Save Money at Salvage Grocery Stores like the Grocery Outlet
By shopping at salvage grocery stores, you can feed a family of four for as little as $3 a day per person. A salvage grocery store is a store that usually sells all the groceries returned by a supermarket to their warehouse. Why were they returned? Sometimes due to a case getting dropped or punctured which ruins one or two cans or boxes. Sometimes due to a manufacturer overestimating how many of an item to produce. Sometimes due to a label change or warehouse closing. For whatever reason these excess goods must be sold. Items whose packaging is damaged to the point of being compromised are discarded and the rest sent out by the truckload to end up for sale at your local salvage grocery store. Sometimes there are other kinds of household products sold at these stores too, even things like patio tables and chairs, sheets, towels, and small appliances.
Headquartered in Berkeley, California, Grocery Outlet currently encompasses over 133 independently operated stores in 6 western states (AZ, CA, ID, NV, OR and WA). Click here for their store finder page. Typically, Grocery Outlets are located in cities large and small and in all kinds of neighborhoods. I have shopped at the store in Redwood City and also the two in San Jose. I love shopping here, every trip is like a treasure hunt. My big score last trip was bags of all kinds of Nestle morsels (dark chocolate, white chocolate, butterscotch, etc.) for only $1.50 per package in anticipation of my holiday baking. On top of their discounted prices, they also take manufacturer coupons. Sign up for their sale flier and sometimes you will get an extra $5 off sale coupon emailed to you.
The only downside about shopping at salvage grocery stores is that when you find something you really like, it might not be there again. So stock up when you find something you like. I bought some packages of Aidells Ginger and Mango turkey sausage cheap. I grilled them at a BBQ with some friends. Everyone raved about the sausage, it was fantastic. I went back to buy more, but alas, it was all gone. I couldn’t even find it at any of the regular grocery stores near me. It was such a hit, I contacted Aidells customer service to ask about it and they told me it had been discontinued. But the good news is that the woman I spoke with in customer service sent me $10 in Aidells coupons.
There are great downloadable brochures on feeding a family of four on $3 a day per person and $3 a day for everyone on the Grocery Outlet web site with menus and recipes.
Inside Edition had a story about getting groceries for less by shopping at salvage grocery stores. You can read it here:
Here is a directory listing of State by State U.S. Discount and Salvage Grocery Stores
