Save money on groceries by buying bulk sale items, freezing food: Stew Leonard’s CEO

Consumers are 'tightening their belts' after grocery prices rose 13.5% in August

Stew Leonard Jr., CEO of grocery store chain Stew Leonard's, noted Friday that while customer levels are back to pre-pandemic normals, shoppers are "tightening their belts" amid decades-high inflation. On "Varney & Co.," Leonard gave tips on saving money while grocery shopping, including buying sale items in bulk and purchasing freezer-friendly foods.

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STEW LEONARD JR.: They're tightening their belts right now, and we're noticing that in-store. People are buying what they need and not what they want. And we're noticing when we put things on sale at the store -- there was just a great article in The Wall Street Journal about how most chains are not putting as much on sale every week -- we're still putting a lot on sale.

Grocery shopping during inflation

To save money while grocery shopping, Stew Leonard's CEO Stew Leonard Jr. recommended buying sale items in bulk and purchasing freezer-friendly foods on "Varney & Co." Friday, October 7, 2022. (Getty Images)

What we're noticing, customers are buying more when we put things on sale right now. And I think we hear a lot of them wanting [to know], how do I freeze it? So they're buying stuff on sale and freezing is one way to save some money today, when you go to the food store.

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