7 STRATEGIES for Loss-Leader Shopping

Loss leader items are generally found on the front page of the flyer. They are items which are sold for a short time at a price which is under market value. It's a way that stores get you into their establishment, knowing that once you are there, you are more likely to do all of your shopping at one location, rather than visit 3 or 4 stores in one day.

But, if you are a super savvy shopper, you head into the store, grab those low-priced items and then head straight back out the door.

There are currently 3 types of popular Loss-Leaders: 

1.  Straight up sale prices. 

Traditional Loss Leader item - Straight up sales price

These are simple, straight-forward sale prices. As always, here are some things to look for in the ad:

1. With some store, like Kroger, you must scan your store loyalty card to get the discounted price. 
2. Some stores place limits on the quantity your can purchase at the discounted price. 
3. Other stores like to make your life easy peasy! There are no limits and no loyalty cards to scan. You just show up, grab the loss leaders, and check out. 

2. A combination of certain items is needed for the discount.

This is a new contender in what I consider to be the loss-leader realm. The store features an array of, mostly unrelated, items in their flyer under the heading: "Save $5 when you purchase any combination of 5 of these items." It can easily be another combination. I've seen "$5 off of 10" and $3 off of 6". The store decides the combination and items which count toward the discount.

Seems pretty simple, right? Buy any of those items that you'd like. Be sure that you have the correct total of those items in your basket and you score the savings.

3. Weekend only deals. 

Once again, although not traditional Loss Leader items, I have included these in this post, because, in essence, they are a new way of engaging customers by offering them deals on a limited number of ultra-low priced items. 

Limited Run Sales are a little tricky, because: 

• They are available for a limited time two to three day time period. Common time frames are: Thursday-Friday, or Friday-Saturday, or Friday-Sunday. 

• Sometimes you must load the deals onto your shopper loyalty card to get the special prices. In that way, they function like digital coupons. 

• There are limits on quantities. So, don't buy more than the limit, or you'll pay full price for the extras.

No matter what type of loss leader sale you are looking at in your grocery flyer, there are some general tips and strategies that you should use. 

7 general tips for loss-leader shopping: 

peaches and nectarines - $.88 a pound

Tip #1: Take the flyer with you to the store. 

Before you head to the store, circle the items that you are getting, using a permanent marker, making them easier to see. I like to use red or black, because they show up best against the print of the ad. Sometimes employees are unaware of the terms of sales and it's just easier to have the flyer handy. I do whatever I can to make their day brighter and their job easier. So, if there is a problem, just have the flyer handy with the appropriate information circled and hand it to the store personnel. Most of the time, they are very grateful to have and organized, cheerful, helpful shopper standing in front of them.

Yes, I take a separate supermarket shopping list with me. But, it is so helpful to be aware of where the deals are located in the flyer, just in case you need it.

If you need help organizing your shopping list, here's a freebie for you!

DOWNLOAD MY FREE SUPERMARKET SHOPPING LIST!

Here's a link for my free downloadable PDF of my supermarket shopping list. It will help you Just print it off and then start organizing your next grocery store haul.  

For a complete look at how I prepare to grocery shop, read this post.

TIP #2. Think ahead! If it's a super low price, decide if you can freeze or dehydrate extra quantities for later use.

If so, then it's okay to get more than you can currently use of that item. For instance, I bought 10 pounds of cherries a few weeks ago, knowing that I planned to eat 4 pounds and freeze 6 pounds. Now I wish I'd gotten more. Frozen cherries are the bomb!

For tips on freezing food read my 3 part series on "Putting Food By".

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3. See if you must purchase a certain quantity of items to receive the discount.

For instance, plant-based milk was just $1.79 a half gallon. But, I had to buy 5 of them and then received a $5 discount at the end of my transaction.

Almond milk - $1.79 each. But, I had to buy a quantity of 5 to get the price.

What if you need more than 5 of the special items? 

No problem! Just purchase them in multiples of five! If you buy a combination of 10, 15, or 20 of these special items you will get the discount multiple times, too!  Nope! This isn't double-dipping! The store encourages you to spend more money, by offering the same discount on your purchase - as long as the final number can be found when you multiply by 5.

4. Combine store and manufacturer coupons. 

Example of both store and manufacturer coupons

Yes!!! This is called coupon stacking and it's the holy grail of super savvy shopping! It is perfectly legit to use both one store and one manufacturer coupon for the same item.  Just be certain that you are combining only one of each type of coupon for each item that you purchase. Watch expiration dates, too! If it's past the date, the coupon cannot be used.

STORE COUPONS: A coupon issued by the store for a discount on an item. The store logo may appear on the coupon and it may say, "Good only for use at Kroger" (or whatever store has offered the discount).

MANUFACTURER COUPON: A coupon issued by the manufacturer. It will often have the manufacturer logo on it along with a stop date. You may use these coupons at any store.

DIGITAL COUPONS: These are a new breed of coupons, which are on the savings scene. I like them! It is SO easy to load digital coupons to my shopper's card. No cutting or carrying coupons. But, a couple of caveats.

Couponing basics: 

1. Be sure that you are NOT stacking two "like" coupons together. You can't use two manufacturer coupons or two store coupons on the same item. But, you CAN use one of each type.

2. You can use multiple coupons on multiple items. As long as you have an individual store and/or manufacturer coupon for each item.

3. Digital coupons often allow you to use the same coupon more than one time, once you have it loaded on your store loyalty card. When you load it, the coupon should say something like, "May use up to 5 times".

4. Watch expiration dates! All coupons, regardless of the type, have hard and fast expiration dates.

5. Sometimes stores will not allow you to use a store digital coupon on markdown items. These items are already marked down at least 50%. So, they don't allow additional discounts.


*HINT! - For in-depth tips on markdowns, read:  "My Ten Strategies forScoring the BEST Store Markdowns".

5. Insert a small hand carried basket in your cart to help sort the specially priced items. 

Nothing is worse than getting to the checkout to find that you have four of an item, rather than five and then missing out on the additional discount. Whenever you have to purchase a certain quantity of an item, place those items in a specific portion of your shopping cart in order to keep accurate count. 

One way to do this is to place one of the little shopping baskets in your larger cart

This was a tip from an Under the Median reader and it's a great one! It's a great way to compartmentalize items and count them easily when you must purchase a certain quantity to receive a discount.

TIP #6: Watch the prices that ring up while you are still at the checkout counter. 

It is SO much easier to correct errors in prices or how the coupons are applied while they are being rung up. My kids know to let me through so I can stand where I can see the monitor as the cashier is running each item through the scanner. I have saved myself countless times from heading back into the store later, after finding a mistake. 

It's also a great way to avoid sitting in a hot car with cranky kids while you try to go over your receipt before heading home from the store. Children do no respond well to, "There's been an error and we need go to back into the store to have them fix it", no matter how calmly and enthusiastically you try to utter those words.

Tip #7: Insure that the sale price is actually a legitimate deal. 

Yes, they may be reducing the price, but be sure to ask yourself these questions: 

1. Is it something I really need?
2. Is this a product I will really use? 
3. Is this product being offered at a really good price? 

If it's not all three of these things, then reevaluate whether buying them in order to save a few bucks is really what you want to do. 

Your Turn! 

Did I miss anything? Do you have any super savvy shopper tips? We'd love to know! Leave your thoughts in the comments section. 

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Do all to the glory of God, 

Hope