![Tesco is upgrading its](/upload/news/2023/08/07/83452.jpg)
Tesco is making a huge change to yellow sticker bargains at hundreds of stores around the UK after a trial at a number of supermarkets proved successful.
The supermarket made new signage to highlight its discounted products and help shoppers find them more easily while cutting down on waste at the same time. The signage - which reads "reduced in price, just as nice" - is now up in just under 300 stores and there are plans to expand it to even more shops.
The marked-down areas feature a wide range of products from fresh produce such as salads, meat, bread and sweet treats which are close to their expiry date. There are also end-of-season, discontinued and non-food products.
Tesco Group Quality, Technical and Sustainability Director Claire Lorains said: "At Tesco we have no time for food waste and we do everything we can to reduce it. Our customers are always on the lookout for great value food, and our rebranded ‘reduced in price, just as nice’ signage makes it easier than ever to spot a short-dated and top-quality bargain."
The initial move last October was made after a survey revealed that shoppers would pick up more yellow sticker food items if the marked-down area where they are placed would look nicer. Tesco's Hatfield Extra store in Hertfordshire was the first to feature the revamp last October. Hatfield store manager Michelle Mulholland said: "The new signage has had an immediate effect and we are seeing more people wishing to buy from our reductions area, particularly on fresh food, meaning there are far fewer items left at the end of an evening."
A YouGov survey, commissioned by Tesco last year, found that 69% of customers were actively hunting for discounted items and 33% are doing it more often. Tesco chief customer officer Alessandra Bellini said: "We want customers to spend less at Tesco, and our ‘reduced in price’ sections in stores now offer the reassurance that these products are just as nice and are another reminder there's great value to be found on every aisle at Tesco."
Over the weekend, a mum came under fire after she admitted she cleared the reduced meat shelf, whilst all of the other bargain hunter shoppers were waiting in the wrong section for the reduced meat. Being called selfish, she shared how she has stocked her freezer up for a month for less than seven pounds.
Asking on Mumsnet if she was being unreasonable, she wrote: "So last night around 6pm I went to the supermarket and specifically went for the 90% off bargains. I went to the main reduced fridge after waiting for 15 minutes for them to reduce and I got two packs of roast potatoes for 33p each, three packs of BBQ chicken legs for 46p each and pork kebabs for 44p each.
"Then normally 15 minutes later they bring down the reduced meat that day, there were about five people waiting around and I saw the butcher fill his green tub up with the meat and leave it on the counter so I walked up - everyone was just waiting by the reduced fridge and didn't see what he had done.
"I walked up and got two steaks for 59p each, a beef joint for £1.03, a pork joint for 43p, two chickens for 38p each and four packs of burgers that were 26p each. Would you have done the same or left some for someone else? My freezer is now full for the month and that came to well under £7."
But other Mumsnetters have been quick to point out she was being unreasonable and many have gone as far as to call her selfish for it. One user wrote: "Yeah - that was pretty selfish. I would definitely have left some for five other people," with another who added "that was really greedy. You took over a dozen meat items when there were others also waiting. If it were me, I would have taken one of each type of meat and been very happy."