What a deal!


 
R

Ron A

TVWBB Fan
On Friday I was at my local Kroger store (in Seattle they are mostly Fred Meyer or QFC stores) and as usual headed for the"Managers Special" bin in the meat department. I can usually find some pretty decent deals on steaks and burgers. But I hit the jackpot on Friday with a double-whammy sale

First, they had the natural (no saline injection) bone-in blade pork shoulder roasts marked down to 2.19/lb. because they were just a day from the "best by" date. Not a great price reduction, but still about 30% off their regular price.

Then.... I noticed they had posted a "Buy one get one free" sign for all pork shoulder roasts for Kroger card holders. I asked the butcher if it included the "managers specials" and he said sure, why not. I picked up total of 4 roasts (about 4 lbs each) for a total of just over $17. That's about 16 lbs for $1.08/lb.

FYI, I froze and vacuum sealed three of them and smoked the fourth on Saturday and re-heated it for a World Cup party on Sunday afternoon.

A quick word about "best by" dates. These are placed by the manufacturer or the store and are not governed by any FDA or other city, state or federal law. I have been buying "nearly expired" meats for decades. It's all perfectly safe. With any perishable product, always do the "look-smell-taste" test. But in 30+ years of buying meats from the "special" bin, I have never had a problem or had to return a purchase.
 
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they put best buy dates on food, so people will think they're bad and throw it out and go buy some more food...

I always try to buy discounted meat like that also...
 
Steve Cleveland said:
Ron can you come tell my wife and her sister how those due dates work? I'm always getting grief about buying " old meat"
Click to expand...

Steve: The ONLY expiration dates regulated as a matter of law are on prescription and over-the-counter medications. All other dates like "best by", "use by", and similar identifiers are selected by either the manufacturer or the retailer. In the case of meats, if your store has an actual meat department or butcher, he or she determines the "best by" date. He/she might simply decide that after a week on the shelf, it needs to be pulled. He/she may decide that after five days, it does not look as esthetically appealing as it should . There is no real rhyme or reason for the dates. In any case, in 99.9% of the times, the "best by" date is meaningless.

The same is true from other perishables. Just this morning, I ate a container of yogurt that I purchased last week on sale for 20 cents because it was one day for the "best by" date. It sat in my fridge for another 6 days. It tasted perfect (duh!). Milk is another example. I can usually find a half-gallon of 1% in the "mark-down" area for 99 cents (vs. $1.99 or more). Ignore the "use by" date. Use the "look-smell-taste" method. I know you can't open it in the store, but if you get it home an it's bad, take it back to the store. They can't sell you spoiled milk (or spoiled anything else), even if it's on sale or near the "best by" date.

There is also a marketing angle to the "best by" dates. People think that after the "best by" date, the product is no longer safe so they toss it and return to the store to buy more (which is EXACTLY what the store wants!) . Estimates are that the US consumers unnecessarily waste 20%-25% of perishable foods because the items exceed the "best by" date. So sad and so wasteful. Think of all the extra cash you would have for ribs, butts, briskets and bellies!

BTW, I am anything but poor and don't HAVE to shop the discount aisle. But one of the reasons I am financially secure is I don't waste money. I buy what I need and eat what I buy. The amount of food I waste or throw out is miniscule.
 
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