I used to save by buying store brand everything, now I look for markdowns

For years I would grab the generic cereal and canned goods at Safeway without thinking, saved maybe 20 bucks a week. Then last spring I started hitting the markdown rack first at the grocery store near my house in Eugene and found name brand stuff half off. Has anyone else switched up their grocery strategy and found a bigger win with markdowns over generics?

2 comments

2 Comments

leebrown1mo ago

Check if the markdown items are actually cheaper per unit than generics, or if you're just buying fancier labels for similar savings. I've caught myself grabbing a 50% off name brand box of crackers that still cost more than the store brand equivalent by weight. Are you tracking the unit prices or just the sticker shock?

morgan_jenkins9029d ago

@leebrown has a solid point there. Just yesterday I grabbed a "half off" box of cereal and it was still 50 cents more per ounce than the store brand. Unit prices are the real deal, not the red tags. It's a scam sometimes, honestly. I track everything by the ounce now, even when I'm lazy. Saves me from stupid impulse buys that only look cheap.