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Looking to save on your grocery budget? Look no further than these discount grocery stores in Lancaster County.
Before a homeschool trip to the Lancaster area five years ago, a friend mentioned that she does a lot of grocery shopping out there. I thought she was nuts because why would you drive over an hour to a grocery store when you live less than 10 minutes from 3 different supermarkets?
And then I went grocery shopping in Lancaster, and it was a game changer!
Here in Bucks County, we have a plethora of grocery stores. ShopRite, Acme, Giant, Weis, Wegmans, Walmart, Trader Joe’s, and Aldi. Not to mention the wholesale clubs like Costco, Sam’s Club, and BJ’s. In our region, we are tripping over grocery stores. So how is shopping in Lancaster so different?
Discount Grocery Stores
Most of us think of Aldi and even Walmart as discount grocery stores, but they don’t have anything on the discount stores in Lancaster. I’m talking about the salvage stores. Bump & Dent grocery stores, also known as Amish Salvage stores, have the same groceries you can get at the big chains for a fraction of the price.
At these discount grocery stores, you will often find items that are soon to expire or are just out of date. Many of the other items may have damaged packaging. Sometimes the packaging is fine and it’s in date, but the original vendor over-ordered and now needs to get rid of inventory.
Since these stores rely on what other stores can’t sell, the inventory is always different and grocery shopping can turn into a bit of a treasure hunt.
What kind of deals can you find at discount grocery stores?
I have done a Lancaster shopping trip about once a month for the last five years. Some of my favorite deals have been:
- Harney & Sons Loose Leaf Tea for 99 cents for a 4oz tin (retail $19.99)
- Pepperidge Farm Cinnamon Raising Bread for 99 cents (retail $4.50)
- Arborio Rice for 99 cents for a 3 lb box
- All Purpose Flour for 10 cents per pound (that made a 5 lb bag only 50 cents!)
- Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups for 33 cents (retail 98 cents)
- cake and brownie mixes for 60 cents each
- Ocean Spray Juices for 99 cents each (retail $3.36 each)
- Soda Stream Soda Syrups for 50 cents each (retail $5.99 each)
Our Favorite Lancaster Grocery Stores
The stores below are listed in the order we visit them when doing our monthly grocery haul. While we love the discount grocery stores, we also visit other shops and farms when we are in the area. I recommend making a day of it and doing all your shopping at once … and bring a friend! This way you get some social time while running the errands that you need to get done anyway.
Ebenezer Groceries
Ebenezer Groceries is located in Ephrata. The store is open Monday through Saturday. We particularly like their deli & butcher counters and can always find great deals on deli meats and cheese. They also have the best prices on pork and chicken. Follow them on Facebook for a sneak peak
Sharp Shopper
https://www.sharpshopper.net/Sharp Shopper has several locations in Pennsylvania and Virginia. We shop at the Ephrata location. The store is open Monday through Saturday. Sharp Shopper has a phenomenal bulk section that includes spices, baking staples, and nuts/candy. You can find everything you need for canning and preserving here too!
BB’s Grocery Outlet
BB’s Grocery Outlet is the quintessential bump and dent store. Their Morgantown location is their largest, and it’s the store that started my monthly shopping trips to Lancaster. The inventory at BB’s changes frequently, so if you see an item on the shelves, don’t hesitate to purchase all of them because they may not be there the next time you come to shop. BB’s has the best selection of pantry items and snacks. Just be mindful of the dates and what you are comfortable with as some of the products may be as much as 3-4 months out of date.
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