How to Do All of Your Grocery Shopping at Grocery Outlet

Sometimes I wonder why people bother shopping anywhere else. Here in the west coast, we typically have a few choices to choose from when it comes to Grocer Shopping. We can go with the ubber expensive options – Railey’s, Ray’s, Nob Hill, Safeway – or we can go with the cheaper options – Winco, Costco, Walmart. And then, there are those outliers like Trader Joe’s, or even the farther outlier – Grocery Outlet.

Of all of these, I’ve found Grocery outlet by far to be the cheapest. In fact, I’m often surprised by just how cheap Grocery Outlet can be. I can often get my week’s groceries for less than half of what I would spend for a similar amount at a store like Safeway. And I can get just about anything I want, at any quality level, and spend that much less.

The thing is, it’s not always super easy to do. Shopping at Grocery Outlet requires a special kind of mindset. For this reason, many write it off as a once-a-month stop at best. They say it’s somewhere you can supplement your grocery shopping at. But not somewhere for serious grocery shopping.

I say, why not do all your shopping at Grocery Outlet. It’s affordable. It’s fun. And you eat better than you would for less at any other store.

Intrigued? Let’s get into it.

How Does Grocery Outlet Sell Stuff for So Cheap?

Typically, Grocery outlet can sell things cheap because they are buying overstocked products. This is stuff that other stores have in surplus. Special edition brand-name items, for example, can very well end up on your local Grocery Outlet shelves. Many grocery outlets will buy food that is near or passed expiration date and resell it. Luckily, my local Grocery Outlet hasn’t been doing that for years – in fact most of the food I buy seems to have much longer than ordinary shelf life.

However, as each Grocery Outlet is locally owned and operated, this might vary depending on where you are. Regardless, it’s still a good idea to check expiration dates when purchasing foods (as is the case at any grocery store).

Can You Get Everything You Need at Grocery Outlet?

A common complaint I have about Grocery Outlet is that it doesn’t have everything you need. You’ll have to top your shopping off at another store, and use Grocery Outlet for only a few bargains.

While this can be true depending on your situation, I find that I am able to do all of my shopping at Grocery Outlet (and save a boat load of money in the process).

But that’s also because I’m willing to be flexible about what it is that I need. In regards to basics, Grocery Outlet will always have those – your milk, eggs, butter etc. What Grocery Outlet is not gauranteed to have, however, is that specific brand of something that you love. If it’s a hard pass on any other option besides that one brand, and Grocery Outlet doesn’t have it, then yeah – you’ll have to go elsewhere. But if you are open to trying something out of similar quality, you might be surprised.

For example, there’s this specific type of bread I would always get from Safeway because Safeway was the closest store to sell it. It was super healthy and tasted good. Grocery Outlet doesn’t carry that bread, but it did carry another bread that had a similar appeal. Turns out, it tasted better and even lasted longer than the bread I was getting form Safeway. Because I was adventurous, I discovered this hidden gem, and now add it to my weekly shopping list.

This brings us to our next point.

Shopping at Grocery Outlet is like Treasure Hunting

Again, the crux of the matter is you have to get to know your local Grocery Outlet, not go there expecting it to be like all the other big box stores. Each store will have a different selection, so you’ll need to get to know the types of things your local Grocery Outlet is likely to carry, and which of those things you like, and which you don’t.

You have to approach your shopping trips to Grocery Outlet like a treasure hunt. The better you get at it, the better stuff you can get for cheaper. But there’s a lot of learning new products and experimenting invovled in figuring out which of their stuff you like and which you don’t. Some people aren’t looking for that. Some people are just looking to get the same thing every week.

If you’re one of those, Grocery Outlet probably isn’t for you. You’re better off shopping at Trader Joe’s where the menu rarely changes.

Sometimes You can Find Incredible Steals

While the majority of what you find at Grocery Outlet will be pretty middle of the road stuff, I’ve found some incredible buys at Grocery Outlet. Among these include: Siggi’s Yogurt for a fraction of the cost of Whole Foods, Daelman’s Stroopwafel, Icelandic Coffee, brand name wines from Napa, Columbus Craft Meats, Harris Ranch Burgers and the list goes on.

These finds, while rarer, make shopping at Grocery Outlet something fun and differentiates it from other grocery shopping experiences – you never know what you might find!