What time of day do Aldi, Lidl, Tesco and more reduce food?

It could be anything from a stack of yoghurts, a selection of sushi or a pack of meat, with many shoppers often having to queue next to food aisles when hoping to find the deal of the day.

For those wondering what the best time of the day is to head to a supermarket as they dish out the reduced products, consumer champion Which? has revealed all.

What time of day do supermarkets reduce prices?

You will usually find a section in larger supermarkets, and some convenience stores with products stamped with yellow ‘reduced’ stickers.

These tend to be products that are nearing their best before or use-by date.

Aldi

The supermarket told Which? that the times when items are reduced varies by store but are likely to be around the time the store closes.

Aldi marks down fresh products with a red sticker like bread, meat, fruit and vegetables by either 30% or 75% on their last day of shelf life before stores close.

It also gives a 30% discount on ambient groceries such as cereal, pasta and tinned food if it deems the packaging imperfect.

M&S

Similar to Aldi, M&S also said the times when their items are reduced depends on each store but it’s likely to be near to when the store shuts.

It's Coeliac Awareness Week, and here at M&S we have a wide range of gluten-free products across the Foodhall that are packed with flavour so you don't have to miss out on the foods you love. 🙌 Find our full Made Without Wheat range in the Foodhall now! 🥐 🍞 🍰 pic.twitter.com/M2B6PH8Q3o

— M&S (@marksandspencer) May 15, 2023

Asda

This supermarket’s yellow stickers are usually applied to items twice a day – once in the morning and once in the evening.

Lidl

Lidl also works in a similar way to Asda when it comes to applying ‘yellow stickers’. It told Which? that employees usually make reductions first thing in the morning and then a few hours before the stores close but can opt to do so throughout the day.

Morrisons, Sainsbury's, Tesco and Waitrose

All three of these supermarkets told Which? that there aren't specific times when their in-store employees apply 'yellow sticker’ price cuts. 

Morrisons said there wasn't a specific time when 'yellow sticker' labels were applied to food items (Image: Ian West/PA)

Aldi named UK's cheapest supermarket in April

Aldi was named the UK’s cheapest supermarket in April according to new analysis by Which?

Research by the consumer champion found shoppers could save £17 on a basket of items from Aldi compared to the most expensive store.

The monthly analysis involves comparing the prices of a shop that this time consisted of 39 popular groceries at eight of the UK’s biggest supermarkets.

The cheapest supermarket this month was Aldi, where a basket of goods cost £69.99 on average across the month.

Lidl placed behind Aldi with a difference of 65p (£70.64), widening the gap from last month which was just a 25p difference.

The same shop at Waitrose was £87.33 on average, a difference of £17.34 – or 24.7% more.