If you’re struggling to keep prices down on the weekly shop, hunting for yellow stickers is a great way to score a bargain.
Yellow sticker discounts can save you a lot of money(Image: MEN)
The weekly grocery shop can quickly become painful on your wallet. Food prices seem to be soaring ever higher, and trying to find a bargain is growing increasingly challenging.
However, yellow-sticker discount items are a life saver when you’re trying to save some money. Trying to figure out when the best time is to hunt for yellow stickers is another challenge, but if you know when to look you can save a lot of money.
To try and shed some light on this, sticker experts at Quote My Wall analysed supermarket reduction routines, retailer comments shared via consumer reporting, and patterns repeatedly mentioned by shoppers and store employees across bargain-hunting communities and interviews.
Tesco
Tesco doesn’t have fixed national times for reductions, so it’s important to familiarise yourself with your local store’s routine. However, shoppers and staff say that late evening is the most likely time, reports the Express.
This is because stores want to get rid of their same-day stock.
Your best times are after 7pm and around 30 to 60 minutes before close. Tesco has also trialled marking some yellow sticker items at £0 in some Express stores.
This only occurs after 9:30pm and aims to reduce food waste.
Sainsbury’s
This supermarket has especially store-dependent timing. But shoppers report that the best time to hunt for bargains is either early afternoon for the best variety, or early evening for the lowest prices.
For the best selection of products, aim to shop between 1pm and 3pm, but for the best deals, try between 6:30pm and 8pm.
Asda
Asda typically slashes prices twice a day. The first wave is usually between 9am to 11am, and then again in the evening between 7pm and 9pm.
So, depending on your schedule, you could potentially catch both.
Lidl
Lidl operates on a more predictable schedule. Price cuts usually happen first thing in the morning and then again a few hours before closing.
For fresh reductions, pop in at opening time, but for lower prices, try 3 to 4 hours before closing.
Aldi
This supermarket’s discounting strategy varies across branches, but most frequently, yellow sticker items appear between 7pm and closing time. This is because they need to shift perishable items quickly.
Co-op
Between 5pm and 7pm, you’re likely to see prices lowered by around 50 percent, but if you head along at around 8pm, prices will be even lower.
Morrisons
Morrisons’ price reductions are often described as being ‘manager-led’, so they can vary between stores. However, eagle-eyed bargain hunters have reported that earlier reductions offer more choice of items, whereas later ones have lower prices.
The first reductions usually roll out between 10am and 1pm, and then again between 5pm and 8pm.
M&S
There is no official information about yellow stickering times, but according to shoppers and staff, the best value is usually found about an hour before closing.
