Freshly Roasted Chickens 49p

[Dottie]

Called into Morrisons tonight and turns out they were open until 9pm and not 8pm, due to the build-up to Christmas. Unfortunately for them it seems customers didn't know, so I was lucky enough to be able to buy 7 hot roast chickens at 49p each.

Obviously I got a great deal and hadn't expected to buy even 1 chicken at that price. But was really shocked to hear that they will just bin any food left, at the end of the shift.

There was loads of other cooked bits reduced and also a whole range of savoury and fruit pies from the bakery section. I knew the chickens would fill my freezer, so I didn't look at anything else. But what a waste, so much was clearly going to be binned.

[Snadger]

Well done Dotte! Giz a chicken!!!!!!!

[Hilary B]

Hygiene rules cause waste. It's what comes of the size of society, and the habit of prosperity. Our grandparents didn't let things go to waste like that, because they couldn't afford to, and they KNEW they couldn't afford to.

[HotStuff]

Was that the one in Southwood, by the Crab & Anchor?

[Dottie]

Was that the one in Southwood, by the Crab & Anchor?

Yep Southwood and no customers as they obviously hadn't advertised to let folk know it was open late.

49p down from £3.99

When I got in I ate the legs of 1 chicken while still hot, breast for the freezer and then put all the skin and bones into the slow cooker. So I'll have a lovely stock tomorrow for a hearty soup.

[BrokenOphelia]

Things like this don't get binned at the end of the night, they are bought by the staff for a nominal cost. When I worked for a supermarket a couple of years ago I was barely scraping by financially and the story was the same for most of the staff so we always got the first pick of the things that where going out of date or that had to be thrown out that day like cooked foods. At the end of the day the staff bought it for nominal costs so it never actually got thrown out, yes it may be silly to sell things for such a small cost but it is better than it going to waste all together. I frequently used to get a cooked chicken for 2p at the end of the day.

[Dottie]

Well that's what I said to the guy who was reducing it, how come the staff don't get to take it home. He said they can take first pick and also have staff discount on the reduced price, but only a few members of staff bother. He wasn't taking any home himself, I couldn't understand it as he will have worked all day for a small wage.

Seems like the staff at your store in Wales had a bit more sense, although it may have more to do with the attitude of the store manager. As he clearly stated that they only get it offered at the same reduced price as customers, but then get staff discount.

[Florence Fennel]

What a bargain! Well done. I never seem to get any good deals from the reduced sections.

[Dottie]

What a bargain! Well done. I never seem to get any good deals from the reduced sections.

It was pure luck, as I've never seen such reductions in Morrisons before. Seems to have been a combination of cooking extra as it was the store's first late night opening, and lack of actually promoting late night opening.

I'm sure if I gone out with the intention of getting loads of chickens at a reduced price, there would have been none. It was a case of a bit of snow already falling and deciding to shop and be prepared for the big freeze. We don't get as much snow and ice as folk up north, but the Close I live on ends up like an ice rink, so my late night shopping was based on concerns of waking up to a sheet of ice.

[matthew2riches]

The local Tesco here bleaches all of the stuff at the end of the day so people can't skip dive.

[grannymem]

I bet they weren't free range...

[Dottie]

The local Tesco here bleaches all of the stuff at the end of the day so people can't skip dive.

Earlier this year there was a tv programme on where tops chefs cooked a luxury meal from food found in skips. I was hoping the outcome would be that more supermarkets would start reducing stock to silly prices, rather than throwing stock away.

But if they are bleaching produce to prevent skip diving, then they are still too concerned about losing money by reducing. I believe the main concern is that if too many customers know that if they don't buy until closing time/reduced stock, then the store will create a set of customers who will just stand around waiting for reductions.

They probably use the H&S issue regarding skip diving, but again they are not going to want to have folk hanging around the back of the store, for security reasons.

It's just such a waste, especially as so many folk are now unemployed due to cut backs.

[Hilary B]

I bet they weren't free range...

The only time I buy non free-range chicken is when it is very reduced. I hate waste even more than I hate the way poultry meat is often produced, especially waste that cost a life!