FREE GROCERIES ARE HARD TO PASS UP ESPECIALLY WHEN FOOD PRICES ARE FORCING CANADIANS TO TIGHTEN THE GROCERY BUDGET

 

Free food offers may seem like a decoy for the unsuspecting shopper but they can save you some cash if you know how to approach these freebies the right way.

Go shopping just about anywhere and you will be bombarded with the word “Free” whether it be the grocery store, the mall or your local farmers markets. Free is everywhere and for good reason, it attracts customers.

I’ve always had apprehension with free stuff as I believed that there is no such thing as a freebie. Since we came into couponing years ago that mindset has changed but not without caution. I started to notice that free food offers were popping up everywhere. Perhaps my radar was on looking for freebies but in essence it’s a marketing mind game that the manufacturers play with shoppers.

A while back I blogged about how certain smells are released into the air to grab the customer’s attention. It works alright as I was hankering for a large double-double coffee while shopping at Staples only to be told by an employee it was a smell dispenser up above BUT they did sell coffee if I’d like to purchase some. Dang it… caught me off guard.

Related: Does the scent of a business play with your nose and budget?

This is exactly what happens to shoppers who take a minute to read flyers, grocery store signage and food packaging. They become mindful of their surroundings especially if their food budget is tight and they want to stretch their food dollar. Even then free food offers bat eyes at the wealthy or food shoppers who could care less about prices.

So, if you get struck by the free food offers at your local grocery store or any other place ask yourself one question, “How will I benefit from this?” If you can’t answer it with solid backing then just keep on walking and stick to your original grocery plan.

Types of Free Food Offers to watch out for

 

Free food offers might make you jump up and down because you think you are getting a deal but think again, especially if you’re unaware of grocery store tactics to enchant customers into spending more than they bargained for.

Here are few of the free food offers we’ve come across over the years. I’m sure there are many others out there so if I’ve missed any please leave me a comment so I can update this list.

 

Free Samples

 

Everyone loves free food at the grocery store. Last summer Pillars had free food offers outside of our local Zehrs of their delicious sausages. It’s hard to pass by the BBQ booth and say nah, I’ll pass unless of course you’re vegetarian or simply don’t care for sausages.

What these types of free food offers do is thank the customers in the moment, makes them happy and full and keeps them mindful of the product name. To sweeten the deal they even offered product coupons which may motivate even those who see no value in clipping coupons.

Have a look around Costco or talk to your friends who are regulars who shop there. I bet almost all of them will boast about their enjoyment of the free food offers around the store.

Related: Is the Costco Membership Worth It?

Our son loves it and he’s not even 2 yet and by the amount of samples you can get at the store you can bet that the manufacturers are turning on the taste buds for shoppers who will hopefully spend money to buy that product.

Again, you must ask yourself if you can afford this product that likely was not on your shopping list. You may simply be hungry. Maybe you can hold off until the next shop so you can factor that into your shopping expenses. Free is nice but don’t get too caught up in it or you may end up feeling the money crunch.

Free Product Coupons

 

It’s a start the car moment when free product coupons (FPC) are being handed out at the grocery store or offered via online entities by the manufacturer.

Ironically as I write this post I find this Shreddies coupon for a free box of cereal that came in the mail today. The only catch is that you have to shop on specific dates to get the product free. Both dates are listed as the weekend which are the highest traffic days for grocery stores.

I’ve seen online war happening when a company post a freebie online for x amount of Facebook or Twitter followers. All hell can break loose especially if you have some people who did not successfully get in on the deal.

This by far is the best of the best because you pay nothing at all apart from taxes where applicable and it’s instant savings so no waiting time is needed. When you want to save money at the grocery store these free food offers come in handy especially if the coupon is already on the product. Ya, it’s happened before and I bet you missed it.

Read the packaging carefully, watch your online deals and coupon sites for free product coupon offers and get in on the action. Don’t forget to keep an eye out on those coupon apps that offer freebies as well or deals you can unlock to get freebies.

The downfall to this is that you may not like the product but who cares, it’s free! Some people just get it so they can trade it for another coupon that someone else has that they’d like. Hard to say no to these beauties.

 

Buy one get one free, Buy 2 get one free

 

Have a look at Maple Leaf Bacon right now and you’ll see peelie stickers on them for Buy 2 get 1 Free. How awesome is that especially since the price of bacon is so high that most people consider it a luxury to have. The only time we may consider free food offers like this is if we need it and it’s on sale. What you have to consider here really is the price.

If the price is at the top of the price list for the time you are shopping you probably aren’t getting any real free food offers. The reason behind this is because of sale prices that happen in cycles at the grocery store.

For instance, if the Maple Leaf Bacon is regular $5.99 for 375g (don’t get me started on the shrinkage from 1lb) but every couple of months goes on sale for $3.99 you aren’t really getting a freebie at all. In fact you’re paying for all 3 products as if they were on sale. Timing the sale cycles are important as are pairing them with free food offers and other coupons and deals.

Buy this product get this free

 

This is probably one of the most popular types of food product offers I’ve seen on the market these days. Over the years coupons have drastically changed as have the offers that manufactures dish out to consumers.

Not as distinct as they used to be but cereal boxes with free food offers seduce shoppers into buying a box and getting free fruit, free yogurt, free juice or even a free litre of milk. No mail-in rebates required as the coupon is inside the box on the cardboard.

I remember the online rampage for coupon swapping when these types of free food offers were rolling out a few years back. Everyone wanted them because cereal is HOT especially for parents who buy boatloads of the stuff.

Coupons these days have gone a step further with additions to get the free food offers. They might say buy a jar of jam and honey and get a free loaf of bread. I despise these coupons as they really do drop the budget bomb on unsuspecting shoppers. Watch those prices. Free bread is nothing when you can save $2.00 on your jam the next week in a flyer sale.

I remember a time we saw a peelie sticker on a package of shish kabobs that said “Buy this get free tzatziki sauce”. It’s not a product we would typically buy but we did because it was 50% off and a great deal because we get free tatziki. At the time we thought we’d get a coupon for a free product. Nope, no such thing. There was a tiny whoopdidoo packet of tzatziki sauce inside the packaging. You know something similar to a packet of ketchup.

Point being, don’t underestimate the big letters, read the fine print otherwise you might end up buying something you could have done without. Oh, and don’t forget to read for the expiry date too. That’s a bonus bummer if you miss out and buy the product.

 

Mail-in Rebates

 

This was always the controversial freebie for the wife and I especially if we forgot to mail something in OR the cheque didn’t come in the mail. Not only that you have to pay for postage as well so you knock that off the price tag and you’re still buying into the product.

The good thing is that if you wanted to try a certain product a mail-in rebate is a great way to test it out. The downfall is not sending in the mail-in rebate, not photocopying your receipt for proof of purchase or the manufacturer refusing to replace a lost rebate cheque.

Overall we’ve had positive experiences with mail-in rebates however when shoppers see that product sticker, hang-tag or signage it does make us stop and ask ourselves, “Should I bother?” and if the answer is yes remember you likely didn’t figure this expense into your budget so make sure you have the cash to pay for it even if you are to get it back in x amount of weeks.

An example of this was on a premium sausages we noticed at Zehrs over the last couple of months. There is a peelie sticker on the packaging that says, “Try me free” which is hard to resist for many shoppers without willpower to say no or those who see the value in free food offers.

Spend x amount and get free food offers

 

Whether it be a grocery store promo or a program that enchants the shopper because it comes with free food offers this is one to watch out for. It’s easy to get carried away spending more money than you had anticipated just to get a financial kick-back but in the form of free food.

If your grocery budget has the room and you need the food then by all means grab the free food offers but if not steer away otherwise you may find yourself struggling to stay on track with your budget.

Every year Pepsi Co. has put out a Superbowl promo where shoppers can get $20 back in Free Product Coupons if they spend $20 on certain products, mainly chips, pop and dip. I must admit it’s a pretty nice deal which is hard to pass up IF you stock these products in your house.

Other examples: PC Plus Program, Shoppers Drug Mart offers days that hook customers into spending money to get free stuff whether it be food, healthy and beauty or whatever the store offers. Shoppers Drug Mart often does a Spend $75 dollars get 18,500 Optimum points equivalent to $25 back on your card. That deal certainly is mind-blowing BUT if you’re just taking part because of the deal and you don’t really need the stuff it’s just money you are spending for nothing even if you do use the products down the road.

Related: How to earn Shoppers Optimum Points Fast

The PC Plus Program which is our grocery budget evil at times offers something similar where you spend x amount of dollars and get x amount of points back. Hard to say no to free food offers or other in-store products you can spend those points on.

Cash in or Cash Out

 

Ultimately the choice is up to you whether free food offers are worth your time, risk and money in some cases. There are pros and cons but the biggest manufacturing pitch is always going to push you to spend more than you came for. Don’t be led financially astray by food.

Question: Of all the free food offers I listed above which do you like the most, the least or do you not care at all about them?

Share your comments below and I’ll respond!

 

June Grocery Game Challenge posts 2016

 

Join in the 2016 Grocery Game Challenge (GGC) fun and post your grocery shop in the comment section of each GGC blog post. Here are the rules to get you started and where you’ll also find a link for the updated 2016 GGC schedule. Please feel free to download, save and even print the schedule so it’s handy.

New monthly prize: $10 President’s Choice Gift Card for Canadian residents only BUT If you want to play from outside of Canada and have PayPal and you win I will pay you $10 Canadian. I use a random online generator to pick the winning ballot every month.

If you missed any grocery game posts for the month I will post the line-up each week below for you so you don’t have to go looking for past GGC posts for the month. Alternatively, just click on the “Grocery Game Challenge” tab on the blog side-bar to see past posts.

June Grocery Game Posts

• How to Train Your Spouse to Be A Clever Clogs Food Shopper (Last shop for May)
• How Cooking Classes Can Save You Big Bucks
• How To Include Fresh Produce When The Prices Are High
• Why You Must Say Yes To Your Grocery Receipt

 

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