US shoppers hunt for deals at salvage stores amid soaring prices

Foods deemed ‘unsellable’ find favour with inflation-weary, environmentally conscious

In a world where a jar of peanut butter costs a dollar more than it did last year and the price of a gallon of conventional milk has inched up to US$6 (S$8.30) in some cities, paying US$1.49 for a family-size box of crispy rice cereal seems like a good idea, even if it is August and the cereal is dyed red and green for Christmas.

At the salvage store, a deal is a deal.

With grocery prices 13.1 per cent higher than a year ago, according to the consumer price index for July, a new batch of customers has discovered the joys and pitfalls of shopping at salvage food stores, where a crushed box is never a problem and package dates are mere suggestions.

The stores, which traffic in what mainstream food retailers call “unsellables”, operate in a grey zone between food banks and big discount chains like German import Aldi or Dollar General, which has grown to more than 18,000 stores.