Aldi, Tesco, Co-Op and Sainsbury's best time to get reduced food

Although it might not be easy to grab free food from supermarkets, there is a way to get heavily reduced items. 

From fruit and veg, ready meals, desserts, eggs and much more, if you hit the reduced section at the right time you can do the whole shop for half the price.

But trying to find reduced food in supermarkets can be a little like catching gold dust, with last-minute bargain hunters all looking to grab the best deal. 

However getting reduced food may have just gotten easier, as we've found out the times you're most likely going to be able to get the reduced items.

We've looked at the UK's most popular supermarkets including Aldi, Sainsbury's, Tesco and the Co-op.

Tesco PA (Image: PA)

The best time to get reduced food

Aldi

One of the best bargain stores in the UK, Aldi is unlike most stores as they reduce their food in the morning, instead of the evening.

Shoppers should look out for the red sticker that tends to say 50 per cent off instead of the typical yellow sticker.

There are also some items that will have an additional 75 per cent sticker for food that is a day off its use-by date.

Co-op

The timings for Co-op reduced items tend to vary on store and the size of the branch. 

Discounts typically start increasing at 5pm when they will be at 50 per cent if the items are on sale the day of the expiration date. 

For extra savings, you should wait until 8pm when you might get lucky and knock off 75 per cent of the original price.

M&S

Known for the place to grab some of the top bargains, M&S has some great reduced items that you can get your hands on. 

Shoppers have said that final reductions hit shelves around just 30 minutes to one hour before the stores closing time. 

Meaning it might be as late as 6.30pm for 7pm closures and 8pm for stores that close at 9pm. 

But if you want to get the deals early, you should head to your local M&S just after lunchtime.

Sainsbury's PA (Image: PA)

Sainsbury's 

The reduced items at Sainsbury's heavily depend on the local store and the size of the branch. 

However, the general time for reduced food at the supermarket is around 7pm when the yellow tickets come out and the bargains are revealed.

Tesco

Tesco can be a great place to grab some deals, but the stores say there are no specific rules or patterns to follow with their reduced items. 

But there have been suggestions that reductions can start as early as 8am with bigger discounts appearing towards the early evening around dinner time.