Pro-shopper reveals grocery deals

ATTLEBORO, Mass. (WPRI) - Shopping with coupons and buying what's on sale is a great way to cut your grocery bill. However, there are also some insider secrets to saving money at the supermarket.

Andrea Astrachan has been Stop & Shop's professional shopper for seven years. Part of her job is to walk around with customers and help them shop smart.

Saving on Meat

A big budget buster for many shoppers is meat. Astrachan suggests looking through your weekly circular for which cuts of meat are on sale and plan your meals around those meat items. And if you can, buy in bulk.

Saving on Produce

Produce is another big expense for a shopping trip.

"The most important thing is only buy as much as you're going to use within the next 3 days," she said.

She suggests buying pre-packaged bags of apples or oranges -- you'll save more money per pound.

"You get three pounds, for example, for a lower unit price than if you individually bag the items," Astrachan said.

She also said don't ignore the rack of bruised produce. She said you can often find great buys on fruits and vegetables.

For instance, three red peppers bought from the "damaged" bin cost $1.29. At full price, they cost $4.93 - a savings of $3.64.

Dented-can Shelf

Along those same lines, the dented-can shelf is another great place to save. Some of the deals found:

• $.15 for a can of seltzer
• $1 for mulling spices
• $2.50 for Tylenol PM

Look at the Unit Price

Next, Astrachan recommends shopping by using the unit price.

"Unit pricing is important especially when comparing like items because rather than just looking at the price you can see how much the item is per pound," she said.

In one case, there was what looked like identical products just from two different companies. One said $5.32 per pound versus $3.59.

Look in the Bargain Aisle

The bargain aisle is also a great way to save. Astrachan said this isn't food that is about to expire.

"They're actually great deals that we've had from our suppliers and can pass onto our customers," she said.

She also suggests stocking up.

"For example, if you know that you put granola bars in your kids lunch you see them at a great price if you have it in your budget that week, stock up. Put them in the pantry," Astrachan said.

She said save even more by shopping store brands. They come with a money back guarantee.

Most of the larger grocery stores offer professional shoppers, like Astrachan, who will go around with shoppers to help them find great deals. Just call the store and set up a time. It is a free service.