How to spot secret Marks and Spencer Boxing Day sale stock and feed a family for £10, reveals ex-M&S manager
A FORMER Marks and Spencer manager has shared his secret to finding Boxing Day bargains.
Gavin Foley, 40, from Southampton was a managing director at M&S for eight years.
Behind the schemes, preparation for one of the biggest sales of the year started back in September.
Floor planning, what’s going in the sale, staffing and everything in between has to be planned in a military fashion.
One of the key things for the savvy shopper to know is that smaller stores start sending their stock to the larger stores.
Gavin, who has since founded of Flexi-Jobs, said: “My biggest tip if you want to go in person, is don’t waste your time with the small shops for the sale, everything gets sent to superstores.”
“Head to the largest M&S near you for more choice but be prepared to queue.”
From the comfort of your sofa
Alternatively, you can shop the sale on the M&S app by adding all the items you want into your basket before the sale goes live.
You’ll be able to see what has gone into the sale as you load the items into your basket, you just won’t be able to buy them yet.
Then keep an eye on your phone throughout Christmas Day, right through to the evening, and keep your payment details to hand as the sale might just go live earlier than Boxing Day morning.
The father-of-two added: “The sale is meant to go live online on Boxing Day morning but as no one is working, sometimes the sale goes live on Christmas Day.
“So, it’s worth refreshing and double-checking the app so you don’t miss it. Then when it does go live, be quick as things can sell out fast.”
Feed a family of 10 for £20
Historically if you were able to hold your nerve to buy all your food on Christmas Eve, you could feed a family of 10 for £20.
Gavin said: “I remember sending my staff into the food aisle with crates of whole salmon that had gone down to £1.”
These days planning has improved to save on food waste and the store losing profits.
Although there are still some great bargains to be had, just not your entire Christmas lunch.
Gavin said: “You can still pick up some things, you’ll just have had to go into store before lunchtime on Christmas Eve for a browse.”
“The fridges out the back are only so big, so anything that is going out of date will be reduced.”
Most sell-by dates through the Christmas period now last until the 26 and 27 December.
Gavin added: “Due to waste it was essential that sell-by dates were managed so that food would last until after Christmas Day.”
“The beautiful deserts and expensive meats see some of the best reductions throughout the store.”
Location is everything
The sale is usually positioned where room had been made for all the boxes of chocolates and tins of biscuits and Christmas gifting.
Staff start to clear this on Christmas Eve and bring out the rails with prepared sale stock on.
He said: “Even though the rails are covered over in plastic, you’ll be able to see what’s going into the sale.”
“We know from lunchtime and print off all the price labels and leave them in a bag hanging on the rail.”
So, if you were in store just before Christmas this is where you will need to head.
Refunds and exchanges
Refunds and exchanges will go ahead as normal from Boxing Day although there is no rush.
Thanks to M&S’s Christmas return policy, anything (except sale items) bought between 10 October and 24 December 2024 can be returned as late as 26 January 2025.
Items bought from the 25 December 2024 onwards fall under the normal refund policy.
How to save money on your food shop
Consumer reporter Sam Walker reveals how you can save hundreds of pounds a year:
Odd boxes – plenty of retailers offer slightly misshapen fruit and veg or surplus food at a discounted price.
Lidl sells five kilos of fruit and veg for just £1.50 through its Waste Not scheme while Aldi shoppers can get Too Good to Go bags which contain £10 worth of all kinds of products for £3.30.
Sainsbury’s also sells £2 “Taste Me, Don’t Waste Me” fruit and veg boxes to help shoppers reduced food waste and save cash.
Food waste apps – food waste apps work by helping shops, cafes, restaurants and other businesses shift stock that is due to go out of date and passing it on to members of the public.
Some of the most notable ones include Too Good to Go and Olio.
Too Good to Go’s app is free to sign up to and is used by millions of people across the UK, letting users buy food at a discount.
Olio works similarly, except users can collect both food and other household items for free from neighbours and businesses.
Yellow sticker bargains – yellow sticker bargains, sometimes orange and red in certain supermarkets, are a great way of getting food on the cheap.
But what time to head out to get the best deals varies depending on the retailer. You can see the best times for each supermarket here.
Super cheap bargains – sign up to bargain hunter Facebook groups like Extreme Couponing and Bargains UK where shoppers regularly post hauls they’ve found on the cheap, including food finds.
“Downshift” – you will almost always save money going for a supermarket’s own-brand economy lines rather than premium brands.
The move to lower-tier ranges, also known as “downshifting” and hailed by consumer expert Martin Lewis, could save you hundreds of pounds a year on your food shop.