14 Tips To Save Money On Food, From Grocery Store Workers

4.

“I live in Canada, where food pricing nowhere near matches what is offered in the US. While working for a particular grocery chain, I couldn’t afford to shop for my own groceries where I was employed. Granted, it was an ‘upscale’ store that catered to rich people in the area and actors who were in town for shoots, but my base wage was at the poverty level, and there was no staff discount. This was not a boutique shop, it was a full-on supermarket. Guests, please respect the retail workers who choose to serve you, and the other hundred people they see daily!”

“When on lunch breaks, I would buy something to eat at my workplace, but only via the bulk food section and/or the deli. For a sandwich: I could purchase a bulk bun for 35 cents, a slice of cheese for about the same, and if I was feeling spendy, a couple of slices of meat for a dollar or two. A handful of candy or chocolates from the bulk section would be about 50 cents. People tend to shy away from bulk foods (especially post-COVID), but they allow you to choose what you need and what suits your budget that day; if you’re strapped, buy the minimum necessary to make your meal. Also, be mindful of what you tend to find yourself throwing away on a regular basis (looking at you, cilantro!), and go to shops that allow you to buy what you need that day or the next”

—40, Canada