The Bottom Shelf Frugal

[Cypress]

I have read that buying items on the top or bottom shelf may lead to savings on cost of products. I went to my local Hannaford's for some toothpaste and was overwhelmed by the choices. There had to be 5 full shelves of product. But, on the very bottom was Pepsodent for $.99. What a surprise. An old well known brand that has all the key ingredients for toothpaste.

Is it true? Do other folks find lower prices but still good quality buying from the top or bottom shelves in grocery stores?

[sweetana3]

Yes, the bargain or simple brands do not pay as much for shelf space. The things they want kids to buy or to be sold on impulse are right in the middle at "grab" level. My favorite peppermints are usually on the bottom shelf as well as old fashioned oatmeal.

[early morning]

My groceries come almost exclusively from Aldi and Trader Joe's. I have not noticed this at all - the stuff on the bottom and top shelves don't seem to have "counterparts" on other shelves. They are products that aren't as in demand, but not necessarily more economical.

[iris lilies]

Yes, store brands are on the bottom shelf at my store.

example: I regularly buy no-name spaghetti sauce for $.99 - $1.05 a can, shelved on the bottom at my chain grocery store.

Yesterday I went to that same chain, but in the toney part of town. They did not even HAVE the no-name cans, everything was named varieties in jars and made by famous chefs. Doh. Along with the names come fats and sugars to make them "taste better."

[Jilly]

Not at any of the stores I shop.

[iris lilies]

Also, to find no name brand aspirin, shampoo, deodorant and etc you have to look at the lower shelves.Perhaps not necessarily at bottom, but not eye level, that's for sure.

[Jilly]

Maybe it is the place I live, but even generic and store brand items are placed right next to the brand name stuff. Green beans, antihistamines, moisturizer, yogurt, cereals, everything. I wonder why it is different here.

[Cypress]

I have a little shopping list for tonight and will pay attention to top and bottom shelves. I also bought a bath soap at the store and was initially overwhelmed by choice and stinky soap. Bottom shelf was a Naturally Glycerine Soap wrapped in simple celophane package for $1.49. Just soap :) Both products were made in USA too. I tend to shop at Hanaford Market.

As cat food, dry and moist, is on the list, this should be interesting. I think it's the overwhelming amount of literature on the package that confuses folks. Someday, I'll take a look into what is in cat food exactly. Marketing companies do a great job of steering consumers places and emptying wallets.

[rosarugosa]

Cypress: Smell is so subjective, but I've found that Ocean State Job Lot has really nice, large bars of USA made soap (Massachusetts actually) for $1.00. I especially like the Lemongrass, which I would describe as pleasantly fragrant (and you of course might despise). I'm a little bit crazy for luxurious soaps and I'm impressed by what a good value these are. I think Ocean State is a decent discount store with a surprising number of USA made items.

[nswef]

At our Food Lion and Weis the store brands are right next to the name brands. I wonder if that works better for the store brand and the profits of the grocery store? Rosa, I too love soap. I buy it and put it in drawers for awhile before I use it, getting the scent to have double use. My dentist told my husband about Pepsodent as he tends to gag with the other kinds of toothpaste.

[iris lily]

I have read that buying items on the top or bottom shelf may lead to savings on cost of products. I went to my local Hannaford's for some toothpaste and was overwhelmed by the choices. There had to be 5 full shelves of product. But, on the very bottom was Pepsodent for $.99. What a surprise. An old well known brand that has all the key ingredients for toothpaste.

Is it true? Do other folks find lower prices but still good quality buying from the top or bottom shelves in grocery stores?

Well, it is true that many store brands sit next to name brands on the shelf at my grocery store. If there are only 3 kinds of aspirin, for instance, the store brand sits next to the name brand.

I hate shopping for tooth paste, there is entirely too much of it. I just grab the first Colgate I see and get out of there.

Perhaps it's the case that when there are many many varieties of the same product (spaghetti & pizza and tomatoes sauces) that the famous brands are at eye level and the no-brands are not. In other words, if an entire section is full, its to their advantage to put the cheap stuff at the bottom.

[Cypress]

Some stores mix the items up on the shelves. I am going to write an article on this as I see how confusing it is to a consumer. I went to Stop & Shop last night and found the store very confusing. There was a bargain aisle two sides long with some bargains, but you still had to make sure to check the ounces in each box. A box of cereal may say $3 by the same manufacturer, but the ounces per box were all different. I am talking about Cascadian Farms Organic granola cereal. Each box was a different weight but same price. It took twice as long for me to shop wisely as there was no order, just brands jumbled next to brands. All kinds of prices. I ended up falling back on unit price to make a few choices.

And, this was the first time Stop & Shop had mixed service to customer. Usually, they are excellent no matter what day or night. But, I bring my own bags, had a cold carrier bag as it was a warm night. The clerk had no idea to put cold items in the cold carrier. I had to show him that Mascarpone cheese goes in there. I came home and found he did not put the gelato in the cold bag !!!! I guess he had no clue what it was???

[Cypress]

Years ago, I had a friend who worked in a plant that packaged frozen vegetables. Her job was to keep the machine filled with products packaging. The daily order required so many packages of Birds Eye and Local Market Brand. The vegetables did not change, only the packaging did. The same product goes in the different package.

I wonder if this is still true? Is a CVS, Mass Market Brand and generic aspirin all the same product inside the carton? Or, is a CVS brand a completely different formula of aspirin?

[awakenedsoul]

I do most of my shopping at Costco. It's different there. I have my regular things that I buy. There aren't as many choices, though. One brand of butter, a couple of brands of organic milk, one type of organic eggs, etc. With the coffee choices, I look at the unit price and buy the least expensive. They sell either spaghetti or a 6 pack of macaroni, imported from Italy. The price is excellent.

For produce, I usually grow it, or buy a box of in season produce from my local co op. Lately I have been scouring the ads for sales on produce. There are some good deals out there, but they're usually not organic.

[ToomuchStuff]

Several manufacturers do store brands as well as "name brands", but there are also some "generic brand" type companies that are different. We have a can food in some stores that tends to have a lot of salt in all their cans (most people avoided them, that I know). I haven't looked for that brand in a LONG time (they may not still be around, since they weren't well liked). What I found was several of the stores will mix their store brand in with the name brands, and put the generic's lower, but you do still need to check things as unit costs (sometimes generics are actually more expensive).
I don't know too many rules that are 100% though.

[Tiam]

If there are a lot of a product, (such as toothpaste, shampoo) I often notice the cheaper brands are on the bottom. I don't mind pepsodent. That unusual flavor is supposed to be "sassafras" flavor. Interesting. I think, as a general rule looking up or down can pay off. I do notice however, that in stores that carry Muir Glenn or Cento, or San Marzanos tomato products, which can all be expensive, they are often on a lower shelf. I think because they aren't as popular or well known. That depends entirely on the store though. If the store is trying to attract a certain, high end buyer, those products will be at eye level and prominently displayed.

[Simone]

. Bottom shelf was a Naturally Glycerine Soap wrapped in simple celophane package for $1.49. Just soap :) Both products were made in USA too. I tend to shop at Hanaford Market.


Delighted to imagine someone else stooping down to get that inexpensive, Naturally Glycerine Soap from the lowest shelf in a Hanaford soap aisle! I've been buying it for years now to use on my face - and most particularly, around my eyes - as it doesn't tighten my skin or sting. It's a really good, simple product.