You are walking past the meat section when you see them: plastic trays wrapped in cling film, stamped with bright yellow stickers that say things like “30% Off” or “Today Only.” Most shoppers ignore them. Some even feel sorry for the sad-looking chicken thighs or the slightly bruised apples. But you, a smart shopper with disposable income and a desire to keep more of that income, should stop immediately. The markdown bin is where grocery stores hide their best kept secret, and learning to work it will save you hundreds of dollars a year without clipping a single coupon or downloading another app.

Here is how it works. Every day, grocery stores have to clear out products that are approaching their sell-by date, that have damaged packaging, or that simply did not move fast enough. Rather than throw them away and take a total loss, stores slash the price. That means perfectly good steak, salmon, deli cheese, yogurt, bread, and even flowers are sitting there waiting for you at half price or less. The catch is that you have to get there before everyone else, and you have to know which discounts are worth grabbing.

The first rule of markdown hunting is timing. Most stores mark down meat and bakery items early in the morning, often before nine a.m., because the morning crew rotates stock and preps the floor. If you are a weekender who rolls in at noon, you are too late. But not every store is the same, so spend a week visiting at different times and ask a butcher or produce associate when they put out reductions. Some supermarkets do a second markdown in the late afternoon to clear everything before closing. Find your store’s rhythm and build your grocery trip around it. If you already shop weekly, switch your schedule so that you hit the markdown aisle first, before browsing anything else, and then base your meal plan on what you find.

The second rule is to embrace imperfection. A yellow sticker on a bell pepper that has a small dent does not matter if you are roasting it tonight. A loaf of sourdough that is a day past its best will turn into fantastic french toast. Salmon that is marked down because it expires tomorrow is still perfectly safe to cook this evening, and it will taste just as good as the full-price fillet. The key is to shop with a meal clock running in your head. If you are not going to eat it within a day or two, freeze it as soon as you get home. Meat and seafood freeze incredibly well, and they will stay good for months. Bread also freezes beautifully. Butter, cheese, and even milk freeze in a pinch. So do not buy something marked down just because it is cheap, buy it because you have a plan to use it soon or freeze it.

Of course, you need to be smart about what you ignore. Do not buy marked-down sliced deli meat that is already two days past its date unless you are eating it immediately, and even then, use your nose and eyes. Do not buy anything with broken seals, swollen cans, or mold that has taken over the cheese. The markdown section is not a place for thrill seeking; it is a place for calculated bargains. For household essentials, markdowns on paper towels, cleaning sprays, laundry detergent, and toothpaste also appear regularly, usually when packaging is dented or a manufacturer changes its label. These items have long shelf lives, so you can stockpile them without worry. Just remember to compare the markdown price to the per-unit price of the regular shelf, because sometimes a “deal” is still not as cheap as the store brand.

Another powerful trick is to build relationships with the people behind the counter. Butchers, bakers, and produce managers have the authority to mark things down even more when they know a customer will take it off their hands. Ask politely if they have any behind-the-counter deals coming up. Do this at a quiet time, not during the Saturday dinner rush, and be genuinely friendly. A good butcher will tell you when the lobsters are going on sale or when they plan to clear out the prime rib. You might even get a better price than the sticker says, because stores would rather sell to a regular who will come back than toss it in the compost.

Finally, do not be ashamed of the markdown bin. There is no moral high ground in paying full price for food that is destined for the dump. The waste happens regardless, and you are simply reducing it while feeding yourself well. That is a win for your wallet and the planet. Start small by checking the bin on your next trip. You will likely find something usable, maybe even something great. Before long, you will be planning your entire weekly menu around those yellow stickers, and your grocery bill will shrink in a way that feels almost like cheating. But it is not cheating. It is just shopping smart. And for anyone who values both quality food and cold hard cash, that is the best deal of all.