Word: auctioneers
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...Some items are near or slightly past their sell-by dates, but these days, expiration won't keep shoppers from a discount. Other stuff is just sitting on the shelves, and will go to waste if it's not auctioned off. The grocers get the proceeds from the sale, and the auctioneer takes a cut for commission. DeHart, for example, says he usually receives about 30% of an auction's proceeds. He started running grocery auctions three months ago. During one five-hour auction in March, bidders paid $10,000 for groceries that retailed for $26,000. (See pictures...
...next big sale on April 17, DeHart lists about 100 items on the docket, including coffee, Pampers, Twizzlers, relish, macaroni & cheese, and Chef Boyardee. "This is the DeHart's (sic) stimulus plan," his listing says on dehartsauction.com, "and it does work." (To find a grocery auction in your area, try auctionzip.com, a site that lets you search for sales by zip code. Type "grocery" in the "keyword...
...Auctions only work for shoppers if they do a little research. Consumers need to know the price of a given item in the local grocery store, and discipline themselves not to bid above that number. Such self-restraint is no easy task. "We joke all time about the Little Debbies," says Chris Crepeau, owner of Michigan Auction Sales in Holt, Mich. "People always want those specific snack cakes, and pay too much for them." The auction process sweeps up some shoppers - I just want to win, darn it, no matter how much I pay for that dog food. Others figure...
...whole, however, the auction houses report that shoppers are saving. The deals vary by product, but Crepeau says his customers are paying 25-50% less than they would in the supermarkets. Crepeau has been running monthly grocery auctions for two years; over the past couple of months, attendance has doubled. "We have a lot of laid-off people around here," says Crepeau. "They need ways to save a buck...
...your list is not much fun. You may get pumped shopping for shoes and new shirts, but who relishes the chance to buy relish? Sure, you can bid on frozen chicken pot pie over the eBay, but that's a pretty lonely endeavor. At the very least, these auctions offer another social outlet in tough times. "It's a fun experience," says Randy Zimmerman, a mother of seven from Holt. "We goof around with the auctioneers. People are having conversations throughout the auction - it's a real chance to meet new people...