How Aldi's Unspoken Policy On Almost-Expired Food Can Save You Some Money

While the price of groceries seems to keep climbing, shopping at Aldi is an easy way to take a big bite out of the bottom line. The discount chain is the cheapest grocery store in the U.S., and opened hundreds of stores around the country in the past few years — a welcome occurrence for Americans looking for deals on everyday staples, gourmet items, and even product dupes that taste just like the real thing. If you're really looking to save money, however, don't just stop at the price tags. Even though the store has some of the lowest prices around, there's also a bit of an open secret for scoring even better deals at Aldi just by looking for items that are about to expire.

You won't find anything written about the expiration date policy on the Aldi company website or in the weekly sales flyer, but the store is known to shave a few dollars off of items that are within five days of the sell-by date printed on the package. While the size of the discount varies — and some stores and cashiers don't participate at all — an eagle-eyed shopper can get as much as 50% to 75% off the retail price of foods like bread, meat, and dairy products.

Getting a discount on expiring food at Aldi is easy, but there are a few things you need to know in order to cash in. First, check the calendar before you head to the store and make a mental note of the date in five days — anything that expires before that day is fair game. With this in mind, it's also good to know that Aldi usually restocks on Wednesdays, which is when last week's specials get marked down. It does take a little more effort to check each package — you can't just blindly toss things in the cart — but a few extra minutes to read the dates can really pay off.

Second, the discount doesn't apply to items that are already marked down. Aldi staff are pretty eagle-eyed about finding products on the shelves that are approaching their expiration dates and marking them with sale stickers, so don't expect a lower price on those items.

Finally, you have to explicitly ask a cashier for the discount when you are checking out — it isn't applied automatically. Whether or not you get a markdown — and how much you get — is up to the cashier, so also be mentally prepared for them to say no. For this reason, the expiring food discount might not be for shy shoppers. That said, a dollar off of a loaf of bread is definitely something worth speaking up for.