You Can Negotiate at the Supermarket!
Posted on June 21, 2006 by Her and tagged groceries
I had no idea it was possible to negotiate prices at a large chain grocery store until today. I was in line at the deli counter behind a tiny, sweet old lady. She pointed at a small end of a ham in the display and asked the clerk to weight it for her. It was about half a pound. What happened next floored me.
"Will you sell it to me for half price?" she asked the clerk.
"Yes," he said, and wrapped it up for her.
I commented to her that I didn't know you could negotiate the price of a ham. She told me that if the meat is less than a pound, they will often sell it at a discount. That's because it is too small to slice and sell. She pointed out that these ham ends are the perfect size to chop up and use in a casserole or cold salad.
You never know what you might learn at the deli.
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Or what you can learn from little old ladies. The people who lived through or have parents who lived through the Great Depression are full of good ideas to be frugal. My grandmother sewed clothes, gardened enough to feed the whole family with fresh produce, baked, and was always inquisitive about the world around her and how to fix and make things without spending money. It was a way of life for most people and not something we have to teach ourselves like it is now.
nick | Jun 21, 2006
If it is meat end, it should be sold at discount. Here in our local supermarket (Eastern MA), meat ends are packaged separately at the deli shop. They are typically priced more than 50% off the regular price.
Bakeries are a good place to get day-old bread for cheap. Or you can walk in right before they close and offer a fair price for stuff left in the bottom of the serving trays. When I worked in a gourmet deli, we often gave out the last scoop of something for free just so it wouldn't go to waste.
Big chains might not negotiate, but that's the beauty of the mom and pop shop. They tend to be nice to their regulars just to keep them coming back.
I've gotten the "butt-end" of a piece of prosciutto for half-price as well from the deli. It had more fat than it would have otherwise, but it was great for pasta.
Lindsey | Jun 23, 2006
We often go by Au Bon Pain right before closing, and buy that day's bagels, a dozen for about $6. They throw them away if they don't sell them the day they were baked.
However, the bakery at Fresh Foods won't - they would rather toss them than sell at a reduced price. The girl in the bakery even said that employees aren't allowed to take them home.
Kim | Jun 21, 2006
As a former supermarket deli employee (old college gig), I would say yes, the deli is the best department for negotiating because they don't put the price on your item until right before they hand it to you. You might have some luck in the bakery and the meat department too.
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