Quote:
Originally Posted by oodlesofnoodles
Thank you all for your responses. I was actually figuring much of it must come from the same source. And Kaplods, thanks for the tip! How did you find out about the discounts at the nice butcher shops? Do I just call and ask? We have a few around here since I'm near the sticks, but I always figured it would be way too expensive.
Mostly I've found discounts just chance (I used to ask, but I've noticed that retailers have become less open about their mark-down schedules). Usually mark-downs tend to be on a weekly schedule, and you just figure it out by visiting on random days. If you find a mark-down, chances are that's their markdown day (or the day before). Just make a note in your calendar and try again around that day. For example, one shop in town, markdowns early on Tuesday mornings. Word has gotten out, and if you get there after 11:00 am, you won't find anything.
A couple of the gourmet shops, put all their markdowns in a specific freezer case. That's handy because you just go to the discount bin (generally I've found it's at the back of the store).
And the bacon ends and other irregular cuts I mentioned, aren't always a mark-down per se. In some stores they're a regular item, they're just cheaper because they're not perfect. The bacon ends and the irregular pork chops for example are always available in our local shop, but are half the price of the perfect cuts. They taste just as good, and they're just as fresh, they're just less perfectly cut.