Auctioneer with a funny T-shirt. Credit: rochelle, et al/Flickr
Ripped open my latest copy of ShopSmart (March 2011), the magazine put out by Consumer Reports, only to find a bizarre tip on saving money on groceries. Auctions?!!!! Here’s how it works.
Supermarkets and warehouses reject pallets of food because one or two boxes are damaged, or they have overstock to unload. Grocery prices at auctions can be amazing. ShopSmart saw three DiGiorno Cheese Stuffed Crust Three Meat Pizzas for $14 – that’s half off what you’d pay at your local grocery store – and Kellogg’s Rice Crispy Treats were 78% lower than Amazon.
Sites like AuctionZip.com and Craigslist have listings for auctions that detail the contents to be sold, including groceries. Make sure to check the local auction rules so you know what rules to play by.
ShopSmart recommends using a smartphone app like RedLaser or Google Shopper to compare prices on the spot. These apps work by scanning the product’s UPC bar codes and looking up prices at online merchants.
Review “sell by,” “use by” and “best by” dates so you know how quickly you need to eat or freeze an item. Auctions can go quite late so bring coffee and a cooler to stash perishables that you win!
Welcome to Bargain Babe! I’m Mara, and I’m so glad you’re here. I am an obsessive bargain hunter and penny pincher, and I am determined to live a full life without EVER paying full price. 
I have been going to Food Auctions for years here in Mid Michigan. I love them. I have gotten everything from Big rolls of saran wrap and aluminum foil for a few bucks to cases of wendy’s chicken tenders for $5 dollars a case. I also love to try new things and there is a lot of everything that goes through! Cereal is usually dirt cheap like $1.50 for your choice of any kind of cereal. Tons of canned goods. If you get the chance you should go to one. I have a blast and save tons of money. Good luck!!!!!
I just found out about food auctions, any information you can share would be appreciated.
Do you know where I can go to a food auction at in 2017 near Muskegon MI?
Were is their a food action in mid michigan
I don’t think we have anything like that around here, but I don’t pay more than $1 for a box of cereal anyway! 🙂
@Teresa Drake I want to talk to you! I wish I lived closer to you so I could tag along next time you go. I’m fascinated by grocery auctions. Shoot me an email, please! 🙂
Is there any food auctions in Texas
Do you take your auctions to other establishments?