There was a time when Baqer Mohebi stores were one of the older residents’ best kept secrets - many people would venture there once a year, before Halloween, to stock up on candy and chocolates close to expiry 🎃 A few other supermarkets would have half-hidden shelves with unsold items at the back of their shops which were a paradise for bargain hunters (remember the old Lulu’s?!)...

In 2021, stores which sell food and other products before their best-before date have seen a rise in popularity and some even operate exclusively online, buying merchandise from regular supermarkets and reselling them over the internet.

While you should always be cautious with food no matter the expiry date, we believe these stores can be a brilliant way to save money on every day groceries (if you don’t get carried away and order those 20 giant toblerones just because they’re cheap and well, giant toblerones 😂)... You can save considerable amounts of money by planning your meals around them but also buy some in bulk and freeze them, for example hard cheeses, bread or butter 🙌

These are our best picks 💫

Physical stores:

Baqer Mohebi

Best for: chocolates and various items in the 1 dirham section.

Location: Al Rolla Road, Bur Dubai. Click here for the google maps location.

Organic Food and Café’s discount store

Best for: baby food, biscuits.

Location: Next to the Organic Foods and Café on Sheikh Zayed Road near Oasis Mall, inside the yellow building. Click here for the google maps location.

Let’s organic Market

Best for: pasta, biscuits.
Location: Al Wasl Road, Al Safa. Click here for the google maps location.

Choithrams Green community

Best for: breakfast items.
Location: Green Community DIP. Click here for the google maps location.

Marks & Spencer Food
All locations, in particular Ibn Battuta, Mall of the Emirates, Dubai Festival City.

Expiring items are marked down at 4 pm, 6 pm and again at 8 pm (the later you go, the cheapest it is!).

Best for: ready meals, frozen meals, bread, cakes, everything 🤣

Lulu Hypermarkets and Carrefour stores usually also have an area with promoted items or selected discounted products throughout the shop.

Online shops:

Food for less UAE

https://foodforlessuae.com

Best for: food, personal care products.

Clearance.ae

A chaotic website with lots of good deals and a food section which you can find here: https://www.clearance.ae/grocery-food-and-beverages-253. The website is a bit slow to load.

Best for: biscuits, snacks, personal care products.

Dealz DXB
A website with limited stocks which displays the expiry date of every item.

https://dealzdxb.com/

Best for: food, nuts, chocolates but not only.

Kibsons

A long time customer favourite, this online delivery service offers reduced prices on "imperfect" items which are esthetically imperfect or close to expiry.

https://www.kibsons.com/