With prices rising for just about everything these days, I am all about saving money wherever I can. And one big thing I’ve been trying to do in our house is cut back on the grocery bill for my family of four. Thankfully, there are a few discount grocery stores near me — like my beloved Aldi — that help me keep my wallet in check each week.
While discount grocery stores are nothing new, their popularity is on the rise. Why? Because you can save a pretty penny buying their generic store brands.
Another way to be thrifty with your family’s food budget is to shop at salvage (also known as bent-and-dent) grocery stores. Keep reading to find out how discount grocery stores work, along with a list of discount grocery stores and independently-owned discount and salvage grocery chains.
And, of course, download the Krazy Coupon Lady app to see more daily deals and savings opportunities. Or text HACKS to 57299.
Here’s the lowdown on salvage vs. discount grocery stores.
A “salvage” grocery store is a store that salvages produce and packaged foods that would otherwise go to waste. Think of things like leftover Halloween candy, a surplus of Little Debbie Christmas Tree cakes after the holidays, or dented cans of corn from a damaged pallet. At a discount grocery store, you may also find products with an old label design after a rebranding or items that are near or past a manufacturer’s “best by” date.
Discount grocery stores sell off-brand products. The groceries you’ll find at salvage stores are typically name-brand items purchased by third-party distributors. They are then resold to those bent-and-dent outlets.
Is food from a salvage grocery store or liquidation grocery store safe?
Yes, the food items sold at salvage grocery stores are safe to eat! According to the Food & Drug Administration, the only product that requires a “use-by” date is infant formula. So all the best-by, freeze-by, and sell-by dates that you see marked on packages of bread and packages of meat are actually freshness recommendations by the manufacturer.
You can also slash your grocery bill by shopping at stores offering “ugly” produce for cheap.
If you don’t mind crooked cucumbers or not-so-round apples, then check into grocery delivery services partnering directly with growers to save misshapen produce. These are products that don’t otherwise meet a visual buying standard. In addition to selling “ugly” fruits and vegetables, both Misfits Market and Imperfect Foods offer pantry staples, dairy, and meat items to customers.
Related: Check out these quirky ideas for saving money on online grocery shopping.
These discount grocery stores operate in multiple states.
While a lot of the discount grocery stores are local chains, we found a few that operate in more than one state.
Grocery Outlet: Stores in California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Nevada, and Pennsylvania
Make the most of large discount grocery stores with these money-saving tips.
Don’t head into discount grocery stores or grocery liquidation stores blind. Use these simple suggestions to maximize your savings and grocery haul.
1. Shop Aldi’s Weekly Ad and save big.
Aldi is a German supermarket chain that has no problem keeping it simple. This is paying off with shoppers, as it’s the fastest-growing supermarket chain in the U.S. Aldi stores are generally small and they strip away the towering shelves and fancy signage that define the national brands we all know.
Set Aldi as a favorite in the KCL app and look for Aldi deals each week (find an Aldi near you) and check out the Aldi Finds or Aldi Savers sections. I found a six-count bag of L’oven Plain Fresh bagels (reg. $1.45) for $1.19.
Great Value’s six-count pre-sliced plain bagels go for $1.50 — that’s $0.31 in savings! You’ll find tons of marked-down products like this if you shop their weekly ads and save big.
Related: Ways to Spend Even Less at Aldi
2. Buy exotic wines from Lidl for bargain prices.
If you fancy yourself a sommelier, you’re in luck: Lidl, an east-coast-based chain of discount grocery stores, offers around 80 wines in store at any given time, and Lidl’s wine selection has won over 200 industry awards.
They have a wide variety of wines, like reds imported from both Spain and California, at a great price point. For instance, I found this 1790 Cabernet Sauvignon Paso Robles for just $8.99, which, according to Vivino, normally goes for around $13.99 — about $5 in savings.
3. Clip Smart & Final coupons and shop their weekly circular.
To shop Smart & Final and get the best deals, check out Smart & Final weekly ads and clip Smart & Final coupons online (or print them out for in-store shopping). You can find great deals at a Smart & Final near you, like saving $1.50 on any four Smart Ones products or saving $1 on Welch’s Fruit Snacks.
4. Check out Market Basket for deals on grocery items and produce.
Market Basket, a small grocery chain based in southern Texas and Louisiana, will inspire you to take a southern road trip just for the savings.
For the best deals, check out Market Basket’s Weekly Flyer, where you’ll find groceries, produce, and other products with crazy price cuts. In the June 2 - 8, 2024 ad, Market Basket had a deal selling a 16-ounce Chick-fil-A sauce for two for $7 ($0.22/ounce) and 1 gal Crystal Geyser Spring Water for $0.99.
On Walmart.com, a 16-ounce Chick-fil-A sauce goes for $3.98 ($0.25/ounce) and a 1 gal Crystal Geyser Spring Water runs at $1.38 per bottle — that’s $0.79 in savings if you took up Market Basket’s deals.
5. Look for green price tags at WinCo Foods for sales, and apply store coupons for steeper savings.
You’ll find WinCo Foods scattered up and down the West Coast and peppered throughout the Midwest and parts of Texas.
Unfortunately, you can’t shop online right now. So, you’ll have to settle for in-store shopping.
When perusing the aisles, though, you’ll want to look out for green label tags, as these mark their sales items.
For a bigger discount, you can also apply one coupon per item — including sales items — be it a WinCo coupon or a manufacturer coupon.
Related: WinCo Shopping Strategies That’ll Save You Hundreds
6. Check Grocery Outlet’s Facebook page for great deals.
You can’t see what Grocery Outlet carries online since they don’t offer online shopping right now, but I found this insane deal on Sour Patch kids the other day on Grocery Outlet’s Facebook page where you could buy three five-ounce bags of Sour Patch kids for just $1. (That’s $0.06 an ounce!)
Compare this to Amazon where you’ll find same-size Sour Patch kids bags for $0.20/ounce.
Also worth noting is Grocery Outlet’s legendary wine deals. Again, you’ll have to pay attention to their social media posts, as this journalist for Oregon Live discovered. He found bottles from well-known wine producers discounted by as much as 70%!
8. Find great deals on snack foods at Family Dollar.
Family Dollar is owned by Dollar Tree, and they offer products at a similar price range. Like many stores, you can peruse Family Dollar’s Weekly Ads for sweet deals on a broad range of products, from back-to-school essentials to snack foods for your kids’ lunches and more.
Family Dollar also has a $1 WOW section on their Weekly Ads where you’ll find select items for $1 or less in store, like Mike & Ike chewy candies, Wise brand Honey BBQ chips, bags of Top Ramen, and more. Check the ads regularly to get the best deals on these pantry staples.
Here’s a list of salvage and discount grocery stores in every state.
It’s always smart to contact the store ahead of time yourself to make sure they are still open.
Alabama
BBS Salvage Grocery, 436 Gault Ave N, Fort Payne
C&M Discount Grocery, 301 West Maple Ave, Geneva
L&C Discount Food, 1493 Highway 75 Main Street, Fyffe
Ohatchee Discount Supermarket, 7832 AL-77, Ohatchee
Penny Pincher Discount Grocery, 607 Davidson Avenue, Muscle Shoals
Town & Country Discount Foods, 216 E 9th St, Mountain Home
Warehouse Discount Groceries of Cullman, 5754 AL-157, Cullman (with additional locations in Arab, Hanceville, and TownSquare)
Wow Discount Grocery, 416 West Grand Ave, Rainbow City
Alaska
Sav-U-More, 43531 Kalifornsky Beach Road, Soldotna (with another location in Homer)
Arizona
American Discount Foods, 1360 West Southern Ave, Mesa
Green Trees Grocery Outlet, 495 East 10th St, Yuma, and 9117 South Frontage Rd, Yuma
Peoria Discount Grocery, 8150 West Peoria Ave, Peoria
Arkansas
Cabot Discount Grocery, 1610 South Second Street, Cabot
Edward’s Cash Saver, 3801 Camp Robinson Road, North Little Rock (with additional locations in Little Rock, Jacksonville, Forrest City, and Beebe)
Harrison’s Bent & Dent Grocery, 3864 Highway 7 S, Harrison
Ma & Pa’s Bent ‘N Dent Discount Groceries, 15045 Highway 412, Huntsville
Midway Discount, 21779 AR-27, Dardanelle
California
Better Buy Discount Groceries, 2950 Myers Street, Oroville
C&C Discount Grocery, 5829 Feather River Blvd, Olivehurst
Cost Less Food Company, 555 South Highway 49, Jackson (with additional locations in Oakdale, Modesto, Ceres, Turlock, Hanford, and Corcoran)
Discount Groceries, 410 Coffee Road, Modesto
Hayfork Discount Groceries, Highway 3 & Forest Ave., Hayfork
Overstock Foods, 55 West Tehachapi Boulevard, Tehachapi
Smart & Final, multiple locations throughout the state
Colorado
Esh’s Grocery, 375 West 71st Street, Loveland (with another location in Dacono)
My BargainMart, 2841 East Fountain Road, Colorado Springs
Sunshine Salvage Amish Discount Grocery, 10978 South County Road 5 East, Monte Vista
Connecticut
The Outlet, 220 Albany Avenue, Canton (with another location in Southington)
Delaware
Byler’s Grocery Outlet, 1368 Rose Valley School Road, Dover (with another location in Harrington)
Super G Discount Food & Drug, 4301 Concord Pike, Wilmington (with another location in Bear, and more to come)
Florida
Discount Groceries & More, 2185 A1A South, Saint Augustine
Fresh 4 Less, 3813 North Monroe Street, Tallahassee
Lakeland Discount Grocery, 1305 N Combee Road, Lakeland
Sacks Grocery Outlets, 6013 Edgewater Drive, Orlando
SaveSmart Discount Grocery, 8640 S Florida Ave, Floral City
Smart Shopper Discount Grocery, 4950 East Busch Blvd., Tampa
Sunflower Market Discount Grocery, 1001 Palm Ave, North Fort Myers (with another location in Englewood)
Tarpon Springs Discount Grocery, 780 South Pinellas Ave
Tin Can Pam’s, 14444 7th St, Dade City
Georgia
129 Salvage, 2208 Cleveland Highway, Gainesville
Cherokee Closeouts, 2200 Marietta Highway, Canton (with another location in Jasper)
Discount Salvage, 327 Carrollton St., Temple
Double J Discount, 2544 Morgan Road, Breman
Ebenezer Discount Grocery, 309 Main Street, Suite B, Garden City
Hunter’s Salvage Grocery, 12566 North Main Street, Trenton
Quality Foods, with 8 locations across Georgia and South Carolina
Hawaii
Cost.U.Less, 715 Kinoole Street, Hilo
Idaho
Big Deal Outlet, 400 South Woodruff Ave, Idaho Falls (with additional locations in Layton, and Chubbuck)
Miller’s Country Store, 1326 Baldy Mountain Road, Sandpoint
Illinois
Country Salvage Store, 435 East County Road 200 N, Arcola
Little Giant Grocery Outlet, 1347 Illinois Highway 1, Carmi
Prairie State Discount Foods, 8379 East IL-250, Sumner
Shop & Save Markets, 510 Metropolitan Way in Des Plaines (with additional locations in Chicago, Bridgeview, and Downers Grove
Indiana
Bargains Discount Grocery & Closeouts, 128 7th Street, Cannelton
Center Square Discount Grocery, 10390 North State Road 56, Vevay
Raber’s Discount Groceries, 11365 North State Road 9-57, Wolcottville (with additional locations in Macy and Mentone)
Iowa
Surplus Grocery, 316 West 5th Street, Suite B, Waterloo
Kansas
Bargain Barn, 104 West Wilson Street, Thayer
Meridian Grocery, 101 South Meridian Road, Newton
Mister Thriftys Discount Grocery & Surplus, 605 SW 6th Avenue, Topeka
Payless Discount Foods, 2101 E Santa Fe Street, Olathe
Kentucky
Bi-Rite Grocery, 607 South Dixie Highway, Cave City
Casey County Discount Marketplace, 1190 Kentucky Route 910, Liberty
D&D Grocery, 4437 South Dixie Highway, Glendale
Half Priced Bargains, 3028 Kentucky Route 144, Owensboro
Louisiana
B&D Salvage Groceries, 600 1st Street, Kentwood
Big Box Bargains Salvage Superstore, 312 Cumberland Street, Bogalusa
Maine
Caswell’s Discount Wholesale, 68 Armory Road, Waterville
Edmund’s Market, 1185 Rangeley Rd, Phillips
Holiday Bargain Outlet, 808 Main Street, Lewiston
Jerry’s Food Store, 63 Houlton Street, Island Falls
Lyons Market IGA, 82 Washington Street, Lubec
Marden’s Surplus & Salvage, 28 Main Street, Lincoln (with multiple additional locations throughout the state)
Paradis Shop ‘n Save Supermarkets, 58 Main Street, Madawaska (with additional locations in Fort Kent and Brewer)
Tweedie IGA Supermarket, 7 Market Street, Mars Hill (with additional locations in Hillside and Star City)
Maryland
Chesapeake Traders Food Warehouse, 121A Industry Lane, Suite 7, Forest Hill
Stop N Save Foods, 4137 Route 135, Oakland
This N That Grocery, 12742 Garrett Highway Suite H, Oakland
Massachusetts
Daily Table, 684 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge (with additional locations in Dorchester and Roxbury)
Deals & Steals, 76 Pleasant Street, Suite A, Northampton
Michigan
Bear Lake Market, 11740 Chippewa Highway, Bear Lake
Chuck’s Shop And Save, 2545 S Gladwin Road, Prudenville (with another location in Harrison)
Country Corner Market, 2020 North Mission Road, Mt. Pleasant
Country View Bulk Foods, 177 N. Germania Road, Snover
Daily Deals Food Outlet, 4965 Lake Michigan Drive, Allendale (with additional locations in Comstock Park, Muskegon, Wyoming, and Greenville)
Discount Foods of Bronson, 867 West Chicago Street, Bronson
Freddie’s Family Market, 11556 Route 33, Atlanta
The Grocery Outlet Store, 2410 Chicago Drive, Hudsonville
Whispering Pines Country Store, 8153 Skeels Road, Fremont
Minnesota
Gopher Bargain Center, 229 Lincoln Avenue NE, St. Cloud
Mike’s Discount Foods, 905 45th Ave NE, Minneapolis (with additional locations throughout the state)
Nick And Drew’s Discount Foods, 30660 Lincoln Road, Lindstrom
Ron’s Warehouse, 1408 3rd Avenue East, Alexandria
Today’s Harvest (two locations in Oakdale)
Mississippi
Banana Box Grocery, 3562 Route 371, Mantachie
Cheap Charley’s Discount & Salvage Grocery, 11200 Highway 613, Moss Point
E&B Discount Grocery, 5395 Old Highway 42, Hattiesburg
Wise Buys Discount Grocery, 509 Pearl Street, Columbia
Missouri
Cassville Discount Grocery, West 10th Street, Cassville
Dents Make Cents, 1229 Old Cape Road, Jackson
Shelter’s Discount Grocery, 200 Industrial Park Road, Cabool (with additional locations in Mountain Grove and Seymour)
Stevens Discount Grocery, 14026 Amethyst Road, Conway
Surplus Grocery Warehouse 2, 11718 Old Highway 40, Odessa (with another location in Springfield)
Taney County Surplus Freight & Grocery Outlet, 184 Industrial Park Drive, Hollister
Woods Supermarkets, multiple locations throughout the state
Montana
Bozeman Food Co-op, 900 West Main, Bozeman (with another location downtown)
Grocery Surplus Store, 5468 Route 200, Thompson Falls
Mr. Thrifty Foods, 201 North 14th Street, Billings (with another location at 1140 South 29th St W)
Van’s Thriftway Food Store, 306 Euclid Avenue, Helena
Nebraska
Food Cupboard Discount Grocery, 2211 North Webb Road, Grand Island (with another location in Hastings)
Nevada
Smart & Final, multiple locations throughout the state
Super Save Discount Food Store, with two locations in Las Vegas
New Hampshire
Mr. G’s Liquidation Center, 371 West Street, Keene (with additional locations in Tilton and North Walpole)
New Jersey
Extra Supermarket, 838 East Grand Street, Elizabeth (with additional locations in Newark and Jersey City)
Food Depot Supermarket, 32 Kearny Avenue, Kearny (with another location in Newark)
Great Valu Market, 53 Main Street, New Egypt
New Mexico
Quality Sales, 612 East 2nd Street, Portales
Super Save Discount Food Store, 1265 South 2nd Street, Raton (with another location in Taos)
New York
Bargain Grocery, 1110 Lincoln Ave., Utica
Discount Groceries & More, 11 South Main Street, Lyndonville
Second Chance Foods, 116 Federal Hill Rd, Brewster
North Carolina
B&B Variety and Discount Grocery, 215 West Pennsylvania Avenue, Bessemer City
Banana Box Discount Grocery, 1901 Northwest Boulevard, Newton
Bargain Max, 246 North New Hope Road, Gastonia
Hopey & Company, 800 Fairview Road, Asheville (with another location in Black Mountain)
J’s Salvage Discount Grocery. 671 Oak Street, Forest City
Midway Discount Grocery, 11004 Highway 52 N, Ansonville
Stretch-A-Buck, 1512 Westover Drive, Sanford
North Dakota
Cash Wise, multiple locations throughout North Dakota and Minnesota
D & K Grocery, 182 W. Stutsman St., Pembina
Ohio
Downtown Discount Grocery, 55 North Main Street, Lakeview
Miller’s Furniture, Bakery and Bulk Foods, 960 Wheat Ridge Road, West Union
Mr. Mac’s Discount Grocery Outlet, 409 North Main Street, New Carlisle
Scratch and Dent Food Outlet, 525 East 2nd Street, Salem
Sommers Discount Market, 214 Market Ave NE, Hartville
SouthSide Discount Groceries, 15740 Newcomb Road, Middlefield (with another location in Orwell)
Stites Discount Grocery, 8100 Harding Highway, Lima
StoreHouse Bent-N-Dent Discount Grocery, 16531 Route 3, Loudonville
Sue Z Salvage Discount Groceries, 2710 Bennett Road, Madison (with another location in Mentor-on-the-Lake)
Two Brothers Market, 129 West Main Street, Montpelier
Oklahoma
4T’s Family Market, 801 East Jack Choate Avenue, Hennessey
Cash Saver Cost Plus Food Outlet, 11333 East 31st Street, Tulsa
Cheapo Depot, 9206 East Admiral Place, Tulsa (with another location in Grove)
Crest Discount Foods, with several locations throughout Oklahoma
Discount Foods, 1311 SW Lee Boulevard, Lawton
In and Out Discount Groceries, 4089 NW 3rd Street, Oklahoma City
Troyer’s Discount Grocery, the intersection of Highways 31 and 48 in Clarita
Oregon
Grocery Bandit, 1220 NW Gardner Road, Prineville
Grocery Deals, 295 North 3rd Street, Harrisburg
Grocery Depot, 1775 South Main Street, Lebanon
Real Deal Grocery, 803 West Main Street, Molalla
Pennsylvania
BB’s Grocery Outlet, 150 Morview Blvd., Morgantown (with additional locations in Newburg, Oxford, Quarryville, and Schaefferstown)
Creekside Discount Grocery, 1584 North Rome Road, Ulster
D&K Surplus Grocery, 757 Delta Road, Red Lion
Deemer’s Discount Grocery, 395 Coal Street, Wilkes-Barre
Ebenezer Groceries, 465 N Reading Rd, Ephrata
Little Barn Discount Groceries, 6200 Lincoln Hwy, Bedford
Miller’s Country Store and Bulk Foods, 19177 State Highway 285, Cochranton
Sharp Shopper Grocery Outlet, 4305 East Main Street, Belleville (with additional locations in Butler, Ephrata, Knox, Leola and Middletown)
State Line Discount Grocery, 436 Bedford Valley Road, Bedford
Green Hills Farm Discount Grocer, 615 E Newport Rd, Lititz
Valley Discount Grocery, 1033 Centerville Road, Bedford
Verna’s Discount Groceries & Deli, 560 Washington St., Meadville
Rhode Island
A Little Bit of Everything, 340 Cottage Street, Pawtucket,
South Carolina
Bargain Food Store, 349 Highway 8 East, Pelzer
Deals Galore, 28 Beaverdam Road, Williamston
S&A Discount Grocery, 3 Blackstock Road, Inman
Quality Foods, with 8 locations across South Carolina and Georgia
L&L Discount Foods, 111 Market Street, Cheraw
Wise Buys Discount Groceries, 369B Whitney Road, Spartanburg
South Dakota
Fair Market, 4510 East 10th Street, Sioux Falls
S&E Grocery Outlet, 40380 207th Street, Huron
Tennessee
Bargain Barn, 296 Route 25E Scenic, Newport (with additional locations in Etowah and Sevierville)
Black Sheep Market Discount Grocery, 4704 North Roan Street Suite 3, Johnson City
Half Priced Bargains, 2506 South Roan Street, Johnson City (with another location in Millington)
Lewis County Bent & Dent Discount Grocery, 115 Foodbank Road, Hohenwald
Lighthouse Grocery Outlet, 1200 South Jackson Street, Tullahoma
McCoy Salvage Grocery, 2969 North John B. Dennis Highway, Kingsport
The Savvy Shopper, 2461 Memorial Boulevard, Kingsport
Warehouse Discount Groceries, 835 Smithville Highway, McMinnville
Yoder’s Bent & Dent Salvage Grocery, 126 Yoders Land, Summertown
Texas
AAA Freight Salvage Groceries, 1111 South Presa Street, San Antonio
Bargain Mart Discount Foods, 403 Runnels Street, Big Spring
Elrod’s Cost Plus, 524 NW 25th Street, Fort Worth (with additional locations in Dallas and Arlington)
Family Discount Foods, 8805 Homestead Road, Houston
Grocery Clearance Center, 3107 Cockrell Hill Road, Dallas
H-E-B (various locations throughout the state)
Joe V’s Smart Shop, with several locations throughout Texas
The Sasquatch’s Trading Post, 701 West Upshur Avenue, Gladewater
Town Talk Foods, 2320 South Collins Street, Arlington (with additional locations in Fort Worth and Weatherton)
Utah
Big Deal Outlet, 50 East 400 North, Logan (with an additional location in Ogden)
Nickey’s Wholesale Food Warehouse, 655 S 1030 W, South Salt Lake
NPS Store Grocery, 1600 Empire Road, Salt Lake City (groceries also available at the Orem location)
Vermont
Brattleboro Food Coop, 2 Main Street, Brattleboro
K&J Discount Center, 160 Benmont Ave, Bennnington
Mr. G’s Liquidation Center, 371 Route 5 South, Windsor
Vermont Discount Store, 88 Cleveland Avenue, Rutland (with additional locations in Williston and Vergennes)
Virginia
Fresh 2 Frozen, 7803 Midlothian Turnpike, North Chester
Herschberger’s Country Market, 73 Coulson Church Road, Woodlawn
N&W Salvage, 319 West Williamsburg Road, Sandston
Sharp Shopper Grocery Outlet, 2475-A South Main Street, Harrisonburg (with additional locations in Waynesboro and Winchester)
Simon’s Discount Grocery, 138 Banner Street, Clinchco
Washington
JJ Berry Country Store, 2141 Jackson Highway, Chehalis
West Virginia
Route 28 Discount Grocery, 3165 Frankfort Highway, Ridgeley
Weaver’s Market, 222 Veterans Lane, Petersburg
West Madison Grocery, 302 Riverside Drive West, Madison
Wisconsin
12 Baskets Discount Groceries, 185 West Irving Place, Platteville
2nd Chance Goods, 753 North Main Street, Oshkosh
B&B Bent & Dent Groceries, 227 Route 51, Arlington
Countryside Bent & Dent, 363 Atkinson Road, Albany
Denny’s SuperValu Foods, 510 5th St. Algoma
Jones Outlet Discount Grocery Warehouse, 2141 South 55th Street, West Allis
Wyoming
Down Home Discount, 2621 Big Horn Avenue, Cody (with another location in Powell)
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