Before heading to the supermarket, make sure to check out these useful tips to help you navigate the aisles like a pro. Don’t forget to plan ahead, compare prices, and stick to the perimeter for healthier choices!
According to sociological research, in 2021, Russians spent from a quarter to half of their budget on food. Moreover, 65% of citizens choose the supermarket closest to their home. Let’s figure out how to go to the grocery store correctly. Some tips may seem trivial, but repetition is the mother of learning. Let’s find out how to make a shopping list, choose a shopper and avoid queues.
1. Make a shopping list in advance
This advice is familiar to everyone, but it doesn’t make it any less effective. We recommend hanging a notepad on the refrigerator or downloading a special app on your phone. If you run out of salt, write it down right away. This way, the list will be formed gradually and you won’t have to rush to make it before going to the store.
A good idea is to plan your menu for the week ahead and buy only the products you need to prepare the dishes you have chosen. Check out your refrigerator. You will probably find that the vegetable oil is about to run out, and the kefir expires the day after tomorrow. Plan pancakes for breakfast and add the butter to your shopping list.
2. Study promotions and discounts
It is convenient to follow discounts using the service Edadile . It contains information about prices in chain supermarkets. You can see where it is more profitable to buy, for example, liquid soap. Or what products are sold at a discount today in the nearest supermarket.
It is useful to track discounts, but you need to remember about time costs. Sometimes it is more profitable to buy something 10 rubles more expensive, but close to home.
3. Choose a good time to visit the supermarket
You should go to the store well-fed and rested. This way it is easier to refuse to buy another chocolate bar at the checkout. Choose a time when there are few people in supermarkets. Usually this is early morning and afternoon hours.
Make sure you have enough time to study the price tags and labels. But don’t stay in the supermarket too long to avoid impulse purchases. Choose your products carefully, but stick to the list.
4. Take a shopper with you
A bag in a supermarket usually costs 5-10 rubles. According to statistics, each person in Russia buys 181 bags a year and spends at least 1,000 rubles on it. Bags are used for no more than 12 minutes on average, and then clog city sewers or decompose in landfills for years .
To reduce harm to the environment and save money, we recommend buying a shopper – a reusable shopping bag. Many brands sell them, including charity ones. By the way, if you forgot your shopper at home, you can buy a reusable bag at the supermarket checkout.
5. Don’t fall for the tricks of merchandisers
Inside the supermarket, everything is arranged so that customers spend more. The racks with dairy products and bread are usually located in the back of the store. On the way to a loaf of bread and a bottle of kefir, you just want to put something else in the basket. Pay attention to the tricks of merchandisers and try to follow the list.
Products that need to be sold quickly are usually placed at eye level. To find a better deal, look at the top and bottom of the display case. It is better to choose packs from the back of the shelf. That is where fresh products are located, and in the first rows there are packages with an expiring date.
6. Choose bulk products
Bulk products are usually cheaper than pre-packaged products because you don’t overpay for packaging. To save money and avoid creating unnecessary waste, use eco-bags for weighing fruits and vegetables. It’s convenient to pack frozen products in reusable zip-lock bags.
If the product you need is sold only in packaging, choose one that can be reused. For example, buy olives in a glass jar instead of a metal one. You can wash it and use it for storage.
7. Read price tags carefully
Sometimes the price tags have large print of the price with a loyalty card or without VAT. The real price is small in the corner. Read the price tags carefully.
A large, supposedly economical package is not always more profitable than a small one. It makes sense to recalculate the cost per kilogram of product.
We do not recommend buying products displayed on discount islands in the middle of the hall. Often this is not the most profitable option, but a stale batch that they are trying to sell off in this way. Remember the price on the island and look in the corresponding section. Perhaps you will find an analogue cheaper.
8. Buy in bulk with caution
It’s hard to pass by a discounted product. But you should only stock up on products with a long shelf life : vegetable oil, flour, cereals, pasta, sugar, your favorite snacks and drinks.
There is no point in buying perishable products that are not on your weekly list. Most likely, you will not have time to eat them, and the money will be wasted.
9. Buy local produce and seasonal fruits and vegetables
Locally grown produce is cheaper due to savings on transportation. It is fresh, often has a short shelf life, and does not contain preservatives.
Choose seasonal fruits and vegetables . Not only are they cheaper, but they are also healthier. In winter and spring, when there are few seasonal products, it is better to buy frozen fruits and vegetables. Shock freezing preserves more vitamins than long-term storage and transportation of fresh products.
10. Check the basket before the checkout
Before you check out, carefully check the contents of your basket. Check the list and make sure all the products are fresh. Remove unnecessary items from the basket if you impulsively took unplanned items from the shelf.
11. Keep your distance and pay with a card
Some measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus will be useful even after the pandemic. Be polite and keep your distance in the sales area. Don’t stand too close to other customers at the checkout.
Pay with a card whenever possible. This will save the cashier from having to look for fifty kopecks for change. The line will move faster, and you will save both your time and that of others.
12. Keep the receipt
Check the receipt for the actual cost of the goods. Make sure that all discounts have been taken into account and that the cashier has not accidentally punched in an extra milk carton.
If you have purchased a low-quality or spoiled product, you can return it to the store with a receipt. However, according to the Consumer Protection Act, you can return the product without a receipt, but it is more difficult. Let us remind you that you need to store the spoiled product according to the information on the label and return it before the expiration date.
13. Plan to go shopping once a week
The less often you go to the store, the less opportunity you have to buy extra. Plan to buy a large amount of groceries once a week or less often.
If you need bread, fruit or fresh milk during this time, choose small specialized shops. There is less chance of buying too much. In a large supermarket, take a basket, not a cart. And go straight to the necessary department.