Buying Items That Have Been Reduced For Quick Sale

[btbyrd]

I don't buy "reduced for quick sale" meats, seafood or poultry. I don't care at all what other people think about what's in my cart and I'm fine with saving money but I've opened those reduced packages only to be greeted by the ol' funk of doom enough times in the past to no longer trust it. Anything else, I might take a chance.

 

I never buy fish that's been marked down, and only buy chicken if I'm planning on making stock immediately (like as soon as I come home from the grocery). Since I use it immediately, I haven't run into the dreaded funk of doom... yet. Beef and lamb however, I have no compunction about and will buy in large quantities without hesitation.

 

I'll add that the best New York strip I've had in years was marked down at my local non-upscale grocer. Though they only sell choice, this had the marbling of prime... I think it was misgraded, since it had more fat than any prime strip I've purchased. They were marked down twice --- once on the sticker price and once again with a "manager's special $2-off coupon" attached to the packaging. I got two of them for under $7.50 total. I felt like I was robbing them.

[FeChef]

I never buy fish that's been marked down, and only buy chicken if I'm planning on making stock immediately (like as soon as I come home from the grocery). Since I use it immediately, I haven't run into the dreaded funk of doom... yet. Beef and lamb however, I have no compunction about and will buy in large quantities without hesitation.

 

I'll add that the best New York strip I've had in years was marked down at my local non-upscale grocer. Though they only sell choice, this had the marbling of prime... I think it was misgraded, since it had more fat than any prime strip I've purchased. They were marked down twice --- once on the sticker price and once again with a "manager's special $2-off coupon" attached to the packaging. I got two of them for under $7.50 total. I felt like I was robbing them.

Those are the deals that taste the best.

[rotuts]

whole animals are judged and stamped as prime.   or  rather 1/2 cut animals so you can nose around in there.

 

the 'exclusive' cuts then go to restaurants or prime butchers or are aged buy these two types on their own.

 

the rest of the carcass goes somewhere.   in my area the primals of the non-excluse are vacbaged and sold w choice

 

and end up mixed in with the 'regular' meat

 

I get true prime  ( non-aged ) blade roasts from a butcher who pointed this out to me along w the primal packaging.

 

nicely trimmed they were the best SV 130 / 6 steak I ever had.  that week blades were actually on sale and I got these

 

for $ 3.49.  ended up w 12 individual packages.

 

one will be pulled out for dinner tonight !

[dcarch]

Here in NY, Bananas regular - $0.79 a lb. Discount -$0.49 a lb. Special sale - $0.29 a lb, just the outside skin with blemishes, inside perfect ripeness.

 

I have been eating lots of bananas the past 6 months.

 

Chinese stores, live crabs $9.99 a lb. Crippled live crabs, a leg missing or a claw missing, 1/2 price.

 

dcarch

Edited March 30, 2015 by dcarch (log)

[OrganicFarmer]

I rarely buy the reduced price stuff....but I eat it every day. An organization called Food Not Bombs goes to all the yuppie stores and collects the expired or less than perfect food that is about to be thrown out. We meet at a local park and can pick one food item from each banana box until all the food is gone. I have gotten good at cutting out the bad parts of fruits and veggies :-) I am glad that people are so squeamish. It gives more food to us po' folks who could never afford to pay outrageous amounts of money for it.

[rotuts]

Im blessed with having more than I need, and need less and less as time goes on.

 

Market Basket, an interesting local chain w very low prices, clean bright stores, a very loyal and knowledgable staff, has

 

a fruit and veg sale area, and might even have those deli-end cuts somewhere also.  Seniors on a very tight budget

 

frequent these areas.  I no longer need to, but am pleased this store goes to the trouble to do these small things for its customers.

 

Another local chain, in a very wealthy town just down the street, and much much closer to me, trows out fruit and veg that's not spot on, even though they have

 

a bin for donations to the town's Food Pantry. Go figure.

 

for me Im pleased that CkBr cycle down to $ 1.77 / an lbs, and I have the means to take advantage of this.

 

I vastly prefer the BarganBin store, Market Basket, as they know something that's been easily forgotten by others.

 

good for them

Edited March 30, 2015 by rotuts (log)

[palo]

I don't buy "reduced for quick sale" meats, seafood or poultry...

Some people would read that quote out of context and conclude you were a snob, however as you further elaborated, there are legitimate reasons for your point of view. Is it really worth the savings to buy something that does not live up to expectations or is unusable? I would hate to buy some yeast with the specific intention of making pizza that evening with the hope that it MIGHT work. Personally when I buy something that is reduced for quick sale, I am under no illusions that it's quality will necessarily be the same as something within the use by date at a higher price.

That being said, there do exist snobs who refuse or are unable to make an evaluative decision based on value vs prejudice.

p