Woolworths’ ‘secret’ code will help you score the biggest discounts

A clever money-saver has shared the four-digit code she uses “to hit gold” with quick sale items – claiming it reveals the best time to shop.

A Woolworths shopper believes she has discovered the best time to visit stores if you’re wanting to have your pick of that day’s reduced items.

The excited customer has revealed there’s a new code appearing on Woolworths “Quick Sale” items, which are usually products nearing their expiry date such as meat, bread and milk.

Sharing two photos, one a piece of topside pork that had been reduced from $27.28 to $16.37 and the other a carton of milk down from $3.20 to $1.86, she highlighted a little four digit code in the corner.

She claimed this number was a time stamp reveals when an item was marked down to clear – and if you looked at everything that had been reduced, you could decipher the time that stores get to work labelling the food items for clearance.

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Woolworths’ ‘secret’ code will help you score the biggest discounts. Picture: Simple Savers

“I believe I’ve found a time stamp for when the markdowns happen on Woolies’ new labels,” she wrote in the Simple Savers Facebook group.

“Plan on working out my law of averages and striking when most likely to hit gold.”

Her stealthy investigative work was met with praise from other bargain hunters in the group, who branded the discovery “amazing”.

“That is very observant of you. I have never looked at these labels that closely,” one commended.

“Wow,” another added, while one woman said it was “great thinking”.

Others said they too would be using the coded stickers to figure out their local Woolies’ preferred time of day to markdown, ensuring they snag the best items.

“I shall take note when I find something,” one said.

A Woolworths spokesperson explained to news.com.au that the numbers were indeed a time-stamp, but stressed the time markdowns were made varied from day-to-day.

“We use markdowns from time to time to minimise food waste,” he said. “The availability of markdowns will vary from day to day and store to store based on stock levels and demand.”

Woolworths’ ‘secret’ code will help you score the biggest discounts. Picture: Simple Savers

If you’re looking for more money-saving ideas, a woman from Manly, Brisbane, recently shared her impressive investigation into supermarket fruit and vegetable prices compared to her local grocer.

Catherine Hoge, 52, has a lot of mouths to feed – including her pet pig and friend’s 10 miniature horses – so was on the hunt for the best value.

When she compared the prices in her local Woolies to her local grocer she was shocked to discover the “crazy” price difference.

Cath Hoge shared the ‘crazy’ price difference she found in fruit and vegetables in Woolworths vs her local grocer. Picture: Simple Savers

Sharing her huge savings to the popular Facebook group Simple Savers, Ms Hoge revealed that for 11 different types of items including bananas, rockmelon, strawberries and oranges, she managed to save $129.75 by shopping at her local Birkdale Farmers market in Brisbane.

“The differences are crazy,” she said. “Price comparison. Suburban fruit ’n’ veg market vs local Woolies. $79.33 saved … 61 per cent cheaper!”

She later edited the post to reveal she in fact saved about $130.

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