Post Christmas food reductions

MSE_James

Share your tips for bagging the best post-Christmas supermarket markdown bargains.

[This thread was originally started by another user.]

Emmia

I think reduction levels / timing would vary by shop and would depend on how much the shop has left... and sell/use by dates of the food.

fatbelly

Vegetables tend to be cheaper in the run-up, meats are cheaper as soon as Boxing Day is out of the way.

Last year I loaded up with veg (parboiled and frozen) and created a sack of spuds for storing in the garage, before Christmas.

Then bought some half-price turkey crowns for the freezer after.

Most of this came from Lidl

pumpkin89

Fresh food tends to follow the usual reductions process when it reaches its use by date, so Christmas Eve an hour before closing is probably the best time as there is effectively two days' worth of reductions at once.

Some chilled products that have a longer life but are Christmas-specific (party food canapés, pâté/cheese in Christmas packaging, etc.) go to half price and then 75% off - depending on the supermarket this either happens in the week between Christmas and New Year or the first week of January.

Non-fresh foods such as biscuits, chocolates, nuts tend not to be reduced until the start of January as they continue to sell well for New Year's parties etc.

Miser1964

IMHO significant post-Xmas reductions are a thing of the past. The supermarkets manage stock better, more people are buying online/pre-ordering so there's less overstock in store and the supermarkets like to appear virtuous by giving away to food banks or the "Too Good To Go" users snaffle it all up.

jon81uk

As others have said, think it depends what sort of thing you are buying. Fresh stuff will be reduced as it hits the use by date, so Christmas Eve is a good one and then sporadically between Christmas and New Year.
Gifting stuff is often selling out earlier now, even the tubs of sweets were sold out a few days before Christmas in some stores last year, but that will start to be reduced Christmas Eve.
Party food will likely be reduced as it hits the use by date too, or after New Year as many people buy it for NYE parties.

Its the nuts, crisps, selection boxes and other long life snacking stuff that you'll probably see a corner of somewhere in January as there will be some lines that didn't sell as well.

MSE_James

Looking at this thread and the date stamps of various posts might give you an indication: 

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6413329/share-your-post-christmas-yellow-sticker-successes 

DigSunPap

It depends on what you're buying. I am sure Christmas veg such as sprouts for example will come down in price a lot quicker due to the quicker expiry, but something that will keep longer i.e mince pies will probably hold their price into the new year.

MrsStepford

If you low carb, post Christmas reductions usually include duck fat, goose fat and dripping, which carb eaters buy for their roasties. 

dealyboy

@DigSunPap said:

It depends on what you're buying. I am sure Christmas veg such as sprouts for example will come down in price a lot quicker due to the quicker expiry, but something that will keep longer i.e mince pies will probably hold their price into the new year.

What has happened the last few years is reduction of bags of the Christmas vegs by about 50% in the week before Christmas, not related to best befores, applying to sprouts, carrots, parsnips etc displayed in bulk at the front of stores.

Mince pies and Christmas cakes seem to carry on at the standard retail price until either sold out or reaching BBDs which can happen before and after Christmas.

Drinks like Baileys specials and sparkling wine go on special offers well before Christmas and go back to ultra high prices shortly afterwards.

Christmas chocolates go through a series of reductions immediately after Christmas until all sold out within about a week.

Unfortunately whisky is unaffected  .

Longwalker

Miser1964 said:

IMHO significant post-Xmas reductions are a thing of the past. The supermarkets manage stock better, more people are buying online/pre-ordering so there's less overstock in store and the supermarkets like to appear virtuous by giving away to food banks or the "Too Good To Go" users snaffle it all up.

Im with you on this

We always used to go to the supermarkets on Christmas Eve , late afternoon and snaffle loads of stuff at seriously reduced prices and then again on Boxing Day, used to fill the freezer with joints for the year for seriously little money, I used to run down the freezer esp

Thats not been the case for a few years now but theres still bargains to be found

Veg goes to 19p in the two weeks before Christmas. Tesco and Sainsbury's put lamb, ham and beef half price per a kilo at the start of December , thats on joints, not cuts. , and I do well on the legs of lamb, its not a popular meat here so me and a friend keep an eye and last year we managed 8 legs of lamb at £7 each between us when they had to be reduced cos of the sell by - Ive still 1 in the freezer.

Festive food, I find the best reductions to be earlier in December rather then later, they start stocking early but no one is buying early so thats when I usually get good stuffings, packs of tempura prawns , Indian/Chinese selection packs etc, not meals in their own right, but nice additions to meals to stretch them. Salmon is always to be found heavily reduced as well, especially whole fish

Where as on Christmas Eve cartons of cream, wheels of stilton, turkeys bread and cakes for pennies would be guaranteed in the past, its not now the case. Stock levels are so much better managed with most stores not even taking delivery of fresh birds till three days before with dates lasting unto  the new year, it becomes a question of popping in daily after Christmas and hoping to be at the right place at the right time . New Years eve - if your store shuts on NYD can be worth a visit