Greedy bargain hunters?

Dogscanteatonions · 2021-02-01T18:12:57+00:00

I'm on some FB pages for bargains and have just seen a post that a person bought around 50 (judging from the picture) boxes of cat food pouches as they were reduced down to 88p in their local supermarket. I frequently see posts on these pages where people have swept up the whole lot of a reduced item when they see it (dozens and dozens of bottles of shampoo, enough packs of meat to fill a deep freeze for example) leaving nothing for anyone else. I know they are within their rights to do it but it always seems mean to me. If I see reduced things I'll take 2/3 (depending on how many is there) and leave the rest so others can get a bargain too. I'm pretty strapped for cash myself most of the time but I just wouldn't take it all. What do you think? AIBU to think you should leave some for other people or should they just go for it?

alltheadrenalin · 01/02/2021 18:14

I'm a keen bargain Hunter, love a yellow sticker. I've never been as lucky as some of the people on Facebook groups!

Gubanc · 01/02/2021 18:16

It's not exactly foraging though, is it? Once somebody grumbled when I apparently took too many peas from a pick-your-own place. I was paying for it, took as much as I needed.

WagnerTheWehrWolf · 01/02/2021 18:18

They must watch those American coupon shows where Billy Bob and Amanda buy 200 bottles of crappy mustard for $2.00.

I was in M&S a couple of weeks ago and there was someone trying to block a shelf of reduced Christmas items so no one else could get access. Such greed! I deployed my shopping basket in a 'lemme in, greedy lump' kind of way and they soon got the message.

FloatingAlien · 01/02/2021 18:19

It honestly doesn't bother me, I feel like it's just the luck of whoever finds it. I couldn't be arsed to find somewhere to store 5 years worth of cat food or whatever but if there were 5 boxes of something I used regularly on offer I'd probably take them all 🤷‍♀️
If there was someone waiting next to me who might want them I'd probably check but I wouldn't leave something for persons unknown just because.

Amijustagrump · 01/02/2021 18:21

I have to be honest when I saw Colin caterpillars for 37p each I bought a lot! I gave the neighbours some and my partner took the rest to work (so to an ambulance station!) Didn't even keep one for us in the end

Original poster

Dogscanteatonions · 01/02/2021 18:22

@WagnerTheWehrWolf

They must watch those American coupon shows where Billy Bob and Amanda buy 200 bottles of crappy mustard for $2.00.

I was in M&S a couple of weeks ago and there was someone trying to block a shelf of reduced Christmas items so no one else could get access. Such greed! I deployed my shopping basket in a 'lemme in, greedy lump' kind of way and they soon got the message.

I love an m&s yellow sticker bargain! I once got a whole leg of lamb for something ridiculous like £1.40 odd. I was so chuffed. There were 4 of them on the shelf and I took one. I would have felt bad taking all of them despite the fact could easily have frozen them.

OP posts:

worriedandannoyed · 01/02/2021 18:23

@WagnerTheWehrWolf

They must watch those American coupon shows where Billy Bob and Amanda buy 200 bottles of crappy mustard for $2.00.

I was in M&S a couple of weeks ago and there was someone trying to block a shelf of reduced Christmas items so no one else could get access. Such greed! I deployed my shopping basket in a 'lemme in, greedy lump' kind of way and they soon got the message.

Oh this sounds dreadful. What about social distancing? Was it worth it to get your bargains? Absolutely despise the scrum that people create to save a few pence.

WagnerTheWehrWolf · 01/02/2021 18:24

Yellow sticker time at M&S feels like the Gods are smiling down on you. Such bargains to be had!

Treacletreacle · 01/02/2021 18:29

I used to work evenings in tesco and felt terribly sorry for the reductions lady. It would be the same people who came in every night and they would literally hound her around the shop asking when she was going to reduce things. In the end she felt so uncomfortable a manager let her reduce everything out the back then just push the trolley out of the flap doors and let the vultures fight amongst themselves. Funny sometimes at the checkouts they would ask me what the bags of cakes were as they didn't even know and were only buying them as they were a bargain.

mrsm43s · 01/02/2021 18:31

If there are bargains just sitting on the shelf, I'd take as many as I wanted/could use, I wouldn't leave them just on the off chance that someone else walking by later might want it. If there are other people looking through the shelf at the same time, I'd happily share with them. I wouldn't shelf block, or grab from under someone's nose. I'm always careful to not take more than I can use, especially with perishables and things that won't freeze.

I've had some stonking bargains in my local Morrisons.

CharlotteRose90 · 01/02/2021 18:55

If it’s something I buy as a treat or I like the stuff then I’ll buy the whole lot. If I don’t do it someone else would so why not. Everyone loves a bargain

Untangled87 · 01/02/2021 19:37

As a serious bargain hunter myself, I see greed as blocking everyone else from the reduced section and grabbing everything for yourself. Or taking more than you'll ever be able to eat/use, and then having to chuck half of it away.

If I'm the only one there to spot a bargain and it's something I like and will use, then I'll empty the whole shelf if I want to. Like when I saw twenty bottles of shower gel reduced to 20p in Wilkinson's recently. I'm not a charity, I won't just take one or two so the person who turns up after me will get a bargain. That would essentially be giving my money away.

I am a polite bargain hunter though. I don't crowd the person doing reductions (especially not nowadays), I always try and share with other bargain hunters who are after the same things, and I always make room for others to get to the bargains.

Babyroobs · 01/02/2021 19:41

@Treacletreacle

I used to work evenings in tesco and felt terribly sorry for the reductions lady. It would be the same people who came in every night and they would literally hound her around the shop asking when she was going to reduce things. In the end she felt so uncomfortable a manager let her reduce everything out the back then just push the trolley out of the flap doors and let the vultures fight amongst themselves. Funny sometimes at the checkouts they would ask me what the bags of cakes were as they didn't even know and were only buying them as they were a bargain.

There's a regular set of three or four vultures at our local tesco's express. they are there every day. They put things in their basket at semi reduced price and circle round the store until the shop assistant doing the final reductions comes out. Then they take the semi reduced items out of their baskets and hand them over for final marking down. Cf's.

AStudyinPink · 01/02/2021 19:41

I'm not a charity, I won't just take one or two so the person who turns up after me will get a bargain. That would essentially be giving my money away.

It would come under ‘not being greedy’ for me.

alltheadrenalin · 01/02/2021 20:06

I used to work evenings in tesco and felt terribly sorry for the reductions lady. It would be the same people who came in every night and they would literally hound her around the shop asking when she was going to reduce things. In the end she felt so uncomfortable a manager let her reduce everything out the back then just push the trolley out of the flap doors and let the vultures fight amongst themselves. Funny sometimes at the checkouts they would ask me what the bags of cakes were as they didn't even know and were only buying them as they were a bargain.

^^ I love a bargain but I'd be too embarrassed to do that! My local
Morrisons is like a scrum, don't care how much discount is to be had, you wouldn't catch me trying to muscle in

Titterofwit · 01/02/2021 20:18

My local sainsburys used to do the reductions at about 4 o clock. This was the time when I would pop in for things for tea after picking DD up from school. The reductions were great and I got some good bargains
but I had to stop after DD got a bit trapped in a rugby scrum of people intent on getting the last packet of mince.We actually saw a full on fist fight once when there were fewer reductions and there was a disagreement about some chicken thighs.
I think they stopped doing the reductions in the same way after that. They seem to be spread out during the day and around the whole chilled food area.

MrsClatterbuck · 01/02/2021 21:09

I think the way M&S do the yellow labels is much better now. They used to come out and put them on a shelf and it was like feeding time at the zoo. Though nobody was allowed to take anything until everything was put out. Now they leave everything in its place and reduce during the day. Was in on Christmas eve and crown of turkeys priced at £50 were reduced to £18. There were loads but I just did not have room in my freezer. Mind you all those people who bought freezers in the 1st lockdown maybe had room. The use by date was the 26th. I hope if they didn't sell that they went to a good home. I too try to leave stuff for someone else. Also if not able to freeze there is no point in buying a load of perishable goods that you may end up putting out with your food waste. Sometimes the reductions give you a chance to try something different and if you don't like it at least you haven't spent the full price. I bought something in Mark's reduced from £8 to £2 and it was not very nice so glad I hadn't paid full price.
My bil was in Tesco's after Christmas and got legs of lamb for something like £1.40 but I find that Mark's have the best reductions.