Did you know that the schedule of your shopping can significantly impact your spending habits?

For example, if you tend to do your shopping on weekends, you may be more likely to impulse buy or overspend on items that you don’t really need.

On the other hand, if you stick to a regular shopping routine during the week, you’re more likely to stick to your budget and only buy what you need.

But, did you also know that there are certain days and times where you can score items at slashed prices?

Well, one Coles shopper has recently revealed a little-known trick — which she calls "crazy markdown bonanza" — claiming that customers can nab a range of products at discounted prices if they shop at a specific time each night.

The woman claimed she managed to get more than $200 worth of food for just $3.60 after everything was marked down to 10 cents at 8pm.

"Best haul for ages," the shopper posted in the Markdown Addicts Australia Facebook group along with a photo of her purchases, which included milk cartons, pre-cut fruit, and sandwiches that had 10-cent stickers on them.

Credit: Facebook​

The same woman announced the next day that she would permanently change her shopping hour to 8 pm as a result of "another crazy markdown bonanza" at her local Coles supermarket.

"Everything 10c except for the 10kg bags of rice and bread mix 50c each," she wrote in another post.

She also shared photos of her latest purchases, which featured items such as pet food and socks.

Credit: Facebook​

The shopper's posts gained traction on social media, capturing the attention of fellow bargain hunters who expressed their amazement over the woman's "amazing" bargain buys.

One user wrote: "10c for the socks! That's crazy."

"Jealous," another said.

The post also sent group members scrambling to find comparable deals, with many asking the woman what city and area she shopped in.

However, some people who followed the woman's tip and shopped at their local stores at 8 pm had less success.

One person shared: "Went to my Woolies tonight at 8pm and not a single thing discounted by even 10c. I think my local Coles and Woolies have a high turnover of meat and perishables unfortunately."

Meanwhile, another user claimed that they were fortunate to have scored a number of 50c specials while shopping at their local store at 3pm, writing: "I think you just have to get lucky with the time."

With all of these claims coming to light, what exactly is the best time to score mark-downs?

Well, unfortunately for bargain hunters, Coles confirmed that the company does not uniformly impose markdowns at the same time across all stores.

A Coles spokesperson explained: "There are many things that can impact when this takes place including stock on hand, delivery schedules and team member rostering."

"We know our customers love good value so when a product is near its best before date we often mark it down so it can be enjoyed for a cheaper price, instead of being wasted."

Meanwhile, a Woolworths spokesperson explained that the company offers markdowns to reduce food waste, disclosing that their availability fluctuates from day-to-day and store-to-store depending on supply and demand.

Regardless, there are actually some great reasons to do your shopping at night.

For one, there are often smaller crowds, so you can take your time and really find the best deals. You can also avoid impulse buys because you’re not surrounded by other shoppers.

So, there you have it, folks! Do you know other tips for scoring bargains? Share them with us in the comments below!

Also, we recommend tuning in to the Money Saving Hacks section of the SDC website to stay on top of the latest tricks to cut down your bills.

 

[leanneh]

A good friend of mine works at our local Coles. She always works the shift that closes the store at night because it suits her family arrangements. She said there are never any incredibly low priced specials at our Coles because all those fresh every day items are always gone long before closing bevause our Coles manager is very careful about numbers of those items and would rather give customers credit vouchers to collect the item on another day than hraps leftover and sell it all at stupidly low prices. She said the only regular quick sale items in our Coles are items that have reached their "best before"date are all marked down and put out on special display in order to sell them off cheaply rather than throw them away. She is actually one of the staff members that set up those "best before" sell out displays and she said they are set up any time after 3pm depending on staffing.

 

[terri]

Leanneh is right. Over stocked stores need to mark down. If the ordering is efficient, then mark downs are small. I was amused at the store I worked in though. We had 'mark down' groupies who knew the right time to come, and you would see two or three trolleys being pushed behind the manager as he roamed the departments marking down products. It was the highlight of the late shift.

 

[HamMcG]

Did you know that the schedule of your shopping can significantly impact your spending habits?

For example, if you tend to do your shopping on weekends, you may be more likely to impulse buy or overspend on items that you don’t really need.

On the other hand, if you stick to a regular shopping routine during the week, you’re more likely to stick to your budget and only buy what you need.

But, did you also know that there are certain days and times where you can score items at slashed prices?

Well, one Coles shopper has recently revealed a little-known trick — which she calls "crazy markdown bonanza" — claiming that customers can nab a range of products at discounted prices if they shop at a specific time each night.

The woman claimed she managed to get more than $200 worth of food for just $3.60 after everything was marked down to 10 cents at 8pm.

"Best haul for ages," the shopper posted in the Markdown Addicts Australia Facebook group along with a photo of her purchases, which included milk cartons, pre-cut fruit, and sandwiches that had 10-cent stickers on them.

Credit: Facebook​

The same woman announced the next day that she would permanently change her shopping hour to 8 pm as a result of "another crazy markdown bonanza" at her local Coles supermarket.

"Everything 10c except for the 10kg bags of rice and bread mix 50c each," she wrote in another post.

She also shared photos of her latest purchases, which featured items such as pet food and socks.

Credit: Facebook​

The shopper's posts gained traction on social media, capturing the attention of fellow bargain hunters who expressed their amazement over the woman's "amazing" bargain buys.

One user wrote: "10c for the socks! That's crazy."

"Jealous," another said.

The post also sent group members scrambling to find comparable deals, with many asking the woman what city and area she shopped in.

However, some people who followed the woman's tip and shopped at their local stores at 8 pm had less success.

One person shared: "Went to my Woolies tonight at 8pm and not a single thing discounted by even 10c. I think my local Coles and Woolies have a high turnover of meat and perishables unfortunately."

Meanwhile, another user claimed that they were fortunate to have scored a number of 50c specials while shopping at their local store at 3pm, writing: "I think you just have to get lucky with the time."

With all of these claims coming to light, what exactly is the best time to score mark-downs?

Well, unfortunately for bargain hunters, Coles confirmed that the company does not uniformly impose markdowns at the same time across all stores.

A Coles spokesperson explained: "There are many things that can impact when this takes place including stock on hand, delivery schedules and team member rostering."

"We know our customers love good value so when a product is near its best before date we often mark it down so it can be enjoyed for a cheaper price, instead of being wasted."

Meanwhile, a Woolworths spokesperson explained that the company offers markdowns to reduce food waste, disclosing that their availability fluctuates from day-to-day and store-to-store depending on supply and demand.

Regardless, there are actually some great reasons to do your shopping at night.

For one, there are often smaller crowds, so you can take your time and really find the best deals. You can also avoid impulse buys because you’re not surrounded by other shoppers.

So, there you have it, folks! Do you know other tips for scoring bargains? Share them with us in the comments below!

Also, we recommend tuning in to the Money Saving Hacks section of the SDC website to stay on top of the latest tricks to cut down your bills.

 

[HamMcG]

Appreciate the tips. Couple of things. If you don’t need it; it’s not a saving no matter what the price. And if you do need it, you take a risk waiting for a last minute markdown. A price monitoring app such as price hipster is a better strategy imo.

 

[Joyce]

Not much good if you live 100klms from shops.