10 Things To Know Before Shopping At Grocery Outlet

When you're looking for a good deal on random groceries or pantry staples, then you ought to scour the aisles of Grocery Outlet Bargain Market. The store has been serving customers since 1946 and now has more than 500 stores across the United States. It's not as widespread as other grocery stores, but it still makes its presence known to around 1.5 million customers every week. Unlike the average grocery store, Grocery Outlet focuses on marked-down items; it all started when the founder, Jim Read, began selling extremely discounted military surplus at his first store. 

And now, that's simply how the grocery chain operates. If you've come across a Grocery Outlet but haven't paid it a visit, then you may want to read on to learn a few things before shopping there. Once you're a bit more educated on the store and how it runs, you're more likely to have a better experience and a more successful haul — which is arguably the most important part.

Grocery Outlet has a range of products, whether that's produce, refrigerated or frozen meats, dairy, frozen dinners, snacks, bread, and more. But the items change, and you can't expect to go into a store as your one-stop shop. Sometimes there's not a lot of bread choices (maybe there's only whole wheat, and you are looking for sourdough), or they're a little too close to the best-by date, where you know you're not going to get a lot of use out of it before it starts to mold. 

Sometimes there aren't many bananas to pick from, or all the apples look a little sad. Maybe you need a bag of pretzels and queso dip for a party, but they just don't have those items. You'll still get a great Grocery Outlet haul, but it might not be everything you need on your grocery list to feed your family. It's not your average grocery store, which seemingly has everything under the sun. You have to go into the store knowing that it has limited availability; we'd say this is a vital factor to be aware of if it's your first time shopping at a Grocery Outlet. 

Unlike a regular grocery store, Grocery Outlet doesn't have 20 enormous aisles of name brands and tons of selections of each item, like dozens of types of crackers. Sections are smaller and subject to availability, which all boils down to how the store operates. A lot of the time, the inventory is determined by "opportunistic purchasing," per Grocery Outlet's impact report for 2024, or changes to manufacturer packaging. It will also vary per store, as the owner determines what to put on the shelves; one location in your city may have different items than another purely based on the clientele. 

In 2024, stores began carrying private label brands, so you can expect to find essentials from SimplyGo and Go Home&Haven like angel hair pasta, pasta sauce, and mayonnaise. This can help alleviate a bit of that uncertainty about whether an item will be in the store, but then again, it's definitely not a name brand that you might have been searching for. But still, going in-store is all about the hunt to see what items you can find on that particular visit. For example, you may see Rao's Brick Oven pepperoni pizza at a heavily discounted price compared to retailers like Target – but don't count on finding that on your next trip (or ever again, for that matter). It's all part of the thrill of shopping at Grocery Outlet.

Just about every grocery store and restaurant has an app these days, so we understand it can be frustrating to download yet another one. But if you want a better overall experience at Grocery Outlet, then the app is quite helpful. One of our favorite features is that you can set your home store — the specific one that you would visit — and you can see what's available directly at that location. 

For example, you can search for cheese or ramen and see what comes up. Alternatively, you can simply navigate through the app sections and trending searches for classics like coffee, chicken, bread, and frozen. This feature is useful so you can get the general idea of what the store currently has in stock; it'll also show you the prices so you know what to expect. The app also has occasional digital offers like $5 off a 50 purchase or random app-exclusive offers –  as an example, ours had an incredible deal for a 22-pack of Dunkin' Coffee K-Cup Pods in the s'mores flavor (ideal for the Libras out there) at 65% off the price you'd pay from Keurig. You can also view the weekly store ad to see what's new, as well as view your past purchases. You also need the app to enter to win the free groceries sweepstakes, which we will talk about later.

Grocery Outlet will have a price sticker showing the store price, and then it'll say something like "Elsewhere..." to tell you the price the item sells for a other stores. These evaluations can be hit or miss, at least in our experience. The store usually intends to put the most expensive available price that it finds, so it feels like you're getting the best deal possible. And by that we mean, if a bunch of retailers are selling an item, Grocery Outlet will find the highest priced version to put as that Elsewhere price point, not the median or average price.

For the most part, you do get a discounted price (that's kind of the whole purpose of the store), but sometimes it's not as huge a difference as what it's stating. In the case of the honey Greek yogurt from Greek Gods, yes, Albertsons had it listed at $5.49 on sale, but Target sells it for $4.19 regularly. Either way, $2.97 is still a much better bargain and worth grabbing a tub or two, but you just can't take that Elsewhere price at face value.

Those best by, use by, and sell by dates are frustrating as it is. It can be hard to know what each one means and how strictly you need to abide by every date. Now, those dates are a major thing you have to keep in mind when you visit a Grocery Outlet for the first time. We made the mistake of not checking, buying something like a cereal, and realizing that the best-by date was just a couple of few away. Of course, unopened cereal can last while after that date, but it also means it's not at its peak freshness. 

It's not as though the company is selling expired food; it doesn't, but some of the items can be very close to their best-by date. That's all. This isn't as vital for boxed goods like pasta or cereal, but you absolutely want to take a look at that date when it comes to things like bread, cheese, meat, and milk. You don't want to grab a pack of refrigerated chicken to make for tomorrow's dinner, only to realize that you have to make it that night instead. Some items are well within the best-by, so it's not 100% across the board, but just something to keep in mind as you peruse.

Although Grocery Outlet has a totally random range of items, we are always happy to check out the NOSH section, which stands for natural, organic, specialty, and healthy. Usually, this is labeled with a big green sign hanging from the ceiling so you know what to expect and where to find it in the store. For example, there may be a NOSH produce area where you can check out organic items like apples, tomatoes, kale, whatever they may have in stock at that given time. 

There's also usually a NOSH snack section for packaged goods such as organic corn tortilla chips, organic, no sugar added cinnamon in applesauce, organic extra virgin olive oil, and other items. Items will vary per store, and each time you go, so it's worth a look at if you're seeking out healthier, less processed, or organic items to stock up on. Of course, it helps that it comes at a discounted price. You could also view a handful (not all) NOSH items in the weekly ad section of the app.

Given everything we've mentioned about the randomness of the inventory, you might think that the wine and liquor section may suffer from a poor selection. However, there are a lot of amount of amazing choices at Grocery Outlet, and it's quite well stocked. Again, you can't go in there expecting to find your favorite chardonnay from your beloved brand, but you'll probably spot a chardonnay of some sort or at least an item of interest that you want to purchase. 

If you happen across a wine sale, make sure to stock up, too. We've seen people loading up their carts with their favorite wines during these events, as you usually get 20% off. We've seen classic wines and random blends from all over the place, whether that's California to Argentina. You're likely to find a style or region that you love. 

Aside from wine, there's also beer and other liquors. You might find ASM single malt American whiskey at half the price of Total Wine & More. The wine and alcohol section is subject to the same random availability as the groceries, so once again, that means you ought to load up if you find something of interest.

Grocery Outlets are usually owned by independent operators, not corporate, which means it is beneficial for your shopping experience to locate your local one's social media pages. Although there is a general Grocery Outlet brand social media page on Instagram, for example, you're not going to get the same updates as your local store. You'll often see hyper-local updates that are useful to those patronizing that area. 

Following your local store's Instagram, say in Paradise, Las Vegas, Nevada, would show you current products and prices. It may share new produce or items as they become available, allowing you to know a selection of items without using the app. Some will tell you the date of the coveted wine sale or a couple of the brands on offer. You may also see posts of familiar faces of employees that you've come to know and love. We know that we've seen employees in stores for years, and inevitably, you recognize each other each time you go. It's worth seeing if your store has an Instagram or Facebook page where you can catch the latest updates and information without having to leave your home.

In this economy, we are subject to some erratic grocery prices, so it's nice to get free groceries. One thing to know about Grocery Outlet is that it has fun opportunities when it comes to sweepstakes — just one of many reasons that you should shop there. You can enter for free groceries for a month, a year, or even for life. 

However, the only way to enter is if you have an account via the app; make sure you have it downloaded and that you input your phone number or scan your app when you check out in-store. When you do so, it connects to your account, and you get an entry for every purchase, but there may occasionally be other ways to get bonus entries — something you'd need to check out in-app. You may also enter without a purchase by filling out an entry form, but you still need an account with a reward card number.

Each of the month, year, and life winner values is determined by a particular budget, so it's not like you can endlessly spend for the duration of your win. For illustration, if you were to win a free year of groceries, you'd receive 12 $500 gift cards as of October 2025 – certainly nothing to scoff at. And it is real, you can find the free grocery winners on the website, but your individual grocery outlet may post about it, too, if it happens to have a winner. 

Now that you've scoured the Grocery Outlet app and your local store's socials, you may have a running list of what you'd like to purchase. You're ready to score some good deals and get a bunch of incredible products ... but you're slammed with deadlines or driving your middle schooler to ballet. Well, you don't even have to step into a store to receive your haul. You can get your groceries delivered through apps like Instacart, DoorDash, and Uber Eats. Add items to your cart via the individual food delivery app on your phone or online through your web browser. 

We find that the online version makes it easy to see what's available at a glance, whereas the app is smaller and involves a lot more scrolling. Just note that these delivery apps and sites have added costs, like slightly elevated prices, delivery fees, driver tips, etc. For context, the Rao's pizza we mentioned earlier is 70 cents more on Instacart — still a bargain compared to the average retail price, but simply something to be aware of. But that's often the cost of convenience.