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 don’t think many of the charities that pick up take the fresh stuff as most have no way to store it safely, bread, cake, produce long life items and flowers yes but not many take chilled items with a use by date

Did you mean to be so rude? Mumsnet is an open forum for open discussion. Which is what this is. A discussion. An interesting one with no vitriol, apart from you and one other, hiding behind your keyboards picking on people.

I don't know if it's the same across the board, but the CoOps round here don't have a yellow sticker section, they just yellow sticker items on their original location. Which I think is maybe better. They also have lots of staples stickered like potatoes, carrots, bread etc

No, no difference between eating it that day or freezing it to cook at the weekend.

Rather than donating items, if you donate directly to the foodbank then they can buy the things they need in bulk. It often works out better in terms of value.

I only buy yellow stickered items if I'm already buying the item for that night's dinner and can get it cheaper, or if it's an absolute bargain that I can freeze. Morrisons yellow stickers are never brilliant anyway.

I think it's completely fine for you to buy them. It's better than them going in the bin.

I buy yellow stickers if I want the item. The Korean belly pork and king prawn skewers I got for £1.33 each in M&S wasn’t going to be snapped up by a family who needed them more, there was barely enough for one decent portion. It was a case of right place right time.

The woman marking them down told me what she was marking down if I was interested as I stood nearby looking at full price ginger and chilli chicken, I also only took one of each, there were several, along with my full price ginger and chilli chicken.

You can’t generalise about who is or isn’t worthy of a yellow sticker or be virtuous about it. And what constitutes a bargain anyway, 10p reduction or 90% reduction?

There’s yellow stickers every day in every major supermarket. If I see it and want it, I buy it. If I don’t want that fresh mackerel or plant based ready meal, I leave them.

A lot of people that could really benefit from purchasing yellow stickers don't and can be quite negative about them. I find more affluent people are generally more accepting of them and like to boast about their bargain.

This

This is certainly my experience.

If you can afford not to buy reduced food then I wouldn’t.

Lots of people depend on it.

Many shops will only reduce the price by a few pence too, knowing that well-off, bargain hunters simply buy it because it’s got a yellow sticker on.

If you are struggling for money though then by all means buy it.

I don't quite know how to respond to this. I get and sort of agree with your point but I also want to roll my eyes! So I'll remain on the fence.

If leaving the reduced food makes you feel better about yourself on a moral basis then by all means crack on. But I'll be right behind you picking it up and buying it and I don't consider myself to be financially struggling.

It's interesting tho that it will lead you to make assumptions about my means because you've decided yellow sticker food is for poor, struggling people.

What I will say is that I don't like when I see people buying aaallllll the yellow sticker stuff especially when it's things that either go off fast or it would be unusual to buy loads of at once. I only pick up the reduced pack of something I'd normally buy otherwise it's a false economy as you end up with random stuff you probably won't eat.

For instance I saw a couple the other week picking up a shit tonne of strawberries that were reeeallly reduced (to 25p a punnet in M&S!) and they were going on about what a bargain it was and that they were buying it because it was cheap not because they would use them. Literally they took 20 or more punnets at first, then put a load back because others were openly annoyed at them. I bought one, because one punnet is what we will eat in a reasonable time. I was very pleased with my 25p strawberries!

They may be freezing strawberries or making jam.

I have a second job in a supermarket. Some customers clear the whole shelf of yellow sticker reduced food . I sometimes think they will never eat everything they take . One of the couples also has a staff discount card . It seems very selfish to take it all .

I buy
yellow sticker
Too Good To Go (has included flowers)
Olio
I am happy to buy wonky, odd shaped veg too
I don't like food waste

I am a fussy eater & this has enabled me to broaden my diet over the years

I would rather that the food was eaten by someone, than thrown away

I have had some real bargains over the years

I believe that all food is for everyone to share

Loving the ideas of donating to food bank in replacement for yellow sticker items.

I'm in same position where bills are affecting extras but they are payable. I often feel I shouldn't take a cheaper item but also know that by doing it I'm putting money into the economy elsewhere because I have a few quit left over for a treat.

Totally going to put that money into the economy and give to food banks at the same time from now on.

Don't get me wrong I've donated and donate every year for the Christmas presents that get sent by buying toys.

I reaction a few quid of non perishables will make such a difference to so many right now.

I've been on the breadline. It's demoralising.

I do donate to several charities, but it is not linked to my purchases of yellow sticker food or Too Good To Go food.

Just buy them. I worked in a supermarket until recently and the amount of stuff that still gets binned even after yellow stickering is obscene!

I am happy to buy wonky, odd shaped veg * too*

I always buy the wonky stuff. It's cheaper and still perfectly good food, just a slightly different shape.

@youveturnedupwelldone

"If leaving the reduced food makes you feel better about yourself on a moral basis then by all means crack on. But I'll be right behind you picking it up and buying it and I don't consider myself to be financially struggling."

It doesn't make me feel better about myself, I genuinely wondered if people relied on it. And this thread has been very informative.

And I certainly don't make any assumptions about people who are buying it, with the exception of elderly people who I would hazard a guess could be struggling due to pensions and cost of living.

I have been skint, I've had to decide between food or electricity. Worked 14 hour days to have enough money to pay the bills etc etc.

I hate how mumsnetters just jump on people and make assumptions. This is why I rarely post even though I've been here years.

Thanks!

I am Queen of the Yellow Sticker (or orange, I don't discriminate) and my freezer is packed with cut price meat and fish. We are not on a tight budget by any stretch of the imagination, but why would I spend more money than I have to?

This is like the logic that charity shops are for "poor people". No, they are for anyone and everyone and there is no check on your income or poverty level whether you are buying reduced to clear groceries or a new top in a charity shop.

I just buy what I want.
Not every simple life chore has to be some ethical dilemma.

My absolute best reduced bargain was in my local Co-Op about 7.30 pm one night, I got a large joint of beef reduced from £18.50 to .... 35p. No idea what was going on that night as I have never seen such amazing bargains since. It fed all five of us for 2 meals.

Same here! If we eat it, I buy it. No angst or moral dilemma here.

And that’s an excuse for greed, is it?

I’m with whoever said yellow stickers in M&S and Waitrose are fair game. I don’t bother otherwise.