I Buy It 1/2 Off Or You Toss It!

Posted on March 12, 2008 by Melissa
Filed Under Frugality, Groceries

Now THAT’s a good chunk of Manchego! I just had to write a quick post about my grocery trip today!

I wanted to get some Manchego cheese for a Mexican bean soup I’m making this week, but specialty cheeses can be very pricey and I didn’t have room in the budget.

I chose to substitute Monterrey Jack instead, even though the spanish cheese would have been ideal for the soup. I love cheese and zesty Manchego has a wonderful nutty flavor. I enjoy snacking on shavings like I would a fine parmesan. But I digress…

When I was at the store this morning I decided to look at the Manchego anyway, to see if by chance it was reasonably priced. I was out of luck. An 8 oz chunk was over $8.50. Sigh.

I examined all of the blocks, trying to find a smaller (and cheaper) size and came across one pushed under a display. It was still 8 oz and $8.50, though. Then I noticed it said “sell by 3-14” on the label. I wanted to use it for dinner tomorrow so it would still be just fine for me.

I took note of the expiration dates on the other packages and they were all set for June. Bingo!

I called over the deli attendant and asked if they would discount the cheese for me. She looked confused, looked at the cheese, then said she would get her manager. When he came over I simply said that I’d like to buy the cheese for half off because the expiration date was in 2 days. He said that they don’t usually do that.

I said, “what are the chances that someone is going to come in here to buy this piece of Manchego in 2 days? Either I buy it half off now or you will have to throw it away.”

He looked at me, smiled, and discounted the cheese by half with a marker.

It was like a rush for me. I’ve never done that for cheese before! I got the specialty cheese I wanted for only $4.25 and they made a sale on something that would have been wasted. It’s a win-win situation for everyone involved.

Next time you are wanting something pricey and perishable, check out all the available items and see if any packages are within days of expiring. If you find one, put on your sweetest smile and ask for a discount! If the item is a speciality item that doesn’t move quickly you have an even better chance to negotiate a lower price!

Have you been able to score a deal on something expensive because it was close to expiring?

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Comments

10 Responses to “I Buy It 1/2 Off Or You Toss It!”

Kacie on March 12th, 2008 4:32 pm

Way to be assertive! I like your technique. I’ll definitely try it the next time I’m in a similar situation.
Jerry on March 12th, 2008 8:25 pm

1) Is that the actual block of cheese in the picture?
2) Great move! You gave the grocer some guaranteed insurance for selling a specialty item (and they probably still made a profit), and kept a good $4 in your wallet. Excellent!
3) I need to try Manchego. Sounds delicious.
Jerry
http://www.leads4insurance.com
Ben on March 13th, 2008 7:57 am

That’s great! I love haggling but I always feel as though its not allowed. I wonder what other venues there might be for more “haggle deals?” I am going to have to write an article for that for my site! -Love your site by the way!
Chief Family Officer on March 13th, 2008 9:25 pm

This is a great tip because it’s so easy to do! Thanks - I’m definitely going to keep it in mind.

@Jerry - You should definitely try manchego, it’s delicious!
Caryn Verell on March 14th, 2008 9:38 am

i am so happy that someone won a good deal over at the grocerystore. i tried to do same thing over a dozen eggs earlier in the week and the manager refused..said he had to throw the eggs out by law. yeah right! i was really tempted to do some dumpster diving after dark. congrats!
JMom on March 17th, 2008 11:00 am

Great idea! I’ll have to keep that in mind next time I’m shopping. Can’t hurt to ask, right? :)
Mandi on March 29th, 2008 2:10 pm

I just figured out that Manchego is pretty expensive if you buy it from the specialty cheese section of the grocery store, but if you buy it from the “international foods” section, it’s considerably cheaper. I got it for about half price. Sure, the label’s in spanish, but who cares?
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KimdaCook(new comment) on June 12th, 2008 1:17 am

Thanks for the tip!!!! Its like I always say if you don’t ask you will never know. Its a 50-50 chance of either “yes” or “no”. Grab the bull by the horns and take that chance!!!!
Cherish(new comment) on August 2nd, 2008 1:56 pm

My mother-in-law actually had a deal going with her local chain grocery store for a couple years. She would come in about an hour before closing, so not a lot of customers noticed what she was doing, and clean out everything that was past-date or about to expire (she had an agreed upon date for milk/yogurt). Because she was doing all the work herself, they would let her take an entire grocery cart piled with food for $20.00.

We got biscuits, bagged salad, fresh pasta, cheese, yogurt, milk, juice, cookie dough, packaged cookies, you name it.

I can’t get my local grocery store to agree to it, but you never know what kind of deal you can strike up if you get to know the manager!