How to get reduced item discounts at Lidl, Aldi and B&M
YELLOW sticker veterans are always on the hunt for the best bargains - but did you know similar discounts can be found at Lidl, B&M and Aldi?
There are three reasons food is reduced in the big four supermarkets: it has a short date, it is superficially damaged or it is no longer being sold.
But if you know when to linger around the reduced shelves, you could save up to 75 per cent off the retail price on some products.
For those with a big freezer the yellow sticker discounts are the perfect way to stock up on the best brands for less.
Now bargain hunters at (MSE) went one step further by compiling some helpful pointers for making your money count at discounts stores like Aldi, Lidl, B&M as well as Boots and TK Maxx.
Budget supermarkets Aldi and Lidl run price reductions of up to 30 per cent - although they are much harder to find, according to MSE.
More about supermarket deals
Lidl does great reductions on bread while Aldi often cuts prices on non-food items, expert from MSE claim.
Aldi doesn't reduce prices during the day like bigger rivals, which means you are more likely to snap bargains in the morning or at closing time.
CHECKOUT THIS The time when your supermarket starts reducing items with yellow stickers revealed
Meanwhile, budget store B&M is most likely to slash prices once a year on seasonal items like Christmas gift sets.
The Sun Online has contacted the retailers cited below for further comment
Here are the discounts to look out for, according to MSE:
Lidl
If you want to bag a discount at Lidl, MSE claims you should check the bread aisle.
That's the section where the budget store is running reductions of up to 30 per cent, which are usually indicated by orange stickers.
Bread is a great product to grab at a discount price, as you can easily store it in your freezer and put it straight into the toaster.
The brains at MSE also spotted some discounts in the retailer's chilled section – including sausages, bacon and yogurts.
Aldi
When shopping at the store, keep your eyes peeled for large red and white stickers, which state the original as well as the discount price.
Reductions on items like books, plates and skin care are easier to find than actual discounts on food products, according to MSE.
Still, if you pay attention you can find some products for a cheaper price.
For example, MSE spotted a cooking oil spray reduced from £1.99 to 99p.
It's worth noting that Aldi doesn't drop prices during the day, so you're more likely to find the reduce items in the morning or at closing time.
A spokesperson for Aldi told the Sun Online: "To reduce food waste we are trialling price reduction stickers in a small number of stores on fresh products approaching their sell-by or use-by date."
TK Maxx
Let's be honest, TK Maxx is a bit of a jumble sale, and not exactly the first store you think of when it comes to grocery shopping.
But the retailer does sell food products and MSE claims they are reduced "occasionally", meaning that with a bit of luck and perseverance you might find a bargain.
MSE found a tea strainer reduced to £1 from £4.99.
There were also discounts to be found on biscuits, crisps, oils and pasta, all labelled with red stickers.
The retailer told MSE: "If our items aren’t snapped up after four to six weeks, we’ll mark them down and put them into our Clearance area.
"A couple of times a year we also have a Final Clearance event."
B&M Bargains
The bargain store is more likely to slash prices once a year on seasonal items like Christmas gift sets.
For example, it was selling a curry pan set for £2.99 instead of £4.99, according to MSE.
Shoppers can also get discounts on damaged items like tins of beans or open multi-packs of crisps than short-dated goods.
When available, reduced items can be found alongside non-discounted products rather than in a separate section - look out for white stickers with a hand written price.
Boots
If you want to grab a very cheap sandwich for lunch, you should head to Boots after 2pm from Wednesday and look out for the red and white stickers, MSE claims.
That's when the retailer reduces its sandwiches and sides to just 50p.
Obviously, this may vary from store to store but if your local is a high-street shop and you’re on a late lunch, it’s worth trying your luck.
When does your supermarket start reducing prices?
YELLOW sticker discounts allow shoppers to nab a bargain, often stocking up on more expensive items like meat and fish.
MoneySavingExpert has put together a list of reduction times per store, although it does vary depending on the location of the supermarket. As a rough guide, the first yellow stickers tend to appear mid-morning, and silly-price reductions begin early evening, when stores cut prices by 75 per cent and more.
Here’s where it thinks you can spot a bargain, store-by-store:
- Asda – Reductions start around 7pm and most have gone by 9pm.
- Co-op – Varies by store. Expect 50 per cent discount around 5pm, then 75 per cent by 8pm.
- M&S Food – Final reductions at 6.30pm in stores that close at 7pm and 8pm at stores that close at 9pm. Some items marked down due to sell-by date after lunchtime rush.
- Morrisons – Reductions start late morning or lunchtime.
- Sainsbury’s – Some stores start at 1.30pm, others don’t start until 7pm. Dependent on store location and opening times.
- Tesco – No hard and fast rule. Some big stores start reductions at 8am, others don’t start until early evening.
- Aldi – Doesn’t reduce prices during course of the day, more likely to be in the morning.
- Lidl – Not enough info to say.
- Waitrose – Dependent on store but usually just before closing time, according to shoppers.
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