A few years ago I realized that saving money on groceries was going to be an integral part of our financial plan. Eating out, dropping $150/week on food, and impulse buys at the store were going to have to be a thing of the past. Either that, or I would need to shop at different stores than I had previously frequented.
I started noticing many friends sharing their couponing successes online and started clipping myself, but some weeks I simply did not have time to fully plan for each shopping trip. And, then I noticed that a friend of mine was posting shopping success stories without ever clipping a coupon.
Her secret? Our local Grocery Outlet store that she swears by for great deals and steals. What surprised me most wasn’t the low prices she paid, but the quality of the food she was buying. I’ve always known her as someone who was the picture of health – organic preferences, homemade whenever possible, and foods with as little ingredients as possible, so I was shocked to find out that she got nearly all her groceries there each week.
Sure, I got these flyers in the mail, but I had dismissed it as simply a discount store. Boy, was I surprised to find it might be the solution I was looking for to help our food budget! 
With 28 stores in the Metro Seattle area that are independently owned and operated by local families, Grocery Outlet stores are popping up everywhere and getting easier and easier to find. If you’re like me and are new to the concept, basically they are a non-traditional retailer as opposed to a market or grocery store. They have agreements with vendors to purchase over-stock, packaging bloopers and products they'll be discontinuing but are still very saleable, and they pass these discounts on to customers. This means that there is always something new in store with treasures at every turn. 
When my sister, who holds a degree in nutrition, heard that I had never been to our Grocery Outlet, she was seriously shocked. Her eyes lit up as she talked about all the things she buys there and how much cheaper it is than the grocery store for good quality groceries, and it was then that I realized I had been making a huge mistake focusing only on coupons when I could simply walk into our Grocery Outlet and take advantage of their low prices.
And, that’s what I did a few days later when my sister walked with me to a local Grocery Outlet so we could see what deals were in store. Even before we entered the store, I knew I was in the right place. Fresh produce greeted us at the entrance as well as veggie and fruit plant starts, each of them less than half of what I would expect elsewhere. 
Once inside, we perused toiletries and the kids toys as well as a huge selection of the exact same items sold at other retailers for huge markups. 
Finally, we made it to the kitchen items where I found all sorts of awesome things {including the Ninja Kitchen System I covet so much}. Just check out all that bakeware!
That was all before we even made it to the groceries. By the time I got to the produce section, our cart was overflowing and the kids were adding more in by the second, but for once I didn’t mind. Instead of standing guard at the cart making sure the kids didn’t add things I didn’t have a coupon for, I would just glance at the price and say yes or no. 
It was a much easier trip with three very excited pint-sized grocery shoppers, let me tell you. 
I wasn't even exhausted by the time I got to their {huge} wine selection and even had a chance to look around a bit to see some seriously awesome prices on highly rated wines. 
I might have even let these two talk me into quite a few things we didn't *necessarily* need but were too good to pass up.
We ended up leaving there with bags {and bags} full of items I would have spent more for elsewhere, as well as some fun items that were impulse buys, such as a blueberry plant and 3 pounds of strawberries. I think this might be the end for me and my coupon file!
Have you checked out your local Grocery Outlet yet?
You can like Grocery Outlet on Facebook, @GroceryOutlet on Twitter, find out more on the GO YouTube Channel, Grocery Outlet on Pinterest, and be sure to sign up for Grocery Outlet emails!
How would you like to win one of two $25 Grocery Outlet gift cards? Enter below! 
A big thank you to Grocery Outlet for providing a gift card for me as well as gift cards to giveaway to our fabulous reader.
We LOVE our Grocery Outlet in Hazel Dell! Great staff, great bargains, great food!!!
Awesome giveaway!
I’ve only been to our local Grocery Outlet once and was totally unimpressed, however people RAVE about the place, so I do wonder what I missed.
Great post 🙂 I always forget what good deals they have!
Ours is a great place to shop; I always find great deals and enjoy browsing.
I’ve always been a bit leery of this place. Perhaps I’ll check it out? Great review!
I haven’t been there in a while but it’s about 2 miles away.
We have a Grocery Outlet in town. I love how each week you never know what treasures you will find
I love our local Grocery Outlet – we always find something new!
Well…it’s not as pretty as yours is! But we do like it! The people are friendly and the deals are good. Last time I drove by I saw a really nice planter out front…need to stop in and take a closer look!
Grocery Outlet is my first stop, and usually has most of what I need. Love it!
My plan is to shop there first when I go shopping. I love the Grocery Outlet!
Always enjoy and save when shopping at GO!
I love that I can get frozen potatoes Obrien at my local store!
I absolutely love Grocery Outlet. I buy almost all of my organic food there. The prices are the best and the quality/brands are top notch.
I haven’t had the pleasure to visit Grocery Outlet yet but heard about it on the radio (KCOA Pensacola)and heard there is a new store at Brent Lane and Palafox. I plan to visit this store this weekend, after I heard about the great deals they advertised. With the economy in the mess that it’s in, this sounds like the place to shop. See you soon!
The Grocery Outlet in Oakhurst, CA has been a great addition to our tiny community with overpriced retail grocery chains. Love the variety and the “not knowing” of what will be available every time I go.
Would love this, I can always use money for groceries, they are sooo expensive now days!
Would love this!
I love heading down to my local Grocery Outlet in Carson City. As a home-brewer, I’m often impressed by their prices on fruit and other great ingredients for making my own wine and beer. 🙂
Love our local Grocery Outlet. Low prices and great fun not knowing what new treasures I’ll find!
I do love our Grocery Outlet. I shop there more than any store now although I wish ours was as big as yours. We seem to have a smaller version.,
I love how Grocery Outlet carries a lot of organic food now. So much better than all the junk processed food.
I love going here when I travel to Idaho!
I shop grocery outlet in coeur d’alene idaho often and love the variety and suprise of new items as well as low prices.
Love my local GO and am there usually at least once a week. I love that the selection is always changing and I never know quite what treasures I’ll find at great prices!
I love checking GO for great deals at great prices, everytime we get close to the door my girls start singing the store song as loud as possible!
So glad we have a Grocery Outlet close to us! I am always surprised by the deals I find there.
Great prices of course, but the reason I continue to frequent our local Grocery Outlet is because of the employees. They are funny, friendly, helpful, personal, and make shopping here feel more like the neighborhood grocery store on the corner. We love it!
We are on a very strict budget so we go to the Lewiston, ID Grocery Outlet at least once a month…the reason it’s only once a month is that it is 110 mile round trip for us. Believe me, if we lived closer, we would be there at least once a week! So, once a month we head to Lewiston and buy an entire month’s worth of groceries. Friends have asked if it’s worth it with the cost of gas and all, and I give an emphatic “YES”! With the prices they’re asking at our local grocers in our small town, I can buy twice as much at half the cost! If it weren’t for Grocery Outlet, I don’t know what we would do.
I just found out that we have a store in Ukiah. Will checking it out soon.
ours is pretty good; i can always find something i need – i love the cheese department 🙂
I usually head to the one on 122 and division!
I always am impressed by the selection of organic products at my local grocery outlet. I get to try new things that otherwise wouldn’t fit into my grocery budget.
we have one in lakewood, we go there all the time for a cheap bottle of wine or bread and milk 🙂
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My daughter shops at her local Grocery Outlet in Lewiston, ID. They have good prices.
I love grocery outlet so much cheaper then other stores
I love our Grocery Outlet in Yakima. It has a great wine section and I love the ever-changing variety of items available. So many items are organic and fresh and natural that I usually end up with an overflowing basket!
I love the deals they have.
We have a grocery outlet here in Hemet, CA. It’s not bad, usually has good vegetables and meat. Last year they even had fruit trees!
Our local Grocery Outlet in Wenatchee is great they are very involved in the community
I’ve never been actually.
Love our Grocery Outlet in Eureka Calif. Great wine section!