Food Auctions Gaining In Popularity
Food Auctions are back in the forefront as great money savers for people having a hard time making ends meet. Located in many states now, they seem to be catching on as consumers scramble to provide for the needs of their families.
By reading this article carefully and following the appropriate links, you will be able to determine if food auctions are right for you. Where available, you will find links to auction sites and locations, highlighted in blue or set aside in a text box.
Please feel free to leave a comment or ask a question in the "comments" section below.
This article will be continually updated as information is received, so please feel free to save this link and visit again.
As you will see, gone are the images that come to mind when an auction is mentioned. Instead of expensive pieces of furniture or estate sales, paper products, frozen veggies and even meat products are being bid on. Fifty percent of a normal food bill can be saved by the time a bidder has won.
One wife came to an auction with her husband, daughter and TWO large coolers in tow. She put a nice sized ham in one of the coolers. Her winning bid was $12.00.
The auctions are now being held in up to 9 states, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Oklahoma, Massachusetts, New York, California, and Maryland.
Auctioneers hope to clear $1,000.00 per auction. At a time when regularly auctioned items have tanked in sales, auctioneers are only happy to auction off spareribs or cheese curls in their place.
METHODS OF PAYMENT
- Cash
- Credit Cards
- Food Stamps
Freezer Space
If you are able to attend an auction on a regular basis, you will probably be well-advised to have an extra freezer handy, to hold all your winning treasures.
Since your spare freezer will not only hold meat, fish, ice-cream, but also veggies, bread, even milk and cheese, extra storage space can really come in handy as you bid on and hopefully WIN surplus items at your area auction.
What about quality concerns.As good as it is to find a great deal, there's really no point in buying food you don't believe is fresh enough for your family. If you are squeamish about adhering strictly to BEST USED BY DATES, then you might not be too happy with some of the selections you'll be bidding on. If you believe some food purchases are safe to keep and store, even if you are close to the SELL BY date, then auctions will be no problem.
It is true that the bigger supermarket stores wish to rid themselves of items getting close to their due dates, but that is the case with many outlet stores of major food producers and is the concept of "day old bread" from a bakery. The food is often quite good, and I've unknowingly enjoyed many bakery items that were discounted because of the time they spent on the shelf. So undo concern may not be warranted on a lot of the items sold at auction.
The FDA does not prohibit the sale of foods close to their expiration date. Primarily the dates are for the best tastiness of the food items.
BEWARE OF PROCESSED FOODS.Although you'll find them to be priced very cheaply, processed food would not be the healthiest choice for your family. Frozen meat filled with additives and preservatives cause more problems as far as obesity, high cholesterol and high blood pressure is concerned.
Food Auction Websites and Search Site
Chesapeake Auction House
Southern Maryland Auction Link
- Southern Maryland Auctions :: Chesapeake MarketPlace
A link to the Chesapeake Market House in St. Leonard, Maryland. The next grocery auction is scheduled for May 30, at 4:00 pm. Check out the site to see a complete guide, including directions and FAQ section.
The future of food auctions seems bright. Since inflation levels are at a 20 year high, it would appear food auctions will only gain in popularity. A recent food auction in Pennsylvania, a state hard hit by lay-offs, had an attendance of 300 people happy to take advantage of low prices.
Of course it is wise to know your prices! At times a bidding war can develop and the winning bid is higher than the cost you would pay in a regular grocery store. That just defeats the purpose of attending an auction, when you are looking to save money.
In Southern Maryland
Auctioneer, Larry Forman regularly auctions off food at his auction hall located in St. Leonard, Maryland. His huge hall holds about 100 people who sit on folding chairs ready to auction on various food items. Items either ready to expire, damaged packaging, or over-stocked by distributors.
Items bid on include
- hot dogs
- cocktail wieners
- bacon
- 24- bottle soda crates
- Huge vegetable oil containers
- pork and beef
Quantities can be, shall we say extreme.
When asked what one family would do with 10 pounds of cocktail wieners. They answered, the wieners would be put in a crock pot with barbecue sauce and cooked for a party the couple was having. The winning bid was $10.00
Another husband said his family visits the auction for meat that lasts them several weeks at a time. Several months back he bought 10, ten-pound corn beef briskets, which his wife cooked up in various ways, as only a good cook can do.
Another bid was for 15, 1-pound boxexs of bacon.
The food supplier for the Chesapeake Auction House claimed that in the near future he would have 20 thousand pounds of ham available to sell.
Pictures of Col Kirk's Food Auction
- mygroceryauction.com/
This is the link to the photo gallery of Col Kirk's auctions, found at mygroceryauction.com
In Bucks County, Pennyslvania
Col Kirk, recently held an auction at the Warrington Township Fire House, in Bucks County, PA. He has also had auctions in other parts of N.E. Pennsylvania, such as Wilks-Barre, New Albany and Pennsdale. They occur mostly in fire halls or social halls.
The auctions started in February and have occurred more than 30 times since then. Col. Kirk will continue holding auctions for those who need to save money by cutting down on their food bill.
The next scheduled auction will be in September, at Warwick Township.
See his list of future auctions at, www.auctionsbyKirk.com .
More Examples of Purchased Goods
- Family #1: 24-roll package of toilet paper. Winning bid: $10.00. 10-lb case of pepper bacon. Winning bid: $10.00 2-lb bag of mozzarella sticks. Winning bid: $7.00. Total spent on these items: $27.00
- Family #2: Single mom of 3 sons, a nurse. Spends $500.00 every 3 weeks. Some items included, 14-lb bag of restaurant sized onion rings. Winning bid: $7.50. 12-jar case of peanut butter. Winning bid: $8.00. 2 10-lb boxes of beef hotdogs. Winning bid: $7.50 Total spent on these items: $187.00
Banana Boxes in Pennsylvania Tri-State Area
Wholesalers who have cornered the market in the Pennsylvania Tri-State area and nationwide are the Pennsylvania Amish, Mennonite, Quaker & Dutch. They are opening banana box wholesale discount salvage grocery outlet stores. They are incredibly successful.
Their stores sell
- canned goods: fruit, soup, sauces
- bulk products: flour, cereal, pasta
Banana boxes are just what the name implies, boxes filled with no not bananas, but food items. The Banana website lists what a typical box could contain. The bidder or consumer expects to receive some bent-and-dent items.
Banana boxes are sold in full truckloads, which would be 26 pallets per truck, 48 boxes per pallet. All together that would be 1,248 boxes. Or in smaller quantity which is worked out with the wholesaler.
They purchase from bankrupt grocers, or from chains wishing to decrease their stockpiles. Albertsons, Giant, Weis, Acme and Kroger are some of the chain stores dealing with Banana Boxes.
Whether you buy the items for your own outlet store or for your auction, places like Banana Box Wholesale are willing and able to supply your needs.
FOOD AUCTIONS - GOOD OR BAD?
The jury is still out on whether food auctions will turn out to be good things or not. Some say they are great because money is tight and every cent saved is needed for families suffering economic hardships. Others make the point that people are now bidding on food that was once sent overseas and that some of the meat products are inferior cuts. Then there is the nutritional aspect of what people are bidding on as well. No doubt time will tell whether the good outweighs the bad, until then I suspect people will make the decision of whether to go to food auctions or not, based on their economic needs.
- Bush Auction - North Rose, NY
Bush Auctions is the latest addition to our growing list of auctioneers found across the U.S. A large selection is available with plenty of auction days posted for May and June.
In New York
Finger Lakes, NY Area
One of the comments pointed out the auctions held very regularly in the Finger Lakes, New York area. (Thank you very much for the lead, nancy!)
There is a link now available for Bush Auctions.
Auctions are held in the towns of
- Seneca
- Conquest
- Addison
- Newark
Please see the link for exact times and locations. Bush Auctions accepts cash or NY checks.
Plenty of good food is available, according to his web information
- steaks
- hams
- turkey
- cold cuts
- TV dinners
- snacks
- candy
Hopefully anyone reading this article who has knowledge of an auction, will follow nancy's lead and let us know in the comment section. I'm sure there will be plenty of appreciative readers.
- BIG HARRY\'S AUCTION - ATCO, NJ
Unfortunately, I could not locate an actual website for this auctioneer. The advertisements refer to Big Harry's as a food liquidator, which, means the auction will contain overstocked and near due date items, similar to other auction sites.
In South Jersey Area
Atco, NJ
Big Harry's Auction, run by Vince Iacono, is listed as an auctioneer who also has food items available.
See the link for the address and time.
His next auction is Wednesday, June 3 and his auctions are held 3 days a week on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
No Auction In Your Area?
Haven't found an auction in your neck of the woods yet? Well keep checking back or get an RSS feed to see if an auction will be held in your area soon.
With food auctions growing in popularity, it is hard to imagine that there won't be more of them in the future.
This article will be continually updated with new food auction locations. If anyone finds out about an auction that has not been listed here, please contact me so that I may add it to the list, to help those who could benefit from the information.
- Salvage, Surplus Grocery Stores
- Food Cooperatives, Food Pantries and SNAP (Federal Gov't and State Programs)
The above add-ons will link to new articles featuring other alternatives to food auctions. They will also save money and allow better quality and cheaper prices. Just click the links to read the information.
Comments
Thank you for letting others know about your auction in NY. It is also great that you take EBT which replaces the old food stamp program. I hope other auctions are also equipped to accept this type of payment.
ANOTHER FOOD AUCTION. SAT FEB.4 2012 3 PM ONEONTA MOOSE LODGE 87 WEST BROADWAY ONEONTA N.Y. COME SAVE A LOT OF MONEY! ACCEPTING CASH GOOD NY CK AND EBT.PROPER ID REQUIRED FOR A BIDDER NUMBER. COME SPEND THE AFTERNOON WITH US AND GET THE BARGAINS YOU NEED AND DESERVE. NEVER A BUYERS PREMIUM AT ANY FOOD AUCTION. GO TO AUCTIONZIP.COM FOR MORE INFO. PUNCH IN FOOD AUCTION.
HUGE FOOD AUCTION ONEONTA N.Y. MOOSE CLUB 1-4-2012 6 PM ACCEPTING CASH GOOD LOCAL CHECKS AND EBT FOOD STAMPS.A GOOD TIME TO BE HAD BY ALL. COME AND SAVE A LOT OF MONEY ! !
Hello All Thanks for the tips. We don't have much in the philadelphia area that I am aware of yet. I am waiting. I did try Swann's Pantry in Delaware county and many of the prices were higher than in the market. Many of the items were organic. But not as much saving as I would've liked for a 2 hours trip. But a dollar saved is a $ saved. Happy saving.
Kirk's Auction was reportedly at Traver's auction barn in Dallas. That is the only info I could find and it dates back to 2009.
Hi jan do you have food auction in Dallas.
Hi Lisa,
You could try to find a food auction/auction list and investigate where they purchase their inventory. Wholesale food sellers would be a good place to begin as well. Here is one such place, www.theauctionhouse.com which has a long list of food auctions among its alphabetized listing. Perhaps you can something pertaining to your area in Illinois.
Hi Jen, I have been looking for months a place in Illinois. A grocery auction would be fantastic in the chicagoland area. Perhaps if I knew how to start one I would be very inclined to begin an auction here. The people in this area would love that. Anyone who can help me?
Great one, enjoyed to read this one.
I hope your auction is a huge success. Thanks for posting it here.
i have a all food auction 4/2/11 in lisle ny 6pm. huge load!!!
90% of my shopping is done in Salvage or Outlet Grocery Stores. I went to 1 Grocery Auction ( Kirk's Auction, being held in Bethel, PA ). It was quite crowded, and I was dumbfounded by what people were buying, and what they were paying. In 4 hours, I saw only ONE bargain: a 25 lb case of chicken for 25 cents a pound ( a number of these were being offered ). Everything else I saw was much higher than I have ever seen the same products in a Salvage Grocery Store or Grocery Outlet; and, even, in quite a few cases, in a regular chain Grocery Store!
By all means, give them a try, more than once; but be prepared to possibly be disappointed.
Thanks Jaggedfrost! Glad you enjoyed the hub and that you have been successful here on Hubpages.
I never got around to thanking you for welcoming me and being amongst the first to read my hubs that I had at the time. I will fix that now. thank you. This was a very well laid out hub and it is a wonderful resource.
Interesting Val, I read they were suppose to begin spreading across the US, but they still haven't reached Georgia yet? Maybe I should do a little digging to just to see what the South has to offer. Thanks for pointing this out.
This was an interesting hub, though I noted they don't have them in Georgia. As someone who has been underemployed for many months, I constantly look for low prices in order to make ends meet. Good resource for those up north who are lucky enough to have them. Good work! (:v
FOOD AUCTIONS IN THE FINGER LAKES ARE BIG AND SAVING BIG BUCKS ON MANY ITEMS.JUST GIVE US A LOOK.SELLING IN MANY TOWNS ACROSS NEW YORK.THE AUCTION THAT SELLS LOTS OF NAME BRAND ITEMS.THNXS AND HAVE A GREAT DAY,JIM
Glad you enjoyed it susanlang, thanks for leaving a comment.
Food Auctions is an interesting topic I will be reading more about.
rich, if ca is short for Canada, I don't have any listings for that area, sorry.
where are food Auctions n ca or s or
I hope they grow in popularity soon Property-Invest, I imagine the UK would enjoy saving money too!
Hi Jen, thanks for the great hub on Food auction. We have them hear in the UK, but it's not that popular yet. Catching on though!
Hi Scott, Thanks for posting your upcoming opening, please stop back when you are up and running to let our readers know your exact location and times of operation.
My name is Scott Olds, Auctioneer, I live in Fallsburg, Ohio. My wife and I are looking into starting up a food auction business of our own. We have found the place to buy the food and are waiting on responses from the Licking County. I hope to be able to do this real soon. Thank You.
Thank you nancy! Appreciate the info and have linked the website. He really seems to have plenty of items to offer for a very long time. I hope others in your area are able to take advantage of such good deals. You sure got some great deals, wish he was in my neck of the woods
fastfreta, perhaps if a reader knows about an auction in your neck of the woods, they will post its location. Thanks for your comment.
Food auctions, now I've heard it all, sounds like a good idea. Wish we had some here in So. Cal. Another one, Jen, very good. Will be reading more.
Hi Jan, I wish to thank you for leaving such an enthusiastic comment! I have been wondering if these auctions are found in other countries if you locate one I hope you come back and post it here as this hub receives a lot of traffic from other countries using google.
Have a great day and thanks again!
Hi Jen,
You're my S/Hero - this piece is amazing - I live in London, England and until I came across your article I had never heard or even conceived of such a thing!
These auctions are an excellent idea - I can imagine this way of selling food, crossing the Atlantic to the UK. I just love it and in these days when every penny counts, why shouldn't those with poor pockets be able to get good quality food at reasonable prices.
Thanks for this piece, it's raised my spirits :-)
Jan
There is an article online about a Grocery Auction in Calera, Alabama. Could have sworn I found another one in Alabama too. Just gotta keep looking. Hope this helps those in the South. North Carolina also has one in Monroe NC. But you have to know the auctioneers schedule to know when he holds his food auction.
Heather, thank you for listing the Manheim, PA auction. I look forward to more posts from areas discovered by the readers of this hub.
A belated thank you for listing another auction, Jim. I hope the folks near Geneva, NY will enjoy attending one of your auctions and find plenty of savings.
just put one more on our list oaks corners new york.near geneva new york.saving many bucks to lot of people.thnxs and see you at the auctions,jim
Manheim PA has a Food Auction every Tuesday - Roots Market.
Thank you Van's Auction. Would love a website in order to add you to the list of sites in this article. Michigan auctions haven't been represented yet.
Jen
We are doing Food Auctions in Michigan each week,
and have been doing them for some time. So far all
of our Buyers have been very happy with the products
and prices.In Michigan we have to have 2 Lis.and we
get inspected.
Thanks BkCreative. They do exist in your neck of the woods too. Some buy Banana Boxes for resale, you might want to check them out.
Thanks for becoming a fan as well. I will check out your profile page in return.
~Jen
Hi Jen's Solitude!
I had absolutely no idea such a thing existed. I thought we knew every hustle here in the NYC. This might be a good idea if you can buy quantities cheaply enough and then resell cheaply but make a profit.
Thanks for the info - your hubs are intriguing! Will join your fan club!
Thanks for the added info Jerilee Wei. I think we stopped considering options to food shopping until the prices shot up so rapidly. I have an article ready to go that will be a part of this subject and ties in with the surplus grocery stores, just have to get the energy to compose the hub. Have you written anything about the livestock auction? Sounds interesting. ~Jen
Good reminder to people who aren't aware that these have gone on for decades. Most communities, even more urban ones have such things as a weekly livestock auction, where almost all also auction food stuffs.
Hi Nicole. I agree we are interested too. Unfortunately we missed the auction in our area. By the time I saw the advertisement, we ended up being a week too late. We're hoping to get to one soon though. Like you said, portion control and freezer space is crucial. The alternatives to actual auctions are good too. Maybe there is a surplus grocery store in your area?
Thanks for posting your thoughts.
~Jen
Wow, I'd never heard of this before, what an interesting idea! I'm sure the key here is portion control and freezer space. Sure, hotdogs and bacon aren't the best food around, but the kids like it and as long as it isn't *all* they are eating it sounds like this would be a fantastic way to save money on some of the basics.
Thank you nancy! Appreciate the info and have linked the website. He really seems to have plenty of items to offer for a very long time. I hope others in your area are able to take advantage of such good deals. You sure got some great deals, wish he was in my neck of the woods. :D
there is a food auction allmost every night in the finger lakes in new york by bushauctions we found it in auction zip auctioneer #4829.these guys are so fair and we save big bucks hams for 12 bucks bacon 2.00 pound hot dogs for a 1.00
Hi mimi, The auctioneers say they will be expanding to other states in the future. I'll keep track of any additions and post them to this article. I can't see why they wouldn't go to the south, if at all possible. Thanks for the comment!
I hope these food auctions come to the south as in Alabama.
Hi Charlotte Anne.
You know I remember a small auction type place like the ones in the article, that my husband found and I was intrigued too. :) That was years ago, however.
I think people are really hunting for them now, given the traffic this hub is receiving.
We want to check out the ones closest to us in Pennsylvania just to see what they are like.
Thank you for leaving a comment.
Very intriguing. I never imagined there was even such a thing as a food auction.
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Peggy W 2 months ago
I was unaware that there were such things as food auctions. I don't think that we have such things in Texas. Day old bread places, yes, and one store that I know of has a section in the meat department where prices are slashed when it gets close to the expiration date...but that is about it. Thanks! Voted interesting and useful.