Old cashier at the grocery store taught me a trick I still use

Ran into the same lady at the Publix on Elm Street back in 2017. She was ringing up my stuff and said "honey, just put five items back and you'll save $12 easy." I did it right there and it stuck with me ever since. Anyone else get random budgeting advice from strangers that actually worked?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_rowan7d ago

I read somewhere that a lot of grocery stores put their most expensive stuff at eye level, so just looking lower or higher on the shelf can save you a couple bucks without even needing to put anything back.

drew_jones317d ago

Oh man, that Publix lady sounds like a legend. I had something similar happen at a random gas station in Georgia. Old guy behind the counter told me to always check the sell-by dates on bread and milk because they'd mark them down if I asked. Now I'm that weirdo squinting at dates in the dairy aisle. @the_rowan's tip about eye level is spot on too (I always grab the store brand from the bottom shelf for cereal). Funny how you pick up these little hacks from strangers and they just stick, like a cheap life manual you never asked for.

gray8757d ago

The "cheap life manual you never asked for" line hit me hard because that's exactly what it feels like. No kidding about the sell-by dates either - I've saved a stupid amount of money on bread and milk just by asking. @the_rowan's eye level thing is solid, but I'll add this: check the very top shelf too, not just the bottom. My local store hides the markdown meat up there, like some kind of treasure hunt for broke people.