How many people look in these and for what reasons?

I have started to look whats reduced and often pick up most visits now as as you get things you wouldnt normally look for. Dont need to financially but seems to add a bit of variety

Last time i was in, they had just stocked it up and there was quite a scrum!

Really depends on the individual supermarket. My local Tesco is rubbish for reductions with very little choice and only a few pence knocked off. The Waitrose is fantastic though -- if you time things right - there can be some great bargains most often in fresh meat and bakery products which are great for filling up the freezer.

The reduced for quick sale section of my local Co-Op has items priced more expensively than the standard prices in Morrisons.

I went into Sainsburys on Bank Holiday Monday about 6pm to get some bread and ended up with a basket full of reduced bread items, a loaf for 49p, rolls for 9p etc etc.

Morning seems to be the best time at the local Asda here as they're putting out fresh food and moving the close-dated stuff into the reduced section. I've picked up loads of things over the years, butter, yogurt, fruit/veg (as long as I plan on using it right away), sandwich meat, cheese, takeaway type nibbles, quiche.

I've become averse to paying full price for bread nowadays, since it's so easy to pick it up reduced to a fraction of the original price with basically no difference in quality. Meat, fish, fruit and veg can also be bargains, got an aubergine and a packet of fresh sage for 1p each in Tesco the other day.

I've yet to work out the exact right time but I've been known to hover round Waitrose on the lookout for when the fancy bread gets reduced. I cannot justify paying full price for a loaf but I love a good bread . The unprepossessing sounding Gail's potato and rosemary bread was
something I would never have tried at normal price.

Same here. I wouldn't even consider paying full price for bread these days.

My local morrisons just introduced a reduced freezer....had the most random things in it together but I got a tub of Haagan Daaz reduced from £4.99 to £1. The only problem was the top cm layer was from when it had defrosted and frozen again a few times but get past that and it was worth the price! Also Tesco after 5pm on the bakery section is the best to get reduced pastries & cakes

Our Tescos tends to reduce stuff around 5-5.30pm, we've always got steak and joints of meat in the freezer as my boyfriend finishes work and usually pops to Tesco around that time. Can get lots of their 'Finest' range of meals and other stuff cheap.

Same for me - good and out of the ordinary bread is too expensive full price but reduced is fine (still not cheap though!) The good thing is that they will never display it for more than one day so it is still fresh - just at the other end of the day.

I always look but I never time it right. All that's left is meat that has gone brown and dodgy bits of fish. Or a bag of 12 boiled eggs.

Our local Morissons and Co-op are great for bargains, but it is pot luck what's on offer.

In answer to your question OP, I sniff about the reduced aisle:

1. Because if I can get something which I would ordinarily buy anyway, at a big mark down, I'm going for it. Our freezer is full of things like mince and chops that we purchased for pennies, and drag out as and when to make a meal.

I'm not one for being paranoid about dates; if looks or smells a bit odd, it's hoofed to the bin, no question, but I've filled my lunchtime sarnies with stuff that's days past it date.

2. Sometimes we see stuff that looks really appealing/tasty on the reduced aisle and we will buy it as sort of a sample.

This is generally something like a meat or poultry dish in some sort of sauce, that you bung in the oven. Often a bit pricey.

We've picked up quite a few of these up at less than a quid.

Some of them have been well tasty and we have bought again at full price, but most of them have been a bit meh, and I would have been very disappointed if I had paid full price.

I love them, I recently bought 3 packs of turkey slices for lunches, reduced to a quarter of the original price. We ate 2 packs pretty quickly & the other one is in the freezer, I'll probably take it out this week for more sandwiches or salads. We used to be near a supermarket that had a fantastic reduced section, I bought lots of meat & chicken there mostly went into freezer. It is a great way to stretch the budget, which is a way of life for me.

Your Co-Op sells reduced items that are cheap enough to be worth buying Mine asks prices that I wouldn't pay even if they were fresh.

Ive never seen a whole aisle of reduced price items.

However I do sometimes circle the M&S bakery counter with the other vultures at 5:30pm.
Novelty breads, rolls, bags of doughnuts, cookies, for 10p.
Yes please!

ASDA has more than my local Sainsbury's. Unfortunately I dislike ASDA with the silly escalator and the lack of manned check outs. I hate those silly self service tills. They always go wrong.

Yep,

Have, picked up two packets of chicken drumsticks for 10p a throw.

Pack of two breaded fish, sole I think, 49p - picked up four of them, well tasty.

Packets of mushroom, berries, bread, all at 20p

Cheesy pasta sauce at 65p (may not sound a great bargain, but it's normally £1.69 or something, and it is marvellous, well worth it)

Co-op is expensive, but I think it is quality stuff, but I wouldn't pay full price for it.

If the hot deli counter has bacon ribs reduced, I'll usually pick up a couple for the dogs, I'll also gram some haslet or ham if that's reduced, too, also for the dogs.
I'll see what else is reduced, M&S had a few items reduced the other day so we picked some up and popped them in the freezer.

It's always worth looking to see if there's anything worth picking up

It used to annoy me when I was working on the shop floor and doing reductions, I used to get people grabbing some stuff before I even put a ticket on them or others trying to push something under my nose to reduce because of something they have seen like a damaged package.

TBH, I do not really look in them, we have some for staff only , too damaged to be sold to customers, but I never look at them either.

Make your own bread, so much nicer

I love getting a bargain in the supermarket. Our local Morrisons are best for reductions. You quite often have to fight your way through an army of Nepalese to get at them though.

I regularly stock up on the hot pies and pasties for 9p each. Of course all the bread and cakes down to 9p as well. There also often hunks of meat and fresh products at 75% off, sometimes even more.

My best bargains have been a massive £12 chocolate cake for 9p and a whole roast chicken for 9p.

You need to go in about 7-8ish. Once they drop to the lowest priced they go very very quickly. The best bargains come from when you see the guy with the trolley reducing them and can take them as soon as he puts them on the shelf. Always be vigilant though as sometimes things are left on the original shelf for a bit before being taken to the reduced section.

I dont think ive ever shopped at that time, but i may give it a go for a change

Was at Morissons earlier,

Came back with a lump of pork joint which should have been over seven quid for £1.55.

Six packs of sirloin steaks, normally 4 quid a throw for 79p

A ridiculous heap of stewing and braising steak at 49 a pack

The freezer is groaning, apart from the steaks I'm having later

I reckon I've saved pushing 40 quid, It will all get snarfed in the near future.

Luck of timing, that and the fact that I am terribly selfish and was taking the stuff as fast as the girl could stick the discount labels on

Walked away, to some rather loud mutters from other customers about being 'greedy'

Sometimes in Morissons it can almost be a riot over the discounted stuff. People push and shove.

I have, and this is no word of a lie had a granny snatch a chicken discounted from full price to pennies from my hand with the words 'that's mine, I'm old, call the manager if you want'

What can one say to that?

I was so stunned I said nothing, then when I came home I told the OH I had been bullied by a granny.

She laughed her head off.

I've had reduced stuff taken out of my trolley as I've been looking at other things. What can you do? Not strictly mine as I haven't paid for them.