Food inflation is on the up so here’s the EXACT time to nab yellow sticker bargains.
If the weekly shop is starting to feel like a quiet mugging, we’re not imagining it. Rising global tensions, including the Iran crisis, are nudging food prices up… and it’s landing straight in our baskets.
And it’s no small change either. Experts now reckon food prices could jump by around 8% to 9% this year if pressures keep building.
But this isn’t the moment to just spend more or go without. There’s a way to beat it. Same food, smaller price tag.
The trick? Yellow stickers. And more importantly, when we go hunting for them.
Tesco: late evening is where it gets serious
Tesco doesn’t just reduce items once and call it a day. It works in stages.
Marco Farnararo, CEO and co-founder at BravoVoucher.co.uk, says Tesco uses a step-by-step system throughout the day. Morning reductions might only knock off 20% to 30%, but things ramp up as the day goes on.
By around 7pm, or roughly 30 to 60 minutes before closing, that’s when the biggest cuts tend to land. We’re talking the kind of discounts that can hit up to 90% on fresh food that won’t last another day.
Sainsbury’s: two windows, one winner
Sainsbury’s plays it slightly differently, with more than one key moment in the day.
There’s often an earlier round of reductions between 1pm and 3pm, which can be handy for a quieter shop and decent savings.
But for the deeper discounts, it’s the evening that counts. The best prices usually show up between 6:30pm and 8pm, when items get marked down further to clear.
Asda: later can mean cheaper
Asda tends to push its biggest reductions later into the evening.
Prices often drop further after 7pm, with the deepest cuts closer to closing time. That’s where the biggest bargains can be found, especially on fresh items.
But it’s a trade-off. Bigger discounts come with less choice.
Lidl and Aldi: earlier than expected
Instead of waiting until the evening, they put out their red-sticker reductions first thing in the morning, with Aldi starting around 8am and Lidl even earlier at 7am.
That means the best chance of grabbing a deal is often early doors, not just before closing.
There can still be further reductions later on, but timings vary by store, especially at Aldi. Morning is the one we can rely on.
M&S: timing is everything
Marks & Spencer is where yellow sticker legends are made.
Former M&S employee Katherine McPhilips says reductions don’t just happen once. They come in waves across the day.
There’s often an early round in the morning, another in the afternoon, and then the final, deepest cuts in the last couple of hours before closing.
That means there isn’t just one “best” time. It depends on what we’re after. Morning can be surprisingly strong for quieter bargain hunting, while late evening is where prices can plunge.
The rules the regulars swear by
Seasoned yellow sticker shoppers aren’t just lucky. They’ve got a system.
Different supermarkets run on different rhythms, and even local branches can tweak timings depending on stock and how busy they are.
That’s why it pays to try a few different times. An early morning dash one day, a mid-afternoon pop-in another, then a late evening sweep. Patterns start to show up pretty quickly.
And there’s an even simpler shortcut. Just ask. One seasoned yellow sticker shopper told The Big Issue: “I have never had a bad response in the shops when I’ve asked people when they do reductions. You may have to swallow your pride a little, but just be polite and inquisitive and they will usually tell you when they reduce things.”
Turns out the best insider tip might just come from the person holding the sticker gun.
Image: Photocritical/BigStock
