Poverty is an enduring tradition for many college students. Finding enough money to afford quality groceries is usually a losing battle. Everybody knows what it’s like to eat Top Ramen in place of a square meal. Unfortunately salty noodles are an unhealthy substitution.
For many, affording nutritious food is a challenge. On a tight budget, salmon and avocados appear to be too expensive. But for informed students, an identical budget can yield a variety of seemingly expensive goods. Through the advantage of a low price guarantee and by exploiting certain rain-check policies any student can pay less.
Bargain hunting takes time away from constrained students. How can students with a time limit manage to experience significant savings with each trip to the supermarket? There are two very simple and distinct methods that will broaden the variety of foods available on a tight budget. The first and most notable cost saving measure is to take advantage of “low-price guarantee” policies.
Food Maxx maintains a commitment to offering the lowest possible prices anywhere by matching the advertised prices of other grocers. Jim Wilhelm, manager of the Food Maxx on Shaw and Valentine explained that if someone finds a lower advertised price elsewhere, the shopper can receive that price by presenting the competing weekly ad to a cashier.
All manufacturers’ goods, meats, and like-sized produce apply to this policy. Before heading into Food Maxx, simply peruse the weekly ads of competitors such as Vallarta, Vons, Save Mart and El Super to discover the best prices. Students must bring the ads into Food Maxx in order to receive price reductions. The cost savings multiply with every shopping trip.
The second most useful method for college students with limited budgets is to utilize rain-check policies. Rain-checks are vouchers for sale items that are out of stock. And by taking advantage of certain rain-check policies, students can extend an advertised sale price for several months.
The supermarket chain Vallarta issues rain-check vouchers that expire after two weeks. However, Save Mart offers rain-checks that display no distinct expiration date. Jim Wilhelm, manager of the Save Mart on Clinton and Blackstone clarified that if an excessive amount of time has passed a voucher can be rejected by store management.
Fortunately for bargain seekers, when a product is advertised with an exceptionally low price the odds increase that a grocery store will run out of that product. This forces supermarkets to issue vouchers for popular sale items. To take full advantage, be certain to request that cashiers write down the maximum quantity for an item allowable.
Since there are no obligations to obtain the maximum quantity listed, this provides greater purchasing flexibility for students. Return to supermarkets during the night shift to collect and extend discounted prices. And bring a companion to double a voucher count.
Without increasing costs, each technique broadens the quantity and quality of previously unaffordable goods. By taking advantage of these lesser-known methods of frugality, students will save countless hours and hundreds of dollars annually.