Supermarket shoppers have been told the exact time to get cheap yellow sticker deals from major supermarkets including Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons.

For bargain hunters, the yellow sticker items are the holy grail of any supermarket visit, offering vast discounts on items usually nearing their best before dates, and can be found on anything from milk and dairy to fresh fruit and vegetables and bakery items.

It's a win-win for consumers and retailers. Selling off yellow sticker items saves food from being binned, and shoppers get to enjoy deep discounts on everyday grocery staples.

Now, popular deals website Hotukdeals has revealed the best time to visit each of the major supermarkets to score discount food items, based on crowd-sourced information shared by the millions of members of its savings savvy userbase.

Consumer deals expert Dan Evans said: "'This is what the hotukdeals community is about, it shares practical, community-sourced tips and tricks on when, and where, to find in-store discounts and also highlights useful apps, for finding free or discounted surplus food.

“It also promotes food waste reduction while helping people save money, making it both financially and ethically valuable for all.''

According to Hotukdeals users, these are the cheapest times to get yellow label items from each of the major supermarkets:

The best time to visit supermarkets for yellow sticker items

Tesco

Around 6–7pm - final reductions after 8pm Discounts get deeper throughout the day; yellow stickers added mid-to-late afternoon.

Sainsbury’s

First reductions from 1pm; biggest discounts after 7–8pmFinal markdowns often up to 75% off before closing.

Morrisons

Reductions start early afternoon (12–2pm); biggest cuts around 6–7pm Clearance shelves tend to appear near bakery and fresh produce.

Asda

Initial markdowns 9–11am; major discounts from 6–7pm, sometimes laterYellow stickers commonly appear in meat/deli/chilled sections.

Aldi

Reductions throughout the day, no set time; best chances early morning or just before closing "Red sticker" deals are more limited than larger chains.

Lidl

Final reductions usually first thing in the morning (especially Sundays)

Waitrose

Reductions start after 3pm, best value found around 6–7pm Waitrose tends to mark items down more conservatively, but final reductions can be steep.

Co-op

Late reductions often from 5–6pm Discounted items vary by store size and manager discretion.

Hotukdeals users have also shared a selection of the apps in the UK that share information with users who may want to grab discounted or surplus food - saving money and reducing waste. Their top pick is Too Good To Go, which allows people to find cheap meals and surplus food bags being given away by cafes, restaurants and supermarkets across the UK.