Salvage grocery stores can be a great alternative to bidding at food auctions, if an auction cannot be found in your area. Also known as surplus grocery stores, they can save you as much as 30-50 percent of your food bill.

Similar to items found at food auctions, their inventory consists of the following

• Overstocked items
• Slightly damaged, bent, dented, ripped or torn packages or cans
• Mislabeled or old labeled items.
• Items not selling well in regular chain and returned to warehouse.
• Near or at their sell-by or best-used-by dates.

Also similar to items sold at food auctions is the guarantee by the USDA that such items pose no safety hazard or poisoning threat. Excluded from this list is baby food and formula. The sell by dates refer to a product's freshness, not its safety.

Here is a list of salvage grocery stores compiled thus far. Please note the separate link to Frugal Village as it has many more stores listed according to each State. Also pay close attention to the Salvage and Bulk Food Stores List, which is also linked, because it is a very comprehensive link which tries to stay updated and thoroughly researched.

The following list consists of salvage chain-store groceries first, followed by other stores found after a thorough search.

*Any major retailer's clearance aisle or rack    *Grocery Outlet    *Sav-a-lot* Ameila's   *Sharpshopper    *So Low Grocery Outlet    *The Corner Cupboard    *99 Cents Only *The Dollar and Dents Grocery Store

It is easy to forget that the major grocery store chain would rather sell their own bent & dent items. So don't forget to check and see if they have an entire aisle dedicated to selling b&d's or maybe they just have some racks set aside for that purpose.

It is suggested that you try to purchase all you can from salvage or surplus stores, then buy what you can't get from them, at your local grocer. Also don't forget to add coupons when you use the traditional grocer, just to add to your savings.

As with my article on Food Auctions, this article will continued to be updated with any pertinent information.  A new article on Food Cooperatives and the Federally Funded SNAP Program, replacing the old food stamp program is now available. Click here to be taken to the article.

If you have any links you would like to share, please feel free to do so. It has been noted that auctions don't seem to be available in the Southern States. If you know of any, please reply to the food auctions article and if you have noticed a salvage grocery store has not been included, please reply to the "comments" section of this article.

Carrying and Storage

While you are out saving money, don't forget you'll need a place to store all your good deals. Buying in bulk can be a problematic once you once you need to bring everything home. Don't forget to travel with a cooler, just in case you need to keep your cool items cool. You might need to bring your own boxes or bags with you to make loading and unloading easier, and last but not least make sure you have a place to put everything once you get it all home. We use an extra freezer in our basement and an extra cabinet with four shelves.

 ALDI

Connie reminded me of a store I totally forgot to mention, Aldi Foods.  It has been around for a good while and although it has gone through some upgrades, at least in my neck of the woods. My husband assured me it was still very well priced yet with good quality choices.

Aldi even has more name brand items, something unheard of in the past. You can use the link to investigate it further and find a store near you.