Amid inflation, salvage food stores that sell dented, dated items for cheap gain traction

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Salvage food stores offer discounts on dented, dated foods

Nicholas Duke, manager of Uplifting Deals in Asheville, North Carolina, explains how salvage food stores are able to offer safe, quality food at affordable prices as inflation continues to drive costs nationwide.

As today's high inflation pushes Americans to reconsider how, when and where they shop, salvage food stores are gaining traction.

Nicholas Duke, manager of Uplifting Deals in Asheville, N.C., joined "Fox & Friends" on Monday to explain how salvage food stores buy overstock from traditional retailers to then resell in their own stores.

Duke said the existence of "best-by" or "sell-by" dates on items indicates to retailers when to freshen their food stock. 

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The products, though, are still salvageable.

Nicholas Duke, manager of Uplifting Deals in Asheville, N.C., joined "Fox and Friends" on August 22, 2022, to discuss today's high inflation.  (Fox News)

"We are extremely diligent about pulling dates when we know food is no longer of quality and get[ting] rid of it," he said.

"We make sure we’re selling a quality product to our customers and make sure they have food that they can put on the table for their families," he also said.

A cashier assists a customer at a checkout counter at Harmons Grocery store in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Thursday, Oct. 21, 2021.  (George Frey/Bloomberg)

Other items tossed to the side at retailers may be lightly damaged, dented or outdated in terms of packaging.

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Duke mentioned that a box of brand-name cereal at his store is sold for $1.50.

Family-sized General Mills and Quaker Cereal cereal products are shown in a grocery store. (Lindsey Nicholson/UCG/Universal Images Group/Getty Images)

Meanwhile, the same cereal in some major cities such as New York City goes for as much as $10 per box as of right now.

Since there’s no telling what exactly might be coming into the store week by week, Duke advised shoppers to be consistent about checking their local salvage food store stock.

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"It’s kind of a mixed bag," he advised. 

"So you always want to check in and see what’s going to be coming — and make sure that you get here first."