Save BIG On Your Food Bill

Koeppen: Grocery Outlet Stores Sell Items For Much Less Than Regular Grocery Stores

(CBS)  With the economy hurting, consumers are looking for every edge they can get when it comes to trimming their outlays. And with food prices headed the way of gas prices, that applies to their grocery bills as much as any other.

Well, Early Show consumer correspondent Susan Koeppen reports that one big source of savings could be grocery outlet stores.

That's right -- outlet stores -- just as you find for clothes, etc.

At these discount stores, groceries often sell for 50, 60, even 70 percent off.

And, says Koeppen, with the tight economy, business is booming at grocery outlets.

They look just like regualr grocery stores at first glance, until, Koeppen points out, you check the prices.

At Grocery Outlet, a West Coast chain of more than 100 stores, they sell brand names -- but all merchandise in the stories is salvaged, and sold on the cheap.

"The stores are busy," observes Groecery Outlet's Eric Lindberg. " ... We're seeing a lot more customers. The pressure on the consumer right now is horrendous."

"Business is very good" at Amelia's Grocery outlet, says Mike Mitchell, who runs the chain of 11 stores based in southeast Pennsylvania.

With Amelia's offering huge discounts, savvy shoppers are coming in droves, says Koeppen. Sales are up 23 percent over last year.

"A family of four spends $900 dollars a month, so, if you save 50 percent, which you can (at Amelia's), you can save $450 a month on groceries," says Mitchell.

Amelia's and Grocery Outlet can offer such big savings, Koeppen explains, because they're selling food that can't be sold in regular grocery stores --- such as cereal boxes that are dented.

Amelia's is selling Shrek cereal for 99 cents, because the movie is out of the theaters. And soup cans for half price because they have pink labels promoting Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

"We deal with pretty much every major grocery manufacturer in the country," Amelia's Mitchell notes.

Half a million cases of food go through the Amelia's warehouse each month, all with their own stories as to why they made it there and not in regular grocery stores

Pumpkin, because it's out of season. And Aftershock, an energy drink Mitchell says "didn't quite make it."

A small fraction of the products at Amelia's are past their freshness date -- not their safety date, Mitchell emphasizes, but their freshness date.

"Some consumers actually gravitate to those items, because the savings on them are 60-70 percent, and they know the quality is perfectly fine."

He and Koeppen sampled some and found that to be true.

But unlike your regular grocery store, Koeppen cautions, what you see today may be gone tomorrow. "It's a true bargain-lovers' treasure hunt," she says.

More examples of grocery outlet savings: Heinz ketchup for $2.99 for 64 ounces as opposed to $4.79 for the same exact item in a regular store, and $2.79 as opposed to $6.79 for All detergent.

Koeppen showed a bag of assorted groceries that included cereal, jelly, juices, green beans and some luna bars. Regular store price? $25.29. At Grocery Outlet: $11.85.

The only reason not to shop at a groceyr outlet, she says, would be if there isn't one near you!

[jennmarie620]

don''''t know how single moms do it. Work full time and never enough money. If they can catch a break feeding their growing children then they should
certainly do it.

Posted by lyndar2 at 02:36 PM : May 13, 2008
_______________________________________
It''s true that single parents, like myself, have to sometimes decide between paying a bill, buying groceries - and now, putting gasoline in the car to drive to work. There''s a discount outlet grocery store in the small town where I live, and it''s been a HUGE lifesaver! For $75, I can buy a month''s worth of groceries for my two kids and me and if I had gone to Wal-Mart or Kroger it would have cost me $200. The majority is nonperishable or things that can be frozen, which helps that much more because some of it can last longer than a month.

As far as the dating on items goes - the only dates that really have to be adhered to are for dairy and meat products, and sometimes there''s a little bit of wiggle room for that, too. Keeping your refridgerator colder than the recommended temperature can keep milk fresh for up to a week past its date.

Those of us who have no wiggle room on money know the tricks it takes to save without sacrificing the safety of our families.

[darnedsocks]

WELL, IT WOULD HELP IF EVERYONE COMPLAINED ABOUT THE PRICES TOO. I USED TO SHOP AT A GROCERY STORE NEXT TO "LEISURE WORLD" IN SOUTHERN CALFORNIA, BECAUSE ALL THE OLD FOLKS WERE ON A BUDGET, EVER TIME I WENT IN THERE THEY WERE COMPLAINING TO THE MANAGER AND YELLING AND DEMANDING TO KNOW WHY THEIR FAVORITE FOODS INCREASED IN PRICE! THEY WERE ON A FIXED INCOME! AND IT WORKED! THE PRICES WERE THE LOWEST IN ORANGE COUNTY!

[bcbbkake]

I regularly shop at a grocery outlet, have all my life. Canned food will stay good for many years. If the can is swollen, you know it is bad. I have held canned food for up to 15 years, only found two swollen cans at the end of that time period. Don''t buy into the date thing; that is just a way to move product faster. Freezing does have time limits you should not exceed; never prepare anything that has freezer-burn, it''s bad. But cheap canned food, especially right now, can be a real hedge against higher prices in the future. Buy it in bulk today, eat it in 15 years, or longer. It will be okay.

[dylanxxv]

Before you critize you should get the facts. Go to the USDA''''s website and you will see that product dating is a guide for peak freshness. "It is a guide for quality, it is not a safety date." Also the USDA states the "frozen foods are safe indefinitely." The products these stores sell are of good quality and are not at all unsafe. Before you critize and act like an food safety expert maybe you should check with the experts first.

Posted by shrutman at 06:49 PM : May 13, 2008

Length of Time
Because freezing keeps food safe almost indefinitely, recommended storage times are for quality only. Refer to the freezer storage chart at the end of this document, which lists optimum freezing times for best quality.

If a food is not listed on the chart, you may determine its quality after defrosting. First check the odor. Some foods will develop a rancid or off odor when frozen too long and should be discarded. Some may not look picture perfect or be of high enough quality to serve alone but may be edible; use them to make soups or stews. Cook raw food and if you like the taste and texture, use it.

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/FactSheets/Focus_On_Freezing/index.asp#12

[shrutman]

Before you critize you should get the facts. Go to the USDA''s website and you will see that product dating is a guide for peak freshness. "It is a guide for quality, it is not a safety date." Also the USDA states the "frozen foods are safe indefinitely." The products these stores sell are of good quality and are not at all unsafe. Before you critize and act like an food safety expert maybe you should check with the experts first.

[ramos937]

These food items are perfectly safe. As the attendant said, some are past their "fresh date" and not their "safe date". Another reason you can rely on them is the liability issue. These stores do not ask you to sign a waiver form before you buy. If you do get sick from eating what they sell, you can sue them for a lot. They know that.

I only wish there was one in the city where I live.

[my2centss]

"All I''''m saying is watch out...Some of that food will kill you or make you very sick...

Posted by DylanXXV at 04:51 PM : May 13, 2008"

When you dine-out, do you know anything about the food or who prepared it? It can be a lot worse than a dented box.

[dylanxxv]

I wonder how long you will looked at it this way when groceries get higher and highter. I got to find out where a store is in my areas. If you think you can''''t use can food or box stuff past its date than you have fallen for this date thing and that just what they want you to believe. If you got that kind of money to use on groceries thats fine, I don''''t.
Shirl

Posted by deuelpete at 03:21 PM : May 13, 2008

I don''t mind buying food that is at the date on the can, but what these stores sell are well beyond that magic date...If a can has a little dent fine, but dented so bad the can is disfigured is unacceptable...That frozen meat you find there is at the point that it''s a real gamble...Sure it may have been at or a little beyond the expiration date marked when it was frozen, but do you know meat has a limited period in your freezer?
I don''t mean to come off as arrogant here and I''m sorry that you or any other person can''t afford to buy the way I do...I do give to food pantries often and hope there is one in your area that you can visit...
All I''m saying is watch out...Some of that food will kill you or make you very sick...

[deuelpete]

I wonder how long you will looked at it this way when groceries get higher and highter. I got to find out where a store is in my areas. If you think you can''t use can food or box stuff past its date than you have fallen for this date thing and that just what they want you to believe. If you got that kind of money to use on groceries thats fine, I don''t.
Shirl

[lyndar2]

I don''t know how single moms do it. Work full time and never enough money. If they can catch a break feeding their growing children then they should
certainly do it. Maybe that will save enough to pay
for heat or shoes. That doesn''t mean they should not be careful and you might be amazed what your "approved" food stores offer you sometimes. You''re probably buying *** and don''t know the difference. haha

[dylanxxv]

Salvage food stores have been around forever...I refused to buy damaged and outdated cr ap then and won''t do it now...

[marcosis78]

haha

[dredre2k]

Wow... this article actually suggests that people buy food that''s not fresh to save a buck!
Novel idea!

How about suggesting that consumers by partially spoiled meat... or dumpster dive to save money on food?

[olebd]

It''s only a short matter of time before this niche is exploited just like the clothing outlets.