Some of my favorite grocery store items to buy are freshly baked breads and rotisserie chickens, yet these items are often expensive and it’s nearly impossible to find coupons for them. Fortunately, there are a few insider ways you can reduce the amount of money you spend on fresh bakery and deli items.
-Visit the store at the end of the day. Some grocery stores, such as military commissaries and Safeway, discount rotisserie chickens and bakery items by as much as 50% in the hour before the store closes.
-Check soda bottles for chicken coupons. Stores occasionally offer specials where you can buy a rotisserie chicken and receive a free 2 liter of soda. These coupons are produced by the soda manufacturer and can be found with specific 2 liters.
-Take advantage of weekly “family dining” specials. On Fridays, Safeway offers a $5 special which sometimes includes rotisserie chickens. Other stores, such as Save Mart, have dinner-time specials where you can get a fully cooked chicken and side dish for $7.00 if you come in after 4:00pm.
-Check the dates. While bakeries pride themselves on fresh items, the truth is that some things tend to sit. After an item is a few days old, bakeries will discount the cost of the item. For example, I recently bought a box of cookies that were 4 days old but were marked down from $3.99 to $1.45. If you find an item that is a day or two old but isn’t marked down, notify the deli or bakery attendant and ask for a discount. More often than not, they are happy to reduce the price for you.