6 Outlet Grocery Stores That Will Save You Big Money on Food
Outlet grocery stores are like the Island of Misfit Toys for supermarket merchandise. They buy unsalable goods that traditional grocery stores can’t sell at a steep discount and pass the savings on to their customers.
They deal in things like dented canned goods, expired or nearly expired food, discontinued products, leftover Halloween candy and other rejects that brand-name grocers are eager to offload for whatever an outlet is willing to pay.
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If you’re frugal, flexible and have a knack for spotting hidden gems, an outlet grocery store could be your ticket to beating food inflation while keeping perfectly good edibles out of the landfill.
“In the realm of grocery savings, I’ve found that exploring unconventional avenues can yield surprising results,” said Isabella Mellwex, CEO of the culinary site DelishPursuit. “While mainstream outlets dominate the narrative, salvage groceries — or food liquidators — present a compelling alternative. I’ve seen instances where these outlets not only provide cost-effective options but also unique products that might be hard to find elsewhere. The dynamism of these stores adds an element of unpredictability, making each visit a potential treasure hunt for savings. These outlets, often overlooked, can significantly impact a shopper’s budget.”
If you have a tight budget, a discerning eye and an adventurous spirit, consider slashing your food bill at these outlet grocery stores.
Grocery Outlet Bargain Market
With roots dating back to 1946 when its founder started selling surplus military food after World War II, Grocery Outlet emerged in its modern form in 1987 and became Grocery Outlet Bargain Market in 2009.
With 1.5 million shoppers prowling the aisles of more than 400 stores, it’s the biggest name in the business by far. Billing itself as the country’s top “extreme value retailer,” it claims to have saved its customers nearly $3 billion this year alone, with typical prices ranging from 40%-70% below what you’d find at traditional supermarkets.
Grocery Outlet has come a long way from its spartan roots and is now stocked with fresh produce, meat, organics, deli goods, health and beauty products, dairy, wine and more.
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United Grocery Outlet
While it doesn’t have nearly the reach of the Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, United Grocery Outlet has a regional presence in a half-dozen states throughout the South, which — as you’ll soon find out — makes it one of the bigger chains in the industry.
It sells just about everything you’d find in a traditional grocery store at steep discounts while adding to the savings with manager’s specials, weekend deals and weekly ads.
Misfits Market
Misfits Market amplifies the savings with an online-only format that cuts out brick-and-mortar overhead and delivers salvaged food directly to your doorstep. It started out selling deeply discounted “ugly” produce: fruits and veggies with cosmetic irregularities that don’t affect quality but fail the beauty standards of traditional supermarkets — think curvy carrots and straight bananas.
The company has since branched out to include everything from coffee and candy to vegan meat and organic snacks. Your pineapple might be too small and your beets might be too big, but customers commonly enjoy savings of up to 40%.
Imperfect Foods
Like Misfits Market, Imperfect Foods is an online-only delivery service that rescues so-called ugly produce from its destiny in the dump. To date, its customers have saved 139 million pounds of food from landing in landfills — and they’ve saved a lot of money along the way, with discounts of up to 30% off grocery store prices.
Imperfect Foods has a wide selection beyond just produce, including dairy, eggs, meat, organics, vegan fare and its own line of snacks and packaged goods made from rescued ingredients.
Bakery Outlets
According to AllRecipes, “Bakery outlets, or bakery thrift stores, are the last stop for baked goods before they hit the dumpster.”
Most major brands have one, and when grocery store clerks remove bread, buns, bagels, pies, cookies and other bakery products that are nearing their best-by dates, that’s where they go. Major brands stock their bakery outlets with loaves on their last legs for up to 75% less than they were selling for in the supermarket just a few hours before.
BuySalvageFood.com, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, lists bakery outlets by state, with famous names like Bimbo Bakery, Aunt Millie’s, Pepperidge Farm, Entenmann’s Bakery and Schwebel’s all taking whatever they can get for perfectly good bread and baked goods at their outlet stores.
Your Local Bent and Dent
With more than 400 stores nationwide, Grocery Outlet Bargain Market is in a class by itself. The United States is home to hundreds of outlet groceries — or bent and dents, salvage groceries, grocery surplus stores or whatever slang reigns in your region — but most of them are independent locations that are not part of a larger chain.
Mr. Checkout maintains one of the largest, most comprehensive and up-to-date state-by-state lists of outlet grocery stores on the web. Find one near you, pay them a visit and save perfectly good food from the landfill while saving your grocery budget from the ongoing effects of food inflation.
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