20 Money Saving Tips ShopRite Employees Won’t Tell You
Updated: Mar. 14, 2022From secret club savings to quadruple coupons to free nutritional advice from dietitians, here are the secrets ShopRite employees can't tell you but definitely wish you knew.
Don’t even think about shopping without joining the “Club”
Membership in ShopRite’s Price Plus Club gives you access to instant cash discounts on hundreds of items throughout the store, as well as exclusive offers, points on every purchase, and even a free Thanksgiving turkey, according to smart shopping expert Trae Bodge of TrueTrae.com. Plus, joining takes less than a minute online, and although the card gets mailed to you, you can start saving immediately just by entering your phone number at the checkout line, reveals Tom LaBell, a former ShopRite employee and current healthcare media influence manager at Marina Maher Communications.
Check for digital coupons and store them on your Club card
Once you’re a member of the Club, always check in at the ShopRite Digital Coupon Center before hitting the store so you don’t miss out on deals, advises Nate Masterson, Marketing Manager for Maple Holistics. And for your convenience, the coupons can be digitally stored on your Club card, adds Julie Harrington, RD, Culinary Nutrition Consultant at RDelicious Kitchen. Don’t miss these other frugal shopping tips to spend less money on groceries.
Check the circular for budget-challenging items
As with many grocery stores, you can learn what’s on sale each week at ShopRite via the paper sales circular, but those deals are also available online. Get in the habit of checking the site regularly for items that might be out of your budget normally, advises Harrington. She stocks up on expensive items—like wild-caught salmon—when they turn up in the circular. Check out these important grocery shopping secrets everyone should know.
Alternatively, try the Flipp app
If you’re not a fan of combing through sales circulars and individual digital coupons, consider downloading the Flipp app, advises Bodge. Flipp not only digitizes circulars from many stores, including ShopRite, but also has a shareable shopping list function that helps you save as well, she explains. Here are some other grocery-shopping apps that will revolutionize your shopping habits.
Always check the Wall of Values
If a non-refrigerated item you’re looking doesn’t happen to be in the sales circular or listed on Flipp, check your store’s “Wall of Values” before assuming it’s not on sale, advises Julie Ramhold, consumer analyst with DealNews. The Wall of Values is often somewhere in the front of the store, such as in or near the produce aisle.
Keep your eye out for items in odd places
Just because you don’t see a particular item you’re looking for in the aisle where you usually find it, don’t assume it’s not in stock, Ramhold advises. Keep your eye out for the item at the ends of aisles (known as “endcaps”) and in specialty aisles. One example: The pasta you’re looking for might be in the international aisle instead of with the other kinds of pasta.
Stack those coupons
Ramhold tells us that many ShopRite locations offer double coupons so that you can redeem one manufacturer’s coupon multiple times. And according to ShopRite’s coupon policy, you can redeem the same coupon up to four times per household! Just be sure not to fall for these supermarket tricks.
Save time, gas, and cash with Club-size offerings
ShopRite offers “Buy Bulk & Save” deals, such as eight pounds of chicken for $10—with no membership fee, thus eliminating the need for additional trips and memberships to Warehouse clubs. As with warehouse clubs, this works best when you’re planning to use what you buy right away or have enough freezer space to store the extra, says Masterson. In addition, be sure to consider the cost per unit before deciding to buy in bulk, points out Natasha Rachel Smith, shopping expert at TopCashback.com.
Don’t miss manager’s specials
Even when an item doesn’t make it to the weekly circular, it might be subject to a “Manager’s Special,” Ramhold tells Reader’s Digest. Keep room on your shopping list and flexibility in your meal plans to make use of these special savings, advises Materson.
Go generic
Ever wonder how the ShopRite store brand foods compare to the branded foods? Budge tells us they’re comparable in quality and a super way to save in all categories. Here are the healthiest foods you can find at the grocery store.
Do the Can-Can
This one’s maybe not such a secret because of the ubiquitous television ads, but ShopRite’s annual “Can Can Sale”—big savings on canned goods and other products—runs for a couple of weeks each year. This is a great time to expand your non-perishables, advises Ramhold. What you may not know is that ShopRite offers savings on canned foods “from applesauce to zucchini” every single week.
Go to happy hour
If your local store hosts a happy hour, shopping during that time not only allows you to try beer and wine, but you’ll also be able to save a few dollars off a six-pack, Ramhold tells us. Or, as Smith suggests, simply shop at the end of the day, which is when you’ll find major discounts on perishable, prepared meals, including sushi, sandwiches, salads, and bakery items. Don’t miss these 29 things your grocer won’t tell you.
Free samples
The deli will give you free samples and usually as many as you’d like, LaBelle recalls from his ShopRite days. “The bakery does bake new, fresh items every single morning, and the same applies here.”
Special requests at the butcher and seafood counter
If you need something special at the butcher and seafood counter, ask away. “They’ll help out with pretty much any request you have if it’s feasible,” LaBelle tells Reader’s Digest. He also recalls that they’ll even steam fresh lobsters for you if you tell them you’re wary of doing it on your own.
Overcharged = free
Always check your receipt before leaving the store, LaBelle advises: If you were overcharged for an item, you get it free. “Not all front-end managers will bring it up,” he points out, “but if you do, they’ll comply.” Here are the biggest pet peeves for every grocery store employee.
Check in with one of ShopRite’s Retail Dietitians
Another way to save at ShopRite is a bit more indirect, but it’s something you should know, several dietitians have told Reader’s Digest. Most ShopRites have an in-store RD on staff, says Harrington. You can schedule an appointment in advance to help you save time, money, and calories, according to David Mercado, an RD at the ShopRite in Newton, New Jersey. Here are some secrets for healthier grocery shopping.
Check for dietitian recommendations in store
“Some dietitians have coupons to try new products,” Mercado adds. Even if you don’t meet with a dietitian, you can still find dietitian labels on healthy products throughout the store. Catherine Sebastian, another ShopRite RD, suggests looking out for the “Dietitian’s Catch of the Week” in the seafood department and the “Dietitian’s Produce Pick of the Week.”
“The focus is new each week,” Sebastian says, “with in-season items featured to ensure freshness. We even display fun facts sheets, including nutritional information, how to pick, and a recipe for customers to try!”
Let them help you entertain
At the cheese counter, the employees are experts on texture and flavor and can customize a cheese board for you, according to Sebastian. “Add some Wholesome Pantry hummus, multigrain crackers, and fruit wedges to add more nutrition to your beautiful cheese board!”
Moving boxes
If you don’t think of ShopRite as a source for moving boxes—think again: “ShopRite always has them and will put them aside for you if you call,” LaBelle tells us.
Scan your receipts on IBotta
If you’re someone who hates planning out coupon strategies in advance, then you could benefit from a post-shopping savings app such as IBotta, notes Bodge. Download it to your smartphone and save on select purchases by linking your Shoprite Price Club card and scanning your receipts once you’re home.
