Consumer Considerations:

Save A Few Bucks On Your Grocery Bill

By Jerry Farrell, Jr

No doubt about it, food prices have gone up, some sizes have shrunk, and we really do not know how soon or to what extent they will go back to the way they were. If you are watching your grocery budget more than ever, and really want to save money when you are grocery shopping, here are a few simple things you can do.

Stick To Your List. Don’t buy on impulse. Stay away from samples and special sale displays. Shop on your own, not with the family. You will find it easier to stick to your plan that way.

Shop the edges of the store first. Most of the nutritious foods that you need, such as dairy products, fresh meats, and fruits and vegetables, are found on the outside edge of the supermarket, while the processed stuff is in the center aisles. Stock up on the fresh food first, then go to the middle of the store for the few packaged items you need.

Cut back on expensive convenience items. Microwaveable bowls and individually packaged snacks can be budget busters. Recruit a member of your household to chop vegetables, make sandwiches, and pack lunches without prepackaged items. While your time is certainly valuable, you may want to reconsider how much convenience you really want to pay for.

Buy In Season. Fresh fruits and vegetables are less expensive and taste better when they are in season. Remember to check out Connecticut’s own locally grown produce at a local farm stand. The quality and the prices are great.

Use store brands whenever you can. Store brands are almost always cheaper, and while there may be certain items that your family will not want you to skimp on, you can easily keep some family favorites and still save money as long as you use store brands for other items. Beans, rice or veggies that are going into a stew or casserole are obvious examples of items on which you can switch to store brands and save.

Check the dates on foods and beverages. Sell-by, use-by, and best-by dates help you buy items that will provide longest shelf life in your home.

Stock up only on sale items that you will definitely use. Buy only what you can use relatively soon. Canned goods, soaps, and paper goods can be purchased economically in bulk and stored for extended periods, if space allows. Freezing bulk-purchased items may or may not work for you economically. While you will often get better prices and save shopping trips and fuel, you need to weigh those savings against the cost of a freezer and power to run it.

Ask for rain checks if the store has run out of an advertised sale item that you need. Unless they have noted limited supplies in their sale circular, stores must give you a rain check for sale items that they run out of during the sale period. If you cannot find an item on sale, go to the service desk and ask for a rain check. The store should contact you when the item is back in stock, but play it safe and check back in a week or so.

Use unit pricing to compare costs between brands or sizes. In Connecticut and many states, the orange and white price labels posted on most grocery store shelves include two numbers — the larger, bolder number is the price you will pay at the register. The number printed in smaller type on the side of the label is the unit price, which tells you the cost per ounce, pound, or pint so you can get the most for your money.

Many people believe that larger sizes are always the best buy. Not so. Sometimes, the smaller package actually has a lower unit price than the larger, so if you want the very best deal, always compare the unit prices. And do not forget that bigger is definitely not better if half the item goes stale on your shelf. If your family is not going to consume a quart of ketchup by the time it is past its prime, then you are just throwing money away. In that case, spend a few pennies more per ounce on a more manageable size bottle.

Watch your order get tallied and check your receipt. Although price scanning does help make the checkout process more accurate, errors still can happen. Make sure your prices and coupons are scanned correctly. If you suspect an error, complete your transaction, then step to the side and check the receipt while the clerk begins the next order. If you do find an overcharge or some other problem, go to the service desk immediately and point it out. Sale items are especially prone to checkout errors, but most people never look, and end up overpaying.

Get one free if a scanning error is made. In Connecticut, if an item scans higher at checkout than what was printed on the sticker price or posted on the store shelf, you are entitled to one of that item at no cost. You do not pay the higher price, you do not pay the lower price, you get one free. State law requires the store to give the item to you, up to a value of $20. But you have to know about this law and you have to ask. If the product scans lower than the posted price you do not get the item free, but you get to buy one of the item at the lower, scanned price.

This law applies only to “consumer commodities” — things that get “used up” or depleted over time and must be replaced. For example, when a carton of milk is empty you buy more, and when all the cotton swabs in a box get used up you buy more. These are consumer commodities. Toothbrushes and brooms are examples of items that are not commodities; while they may wear out over time, they do not get depleted, emptied, or used up.

If you see an item scan at an incorrect, higher price at checkout, point it out to the cashier as soon as you notice it, and ask for that item to be provided to you at no cost. If necessary, speak to the store manager or the service desk. Tell them you know the law. Similarly, if a consumer commodity item costing more than $20 scans incorrectly — for example, a carton of copy paper — the law entitles you to $20 off your total purchase at the register.

Hopefully one or more of these ideas will fit in with your shopping style and save you some money. If you have any questions, please give the Department of Consumer Protection a call at 800-842-2649.

Jerry Farrell, Jr, appointed in 2006 by Governor M. Jodi Rell as Connecticut’s Commissioner of Consumer Protection, is an attorney with 15 year’s experience. Helpful information about consumer issues can be found on the department’s website, www.ct.gov/dcp.