Jordon Cox reckons between 3pm and 5pm is best if you specifically want discounted sandwiches.
Other bargain hunters have revealed in the past that the evening is often the best time to stock up while London restaurant discount site Plate-Deals says the “absolute best discounts are to be had first thing Sunday morning at all supermarkets”.
Here’s a rough supermarket-by-supermarket guide.
Aldi
Scott told The Sun Aldi discounts throughout the day at 30% to 50% off – but he warned not to leave it too late or else you may miss out.
Meanwhile, a MoneySavingExpert.com user told the site in September 2019 that Aldi’s half-price stickers start appearing from 8pm.
Asda
Shoppers told MoneySavingExpert.com back in July 2017 that final reductions often start around 7pm – and most bargains have been snapped up by 9pm.
Thrifty parents Paul and June Stakes previously explained how they bagged a £50 shop for just £3 at ASDA.
Co-op
One former Co-op worker told MoneySavingExpert.com items which expire that day tend to have a 50% discount, though another MoneySaver said you have to wait until 8pm for 75% discounts.
When The Sun spoke to Co-op, it told us reduced to clear price reductions are generally applied about four hours before the store closes.
Lidl
Experts said Lidl discounts its items at the start of the day, unlike other grocers which wait until just before closing time.
Lidl usually reduces products in its 800 UK stores near the use-by date to about 30% of the original price, bloggers from Student Hacks have previously revealed.
M&S Food
M&S Food shopper Scott added that he reckons between 5pm and 7pm is when you can expect to snap up the best bargains.
One savvy shopper bagged a huge pile of fancy M&S treats for less than £20 while picking up her online order.
Morrisons
Morrisons does the best bargains first thing in the morning, says one shopper. She told us: “The early bird gets the cheap-cheap perishables.”
Plate-Deals also recommends visiting Morrisons first thing in the morning.
And one shopper who says they work at Morrisons told The Sun the supermarket discounts items overnight so shoppers can snap up bargains first thing in the morning.
Sainsbury’s
Shopper Scott told The Sun Sainsbury’s city centre convenience stores often have good yellow-sticker discounts late at night.
While Plate-Deals reckons the best Sainsbury’s discounts are to be had around 7pm.
Sainsbury’s told The Sun it’s at the store manager’s discretion whether to offer discounts, and if so, which items to reduce, when to start cutting prices, and how much to take off.
Tesco
Tesco told us its yellow-sticker reductions vary in price but it says they will increase over the course of the final day an item is on sale before it expires.
This matches what Scott told us, as he said Tesco’s city centre shops often have good bargains late at night.
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Waitrose
Plate-Deals reckons Waitrose offers yellow-sticker discounts after 6pm, with bargains often appearing half an hour before closing.
But it points out smaller stores often run “much better reductions” than bigger branches.
