Supermarket yellow sticker bargains are a treasure hunt for savvy shoppers, with discounts ranging from a few pence to over 90 per cent. But knowing when and where to find these cut-price items can be tricky, as they are not advertised and can appear on any food at any time.
Bargain hunter Emma Drew, 28, from Ely, Cambridgeshire, says her local Co-op typically reduces items between 1pm and 2pm. Katy Stevens, 28, from Harlow, Essex, finds that Sainsbury's, Marks and Spencer, and Waitrose start their yellow sticker sales around 5pm to 7pm. Asda marks down fresh food on the morning of its sell-by date, while Co-op does most reductions in the early afternoon, with up to two further reductions if needed.
Supermarkets use a supply-and-demand system to decide discounts. Staff scan barcodes of items nearing their sell-by date, and the scanner calculates how many items are left and how quickly they are selling. If there is likely to be unsold stock, a price decrease is suggested. This is why yellow stickers are more common in the evening, when it's clearer which items haven't sold.
Tesco's quality director, Tim Smith, says it is 'rare' that stores have to discount many items, as they order carefully to avoid waste. All supermarkets prioritise reducing waste; Tesco works with local charities via an app, Morrisons donates 200,000 products a month to charity, and Marks and Spencer sends unsold food for anaerobic digestion to generate energy.
