As the pandemic decreases in several states, and vaccines increase, supermarkets are preparing promotions and products to attract consumers to the aisles.
Target has just presented “Favorite Day, ”a private label of competitively priced baked goods, frozen desserts and beverages.
Midwest-based Hy-Vee hopes to open a few in-store nail salons.
Whole Foods now allows customers to try on makeup virtually, through an in-store display.
And major supermarkets, including Albertsons, Kroger, Publix and Walmart, offer the spring attraction of .
What is not so attractive: the high prices of some basic products.
During the first 3 months of 2021, meat prices and seafood were 8. 34% higher than in the first quarter of 2020, according to Basket , an application comparison shop for groceries and a purchasing analysis company.
Fresh produce increased just over 8%. And those precious staples from the early stages of the pandemic – paper towels and toilet paper – are even more than 5% more expensive than last year around this time.
But there are also bargains. The prices of dried beans , for example, barely changed. The same goes for frozen fruits and vegetables, which can be just as healthy as fresh ones . Cleaning supplies prices have dropped a bit since 2020.
And in summer, supermarkets are likely to heavily promote their own private labels or store brands, which could lead to price wars with well-known brands, says Burt Flickinger III, CEO of Strategic Resource Group, a company New York-based retail consulting firm.
“To protect themselves from higher prices during the pandemic, many consumers switched to private label products and found they were of equal or higher quality”, says.
That’s why Flickinger believes there will be bargains on hot and ready-to-eat cereals, refrigerated and frozen vegetables, coffee, non-perishable juices, canned seafood and condiments, such as ketchup, sauces, mustard and Mayonnaise.
Finding Tactics That Work
So whether you’re finally venturing into the aisles of the grocery store groceries, that you have never stopped shopping at the store or that you have added home delivery and curbside deliveries to your way of shopping, it is always advisable to save money.
During the past year, We occasionally ask CR experts and Facebook fans (smart shoppers on the ground) for tips and tricks that have worked for them to save time and money.
Choose some of these tactics and Try them in the next few weeks to save money on your bill.
1. Plan, plan, plan. Planning well to minimize your trips to the store can keep you safer, save you time, and reduce your impulse purchases. Linda Test from Mena, Arkansas, says she plans meals to the point where she now shops every 3 weeks, instead of twice a week, as she did in the past. Among his tactics is to consume fresh fruits and vegetables in the order in which they spoil. “Salads and spinach come first,” he says. “Carrots or turnips are the last.”
2. Use discount apps. Two we like are Ibotta and Flipp. Both coordinate your store’s loyalty cards with current discounts and coupons. With Flipp, you scan the app at checkout to apply the savings at the point of sale. With Ibotta, you select rebates in the app and snap a photo of your receipts to import savings, after purchase, to an Ibotta account. The savings are transferred to a payment application, such as PayPal, or a gift card. Additionally, some store loyalty programs, particularly Safeway and Stop & Shop, also allow you to generate rewards for gasoline purchases at affiliated service stations.
3. Use the calculator on the phone. The unit price stickers on the shelves below each product can help you better compare the prices of similar items. But if the store doesn’t have the stickers, please use your smartphone calculator . Divide the price by the number of units that each package brings of what you are going to compare.
If, for example, the price of a soft drink is per fluid ounce and the other is per liter, ask Google how many ounces are in a liter and do the conversion. You can often do the same calculation from home when checking online store deals, saving you time in the aisles. (Only 9 states require unit price stickers on shelves; Consumer Reports urges supermarkets in all states to use them.)
4. Opt for store brands. The cost of store brand food and beverages is at least between a 20% and a 25% lower than the cost of brands of the same product, says Flickinger. (When CR members were surveyed about grocery stores and the supermarkets they liked the most , 3 supermarkets got the best marks for its store brands: Costco and Trader Joe’s, names recognized across the country, and Central Market, which is based in San Antonio and is a subsidiary of the privately owned HEB supermarket chain). Often times, store brands are on the shelves just to the right or left of branded items of the same type.
5. Use a cash back credit card. Most cash back cards have eliminated cash back bonuses for grocery purchases that started during the pandemic reports Ted Rossman, senior industry analyst at CreditCards.com. But some cards, like Chase Sapphire Reserve and Citi Prestige, offer programs that link grocery purchases to travel credits.
For new cardholders, the American Express Blue Cash Preferred card offers 6% cash back on the first $ 6000 on groceries each year and on select streaming subscriptions, 3% on eligible gas and transit stations, and 1% on other purchases. The card also currently offers a $ 300 credit to your statement if you spend $ 3, 000 in the first 6 months. (In the first year, there is no annual fee; after that, it is $ 95).
The American Express Platinum card has a better offer for high spenders with excellent credit: 10 times points on gas and grocery purchases in the first 6 months. You will also get 95, 000 additional points if you spend $ 5, 000 in the first 6 months.
Please note that you may need a credit score of or more to qualify for these cards, Rossman notes. The interest rates on these cards are usually above the 15%, so it is better to use them only if you pay your balance every month.
6. Buy in quiet moments. Search for a specific location of a store on Google and you will see a box called “Plan your visit” in the company profile that establishes the busiest hours and with the longest delay for every day of the week so you can see exactly when there will be fewer people in the store. If your schedule is flexible, please buy around 10 to. m. Thursday, after senior hours end, says Keith Fix, CEO of Retail Aware, an analytics company that tracks consumer behavior in the store and is based in Omaha, Nebraska. Another good time is the 10 to. m. the Wednesdays. Weekends are the busiest days.
7. Review and compare store flyers in advance. You can find most of the flyers online. Viewing the ads in advance allows you to make price comparisons so you can plan where to buy in advance.
8. Embrace the use of coupons. A grocery store app can allow you to automatically access electronic coupons and sale prices. And despite initial concerns about the spread of COVID – 19 on the surface of manufacturers’ paper coupons, most supermarkets now accept them. (Current research shows that COVID – 19 spreads primarily through the air ).
Stores may double or even triple the value of manufacturers’ coupons at checkout. Some retailers offer it every day or week; others, less regularly. In the Northeast, Stop & Shop doubles manufacturers’ paper coupons every day. Bi-Lo, in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina, doubles coupons with a value of 60 pennies or less every day, unless otherwise noted in the individual store. (On both strings, other restrictions apply.)
9. Take inventory of the pantry. A family of 4 could lose at least $ 1, 500 per year in wasted food, says the Natural Resources Defense Council. Take a look at the organization hub SaveTheFood for numerous tips and tools on how to reduce food waste and save money. Also, you can use FoodKeeper, the free app from the Department of Agriculture for guides on how to store food.
10. Get discounts for seniors. Several chains, including Bi-Lo, Harris Teeter, and Hy-Vee, offer 5% discounts, either on specific days or when you present a special store ID card . Fred Meyer and New Seasons Market discounts are from 10%. In some cases, it is enough to have only 55 years to qualify; in other cases, you must be at least 60 years old. The discount may be available only on certain days or on selected items.
11. Buy in bulk. When there is an offer of 10 cans of your favorite soup for $ 10, it is advisable to stock up. And larger packages tend to have a lower unit price. In particular, WinCo Foods, based in Boise, Idaho, has reopened its famous inexpensive barrels and bulk containers of dried fruits, pasta, spices, snacks, legumes, nuts, candy and other items; the store had closed them before in the pandemic due to health concerns.
When buying in bulk, consider donate a serving to a local food pantry (although they prefer cash because they get higher discounts); the pandemic has increased the needs of these organizations.
12. Trade-in and share. If you buy in bulk or find more of some of the items you need, consider trading them with neighbors and friends. Annette Economides of Scottsdale, Arizona, who, with her husband, Steve, runs the MoneySmartFamily website, says that He traded in the citrus trees that grow on his property for food from people he met at a local Facebook gardening group. During the pandemic, for example, he received a carton of eggs, which had been hard to come by, in exchange for oranges and rosemary that grow on his property. “It was a big deal for me,” he says.
13. Keep track of prices. For a few weeks, record the prices of the items you buy the most when you stock up on groceries. You will be able to find the best prices for specific products and you will be able to stock up when a real price drop occurs. Price tracking also helps you see when a sale of ” packages for $ 10 ”is a true offer and not just a hook.
14. Do the math on annual grocery delivery memberships. If you want to use grocery delivery on a regular basis, calculate the value of an annual membership before signing up. For example, Instacart Express costs $ 99 per year; You do not pay any additional shipping fee if your orders cost $ 35 or more. Minimum fees per order is $ 3. will make up the annual fee after 25 orders. (In a year of use, that means that you place an order every two weeks).
Another option is to avoid delivery and go to pick up outside the store, which is generally free, although it is usual give a tip to the person who loads the car. While Walmart’s annual delivery fee is $ of days, collection is free and employees do not accept tips.
15. Buy in stores. Convenience stores, pharmacies, and even gas station mini-markets have a growing variety of fresh foods since the pandemic began, and some traditional products have better. ” prices than grocery stores, like milk and eggs, says Heidi Chapnick, owner and CEO of Channalysis, a Mamaroneck, New York-based grocery and health care consulting firm. But pay attention to expiration dates, he added.
“Because some of these companies are new to selling so many different types of fresh food, their employees may have less experience and training in the handling of fresh produce in refrigeration, ”says Chapnick.
Food that has passed the expiration date can be sold anyway, as long as it is“ healthy and suitable for consumption ”, and not dangerous for consumers, according to the FDA. Therefore, it is best to check if something you are buying has already expired.
16. Look for products “as is.” Overripe bananas that you will find at a discount might be perfect for homemade banana bread. Find out where the stores have their clearance sections, says Economides.
17. Grow your plants. Yvette Beltran-Southwell, who lives north of Dallas, says her family grows rosemary, English thyme, two types of oregano, sage, Italian parsley, basil and many other herbs to economize and reduce food waste. “I have a garden, but even when we were in a townhouse with limited space, I was growing herbs outside in containers,” she says. Home-grown plants also last longer than store-bought and refrigerated bunches, she says. And of course they regenerate during the growing season.
18. Get creative with recipes. CR fans on Facebook have lots of ideas for making your grocery money go further, especially when it comes to meat. “We chose recipes that have more vegetables, with meat as a garnish,” says Beltran-Southwell. “Sometimes we eat breakfast for dinner because it’s fun and cheaper.”
Linda Test’s family supplements meat servings with lentils and beans, and eats vegetarian dishes twice a week. And since the prices of dried beans remain stable, they are a good option to prepare healthy and inexpensive meals.
“Beans and other legumes have many health benefits, they are inexpensive and they are an excellent alternative source of protein, ”says nutritionist Amy Keating, a registered dietitian who oversees Consumer Reports food tests. See other ideas to find . 19. Use the freezer correctly. Freezing large quantities of seasonal and sale food saves a family of 4 on average $ 2, per year, says Annette Economides. “Why are you going to pay $ 4 a pound for blueberries in winter when you can defrost the ones you bought in summer for 99 pennies? ” question. The Economides family even freezes milk and cheese. Each 30 at 60 days, check the freezer and create menus with the food they have.
Even if you only buy frozen fruits and vegetables, you are being kind to your pocket and your health. Those products are the same price as last year, according to Basket data. And are healthy and fresh .
Consumer Reports is an independent, nonprofit organization that works side by side with consumers to create a fairer, safer, and healthier world. CR does not endorse products or services, and does not accept advertising. Copyright © 2021, Consumer Reports, Inc.
Consumer Reports has no financial relationship with the advertisers on this site. Consumer Reports is an independent nonprofit organization that works with consumers to create a just, safe, and healthy world. CR does not endorse products or services and does not accept advertising. Copyright © 2021, Consumer Reports, Inc.