# Chocolate on clearance



## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

I wandered into a Shoppers Drug Mart today and found a ton of chocolates on clearance, after Christmas.

Lots of amazing stuff at rock bottom prices. Gift boxes of ferrero rocher normally running $12 to $15 were marked down to $4.

Good quality Lindt chocolates of all kinds at less than 1/3 the full sale price. I also bought a massive bar of PC chocolate (which is made in France and actually superb quality) for something like $2.50 a bar... just ridiculous pricing.


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## Thal81 (Sep 5, 2017)

Prices like that make me wonder what their profit margin is on the retail price, if they can afford to sell them for so low. Chocolate has about 2 years shelf life, it's not like they need the clearance...

Anyways, I should stop thinking too hard and just stock up!


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## Eclectic21 (Jun 25, 2021)

Not quite as discounted in my area ... but still a good buy, as has happened for years.


Cheers


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## Plugging Along (Jan 3, 2011)

The deals this year and last haven't been as good but Christmas is definitely a time to stock of up on chocolates. Same with Valentines and Easter for chocolate. I usually get a cheap turkey or prime rib after Christmas, but due to the BC floods there was a little bit a of a turkey here.


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## Ponderling (Mar 1, 2013)

If you can ignore the chocolate purists, take them out of the overall packaging.

While still in individual foils we re-pack them to glass bottles ( We do home canning and have a ton) Put them in the freezer. 

Later when you want some pull them let them thaw. Some fat may be frosting the outer surface of the chocolate, but otherwise will be fine. No need to worry about having gone off with fats heading rancid.

Packed in glass keeps them from picking up other frozen food flavors. A vac sealer bag would do the same, but no as easily resealed as a mason jar lid.


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## Plugging Along (Jan 3, 2011)

Thal81 said:


> Prices like that make me wonder what their profit margin is on the retail price, if they can afford to sell them for so low. Chocolate has about 2 years shelf life, it's not like they need the clearance...
> 
> Anyways, I should stop thinking too hard and just stock up!


It's not necessarily about margins for seasonal items, it's about space and storage.. It costs the store a lot of storage space to store the chocolates properly. Most stores don't have enough room for long term storage, so would rather blow it out at a loss.


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## Spudd (Oct 11, 2011)

Plugging Along said:


> It's not necessarily about margins for seasonal items, it's about space and storage.. It costs the store a lot of storage space to store the chocolates properly. Most stores don't have enough room for long term storage, so would rather blow it out at a loss.


Indeed. I've been in the back room of a Shoppers. They have very little space back there. Plus, chocolates shelf life is usually about a year so it wouldn't still be good even if they did save it for next year.


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## cainvest (May 1, 2013)

Plugging Along said:


> I usually get a cheap turkey or prime rib after Christmas, but due to the BC floods there was a little bit a of a turkey here.


I did a post xmas turkey yesterday, price was good. Don't think it was just BC, there wasn't a large supply of whole turkeys here either. Still lots of packaged "turkey in a box" on sale here, might have to go another round for new years! 

Definitely don't need chocolate, or any other sweets ... even on sale I'll pass.


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## Ponderling (Mar 1, 2013)

Milk Marketing Board in Ontario is starting a 8% pay raise to dairy farmers in 2022. 

We presently have 6 pounds of butter in the fridge, and 10 makes 25l bags of powdered milk ( we normally drink powdered milk) 

That is in both cases about 3x when we normally keep on hand. but we though, heck how in this circumstance could this approach be wrong.


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## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

Thal81 said:


> Chocolate has about 2 years shelf life, it's not like they need the clearance...


The expiration dates on this holiday chocolate is actually quite soon. Most of the stuff that I saw on clearance showed an expiry date in March or April, only 3-4 months away.

Some of the bars (like the PC chocolates) had much longer, 9 or 10 months and I'm not sure why those prices were slashed.

I bought more discounted chocolates today. The ferrero roche was all gone though.


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## m3s (Apr 3, 2010)

Chocolate doesn't actually expire. It can just get a bit powdery white from sugar dissolving

It tastes exactly the same. I used to live next to a wholesale Lindt factory in Germany


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## Plugging Along (Jan 3, 2011)

m3s said:


> Chocolate doesn't actually expire. It can just get a bit powdery white from sugar dissolving
> 
> It tastes exactly the same. I used to live next to a wholesale Lindt factory in Germany


Chocolate can go bad, but if it is real chocolate stuff it takes much longer. however, if the chocolate bar has nuts, creams, filling, etc those can go bad. A plain chocolate bar or one where the fillings are completely covered will last longer. The white stuff one sees on real chcolate is the ‘boom’. It is not the sugar separated but rather some of the cocoa butter if there are temperature fluctuations or it is older chcolate. Use chcolate that has bloomed can just be re tempered. Lousy chcolate or those low in cocoa butter will not bloom as easily though it often has more sugar.

best way to store chocolate to not have the moisture or temperate changes is sealed, in a cool dry place. A cases of choclate in my basement cubby storage with no problems. Ones in the fridge or freezer are fine, but should be eaten as soon as taken out. It is quite possible that chocolate will go bad, it will lose some of its flavour and be brittle.


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## m3s (Apr 3, 2010)

The date is pretty much a "sell by" date for chocolate. You can still eat it and you'll survive.

It can go brittle just like it can melt in the sun depending where you put it

I usually just get the white powder on real chocolate


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## peterk (May 16, 2010)

"Premium on clearance customers" is just another aspect of marketing and expanding the customer base for products of all types. That's advertising, where there would be no sale at all without it. Nobody has outsmarted the chocolate sellers here, unfortunately.

There's $12 chocolate buyers
There's $4 chocolate buyers
There $12 on for $4 chocolate buyers
and there's "they can't store it all and it's expiring soon so they need to sell it all at a loss" chocolate buyers

The market is ready to sell to every type of buyer it can think of selling to, in any way they can. That's their job.


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## bettyboop (Dec 13, 2011)

I was at London Drugs today and looked on the chocolate clearance aisle and they had Almond Roca on special for 10.99, before Christmas it was 7.99 Last year it was 4.99 on sale before Christmas.


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

SD Mart's prices are pretty high. Their "markdowns" often just bring their prices in line with other places, like wal mart.


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## jessc (Nov 11, 2017)

m3s said:


> I used to live next to a wholesale Lindt factory in Germany


location, location, location. Why in the world did you move?!?!


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## m3s (Apr 3, 2010)

jessc said:


> Why in the world did you move?!?!


I go where work sends me fortunately or unfortunately


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## newfoundlander61 (Feb 6, 2011)

I buy a bag of milk each week on thursdays for the 20% off. People walk out of their with just about everything, even with collecting points they are often over paying for most products.


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## m3s (Apr 3, 2010)

As long as it says 20% off it's deflation. sags says so. don't mind the msrp went up 30%


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