‘Fill your freezers’ scream shoppers as Easter store closures create ‘yellow label heaven’ in supermarkets
BARGAIN hunters are looking to stock up on some cracking Easter deals this weekend.
Large supermarkets will close on Easter Sunday meaning many fresh and seasonal items will be knocked down in price.
Easter weekend is not only a nice time to relax with family and friends it is also a great time to stock up your cupboards with some cheap deals.
Big supermarkets such as Sainsbury’s, Aldi and Morrisons will all be shut on Easter Sunday in England and Wales.
This means most places will be looking to reduce many of the fresh items, or dated goods on Saturday, which is the perfect time to do some “yellow sticker” shopping.
Bargain hunter Polly Arrowsmith said in a post on Facebook that she managed to pick up “Heston chocolate apples for £1.95 down from £18” this time last year.
She added: “I also got a beef joint for £7 down from £60 and an organic stuffed chicken at £3 down from £15 at M&S.
Sharing some of her savvy shopping habits she said that going to the supermarket at “around 4pm” is the best time to spot a bargain.
However do bear in mind that all supermarkets mark down their items at different times, so it might be worth checking with your local.
Top tips for yellow sticker shopping
We spoke to Sarah-Jane Outten, MyVoucherCodes shopping expert, who gave us her top tips on how to take advantage of the yellow sticker bonanza this bank holiday.
Know your dates
Sarah recommends brushing up on the difference between sell-by, best-before and use-by dates.
She said: “Sell-by means more to the retailer than to the consumer, as it has no impact on the freshness of the food.
“Best-before dates indicate when the food is at its freshest, but you can eat foods after their best-before date, but the quality will diminish.
Sarah added that use-by dates, provide the latest date the food is the safest to eat, but they are still good to buy.
The shopping expert said: “Eat them that day or freeze them for another day.
She also said that it is important to “use your senses” when shopping for foods close to the on or use-by date.
If something looks good and still smells great, it should still be good to eat.
Shop in the evening
Most supermarkets reduce their food after 6pm so this could be a good time to bag some bargains.
However as we mentioned before, this can vary between supermarkets so it is worth checking with your local if you are not sure.
Sarah said: “Marks and Spencer often start reducing food just 30 minutes before closing.”
Keep an open mind
Picking up reduced foods is a great way to try new foods and brands that you wouldn’t usually try, advises Sarah.
At least if you do not like something, it means that you have not wasted your money paying full price.
Seasonal reductions
It is always worth remembering that supermarkets tend to reduce items after big events such as Valentine’s Day and Easter.
This could be the perfect opportunity for the sweet-toothed shoppers among us to pick up a bargain on some Easter chocolate from as early as Easter Monday.
I’ve picked up some awesome magic bags from Morrisons and Aldi
Sarah-Jane Outten
Shopping apps
Sarah also recommends downloading apps such as Too Good To Go.
She said: “Lots of supermarkets are using this handy app to get rid of reduced foods.
“I’ve picked up some awesome magic bags from Morrisons, Aldi and Waitrose.”
Too Good To Go is an app where you can purchase food from local supermarkets, cafes and restaurants that would otherwise go to waste.
However, bear in mind that most of the time what you get is just random, so you don’t know what you will get in your bag until it arrives.
If you prefer to know what you are getting there is an alternative app called Karma, that works in a similar way.
You can search for nearby food to pick up based on your location through the Karma app.
Unlike Too Good to Go, it well tell you what food you are getting so there is even less chance of it being wasted.
What other Easter deals are supermarkets offering?
There are plenty of Easter deals to be had right now in supermarkets too.
Marks and Spencer is offering a roast dinner for four people including a joint of meat and three sides for just £20.
The deal runs until April, 1, so you will need to be quick if you want to pick one up.
Tesco is also offering its Clubcard holders 50% discount on mains.
We checked on the website and spotted a large beef roasting joint at £6 per kg rather than £12 per kg.
Sainsbury’s is also offering half-price mains and has a 15p deal on its veg.
Wine lovers will be pleased to know there are many supermarkets offering 25% off six bottles of wine too.
How else can I save on my supermarket shop?
THERE are plenty of other ways to save on your grocery shop too.
Making a list should also save you money, as you’ll be less likely to make any rash purchases when you get to the supermarket.
Going own brand can be one easy way to save hundreds of pounds a year on your food bills too.
This means ditching “finest” or “luxury” products and instead going for “own” or value” type of lines.
Plenty of supermarkets 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.
If you’re on a low income and a parent, you may be able to get up to £442 a year in Healthy Start vouchers to use at the supermarket too.
Plus, many councils offer supermarket vouchers as part of the Household Support Fund