Moral dilemma yellow stickers

[MrsMaryMooFace]

So this may set the cat amongst the pigeons but...

To preface, we are not millionaires BUT we have good wages and we aren't worrying too much about bills, they're expensive but we can graft and do overtime to pay them. We both work A LOT.

When I see a yellow sticker in the supermarket, I'm instantly drawn in because I love a bargain. But 99% of the time I don't grab them, because I worry there are others who genuinely need the reduced food.

So I usually leave it. Because morally I feel like I'm taking away from a more needing family.

So AIBU?

NO YOU ARE NOT UNREASONABLE to leave the bargains for people who needs them

YES YOU ARE BEING UNREASONABLE leave them for the people who need them

I pick up yellow sticker items of things I've never tried before but things people on a budget probably wouldn't buy if you get what I mean .
So expensive cheese with chillis added or pate ect then if I like it I'd pay full next time.
I wouldn't take staples like bread or ham because I always think children might benefit from those

I see people grabbing everything and that annoys me.
I think it’s fine for anyone to buy it.
Often the stuff I see is not such a bargain.

I don't hover for the yellow stickers, but occasionally buy an exotic ingredient to try it out. If the sticker is on a basic, I tend to leave it for someone who needs it more than me/us.

I would say I’m comfortably off and will buy yellow stickered items as long as I can make use of it. If there’s more than one of something, I’ll only take one though.

The same with the Lidl “To Good To Waste” boxes - to start with I thought it was wrong to buy one, they were for people who needed them. But the staff said they were for anyone so if there’s several boxes and they contain stuff I can make use of/ was going to buy anyway, I’ll buy one.

You do need to check if it's a bargain or not. Often the early reductions are just ridiculously small, or there is a multi buy deal that is cheaper and you could get decent dates too. Like £2.50 reduced to £2 when they are two for £3.50.

Likewise they don't know how much I or anyone else need it.

Clearing out the entirety of the reduced section is selfish, regardless of your circumstances.

Unfortunately my life doesn't allow me to stand guard in the supermarket at yellow sticker minute.

Tesco sells loads to their own staff through their colleague store and gives even more away through fareshare. Never mind how much gets thrown away. Buy it if you're going to use it. 🤷

Meh it's all fair game and unlikely to be staples that people short of money need. I don't think anyone really short of money is relying on yellow labelled stuff, I am one of them. To me a real bargain in yellow stickers is something luxury that is heavily discounted that I wouldn't have otherwise had.

You said a crowd, so it didn't sound like one or two people selfishly clearing the section but several people just taking what they need or will use each. If you want it then you need to wait patiently at the right time.

I have been a really ,really poor single mum in past now comfortably off. But l when l was poor l wouldn't have judged anyone for buying the yellow sticker items. To be honest by the time things were reduced to pennies l wouldn't have been in the supermarket anyway. As previous posters have said just take what you need. I worked in a supermarket for a while and the same people came every night and filled their trolloy with all the yellow sticker stuff. They might have been struggling but they definitely didn't need 30 packets of sliced meat in one day

This thought has never occurred to me. I think it's fair game to take what you need. There's no guarantee if you leave something it would go to someone more needy. I use the Olio app and get a lot of yellow stickers items that have been left at the end of the day. I only ever ask for a couple of things at a time but it didn't cross my mind I shouldn't do it. I just see it as reducing food waste.

I’m not particularly well off and leave them for someone who needs them too unless it is masses of something bonkers that most people don’t want. Before austerity and now the cost of living crisis, the yellow stickers used to be the preserve of OAP’s on low pensions so would leave them too it.

Wait. You’re saying a person on the bread line has no idea how much the comfortably off person needs some random item that gives them a hit of dopamine because they saved a quid over somebody else?! Ok 😎

Luckily there are still the few odd people around who are considerate towards each other or the whole of society would breakdown.

Lots of families on low incomes don't have the flexibility to spontaneously purchase yellow sticker items. Pack of noodles reduced? So what if you can't afford anything to go with them.

The only poor yellow sticker etiquette is throwing everything yellow stickered into your basket regardless of whether you'll use it.

Take it or don't take it

I don't get why you need to ask Mumsnet for permission

Deal with your own morals

Jeeez

Reduced items aren't reduced to help those who can't afford their weekly shop. It's a business strategy to A) recoup some money they've paid for the item, and B) reduce the amount of waste they have to pay to be collected. Food items have to be discarded by 11pm on the day of the use by date, hence why it's reduced more as the day goes by. If it was done to help those struggling, it would be donated instead.
Our household is financially comfortable (we certainly don't earn the national average each, but our bills are minimal) and we still buy reduced items where possible. It's helping to reduce food waste and saving money - win win! The only advice would be to buy things you'll definitely use, or can share. Otherwy, it defeats the object.

The only poor yellow sticker etiquette is throwing everything yellow stickered into your basket regardless of whether you'll use it.
Exactly. People may take a few of something but if they know they will use it, or know how to cook with it today or freeze it to prolong it's usability, then it's fine.

We often buy yellow stickered items. I just see it as reducing food waste.

People also don't know how many others a person is buying food to share with.

How do you know they will be taken by someone who needs them?

I don't know who might buy the items I leave. I just know that I only select stuff that's not obviously easy to cook in a bedsit or B&B.

I don't see it as a moral dilemma. It's not cheap to help poor people, it's cheap because if it's not sold asap it'll go to waste. I buy yellow stickers and have no qualms about reducing food waste.

When I worked in Tesco the stuff going out of date the next day would be reduced by the night staff and left where it lives. The next reduction would be done between 2pm and 5pm (it takes forever) and it all gets moved to the clearance fridge. Then it would be about 50% off but it depends how popular / how likely it is to sell at a higher price. The last reduction would be done at about 8 or 9pm.

if you need yellow stickers stuff it’s probably worth finding out when reductions are done in your local store and making friends with the staff member who does reductions - usually the same person every day

YANBU if you use the food.
YABU if you take it home and freeze it for a later date when you could easily leave it for someone else to use that day.
Simples, as they say

I'd also add it depends on the item, because a 30% discount on a lot is still a lot! I was in Waitrose and the discontinued meat and fish was more than Lidl's normal prices! (I was in Waitrose for the 50% off sushi but it was still £7 for enough for just me, I don't think those who are low income will be buying sushi from Waitrose)