Three Things Your Grocery Store Cashier Won't Tell You

While waiting to finally get offered my wonderful 31,000/year career job, I had the opportunity to work in a grocery store for several months. Yep, I was a cashier, and scannin and baggin was what I did for hours per day. It was fun...on some occasions. But the point of this article isn't about the fun I had while saying, "Would you like paper or plastic?" It's about grocery stores secrets. And below, you'll learn three things your grocery store cashier won't tell you.

24-hour grocery stores have discounts late at night.

Have you ever seen the cooked rotisserie chickens or cornish hens that are often sold under the hoods at your local grocery store? In the daytime, those tasty hens can cost you anywhere from 5 to 7 dollars. That can make a nice dent in a grocery bill. After all, you can buy about five pounds of grapes on sale for that price. But often, after a certain hour, these hens or chickens are sold at a discounted price. You can get them for about half of what you'd pay for them in the daytime.

But if you're planning on going to the grocery store just to get a chicken or hen, it's important to call first because there might not be any left. More often than not though, plenty of birds will be left for the taking.

Bring your coupons. Get a break

Because, I don't want everyone running to the grocery store and trying to basically "get away with murder" I can't tell you specifically how and why you get a break with coupons. But let me just say this, if you are a coupon saver, you're very smart. There are plenty of breaks that come with these things like double discounts and even a grace period when it comes to expiration dates. So bring your coupons and get a break.

Buying fruit? Better check what code the grocery store cashier is plugging in.

What's the difference between a Valencia orange and a Florida orange? Do you know? You better because when your cashier is in a hurry, he or she could care less. New cashiers who haven't taken the time to memorize all of the codes yet could also care less. Where does the difference show up though? You guessed right. It's all about the price.

Want a break? Shop at night.

Grocery stores have some pretty strict rules when it comes to shopping in the daytime. For instance, if they want to really look closely at every single roll you've bought, they'll be sure to do it in the daytime. If they want to make sure you have the .99 cent red grapes and not the 1.29 red globe grapes, they'll be sure to do it in the daytime. But in the nighttime, well---we're all tired. So if you want a break at the grocery store, shop at night.