Stores like Ross, Marshall's and TJ maxx have many dry edibles but I've learned to shop carefully. Some stores have bugs hovering near the sweets. I love biscotti and other cookies but I also check the expiration date. Once I almost bought some dried herbs but it wasn't fresh. Other than shopping with caution, some great deals can be found. I just hate that nothing is consistent lik Godiva coffee for nearly 50%off.
I like to get the coffee from TJ Max. The flavors they have are great and some that you do not find in the store.
I found at Ross Dept. store coconut oil that's such a good price, so I go to the Senior Citizen Tuesday's and get it even cheaper. It's good and very fresh. I like coconut oil and found the prices at supermarkets are so high! I was so delighted to find virgin and organic coconut oils at Ross and I do check the quality and expiration date. Sometimes you can find superb deals at Ross Dept. store and when you're a Senior citizen you can get them on Tues. and get your discount and a good product!
I don't often do this, since as you noted, they're typically pantry/dried goods, which are probably really old and past their prime. One time I did this many years ago, I bought a spice set from (I believe) TJ Maxx, which had the spices in the jars. I was really just buying it for the jars and the spice rack, so I knew I would likely be replacing those spices with fresher ones. Sure enough when I got home and opened up the package, I could see the spices were visibly old and dull looking. The only place I will sometimes buy food items from these days would be Big Lots - they sometimes have decent deals on pantry items and they're a little better in terms of freshness.
I don't do this because I'm not that good at hunting for the right items so I mostly just try and save on other things so I can spend more on groceries. I am not completely against it though and if I come across something I think would be a good bargain and I can inspect it and analyze the deal and I think I have a good chance of winning that transaction then I'd definitely go for it. I just try and be extremely careful and see if the drawbacks can possible backfire in a way that would make things more expensive for me than the amount I have saved.
No. I have seen the food items placed near the checkout stands. These food items might be okay, but I don't want to buy food where I buy clothing. As I type this, I realize that I have purchased some clothing from Walmart. It has been a long time ago and I no longer shop at Walmart.
