Tesco enhances the visibility of its yellow sticker reductions in a n effort to save you money, and reduce food waste..
Tesco is tapping into Increased pressure on household budgets and the need to reduce food waste by increasing the visibility of its reduced-to-clear section and introducing new 'Reduced in price but just as nice' signage to better highlight the store's clearance offers.
A new YouGov survey commissioned by Tesco reveals that 69 per cent of shoppers now look out for markdowns in-store, and the thrifty trick is gaining appeal, with 33 per cent of customers seeking these reductions more frequently.
I've saved hundreds, if not thousands of pounds, buying yellow sticker products over the years. They have certainly helped me during my bleakest and most difficult times, so it's great that Tesco has embraced the concept of yellow sticker products, rather than hiding the reduced products away in the corner of a fridge, like some dirty little secret, where you feel like some kind of lower class citizen buying from!
The new signage lets customers know the items are “Reduced in price – just as nice”, and Tesco hopes it will tempt the 29 per cent of people who said they would shop reduced items more often if the section was made more visually appealing.
Tesco hopes the new signage will help customers save on their weekly shop no matter when they pop into the store with a facelift for its ‘Reduced to Clear’ areas which will roll out to 100 stores by Christmas and more stores again throughout 2023.
I popped into my local Tesco store to see if it had been upgraded yet, but sadly not, but it's a big store, so hopefully, it will soon!
Reduced to clear sections feature a wide range of products from fresh produce such as salads, meat, bread and sweet treats, which are close to their expiry date and can be purchased at a discount to eat straight away or freeze for another day.
A Tesco *survey found that:
Meat products are most popular in the reduced-to-clear section, followed by ready meals, vegetables and desserts.
Of those who tend to keep an eye out for yellow label reductions, 71 per cent said it’s a cheaper option when they want to eat the food straight away. And 51 per cent say it’s a great value way to stock up the freezer.
Yellow sticker reductions are most popular in the east of England, with 75 per cent of customers looking out for them when shopping. This is closely followed by Wales (74 per cent) and the South of England (72 per cent).
* The survey was commissioned by Tesco and conducted by YouGov from a sample of 2000 Tesco customers.
Whatever food doesn't get sold in-store, Tesco stores across the UK and Ireland use apps to connect stores with local organisations that can best use unsold surplus food. A total of over 140m meals have been donated to thousands of charities and community groups since its Community Food Connection scheme began.
Tesco has also found innovative ways to help colleagues and customers save money and reduce waste, which will also remain a key part of their plan moving forward, including:
They are allowing colleagues to take food approaching its expiry date home for free.
They launched a campaign to cut food waste at home, supporting customers to save money and cut food waste by implementing a simple weekly food hack. The Tesco ‘use up day’ campaign could save the average family £260 a year simply by cooking a meal – once a week - using up food they already have in their kitchen.
They are working with suppliers to make as much use of crops as possible. Farm Brands and Perfectly Imperfect ranges make good use of the part of the crop that previously fell outside of specifications. Special offers are utilised to help ensure bumper crop flushes result in food being eaten by customers.
Time will tell if other supermarkets will up their game to remove the stigma of buying a yellow sticker product by better advertising the reductions and making them more prominent rather than hiding them away. After all, more and more people are relying on these reduced foods to survive, and as the cost of living crisis continues to worsen, the country slips into recession and winter kicks in, meaning we will all be spending more on our energy bills, every little helps... 😬