Video Tours and Reviews of Bargain Foods Pelzer SC Discount Grocery Store

Bargain Foods Pelzer SC store reminded me of a down home country cross between a Big Lots store and a Sams Club. It offers no frills bargain hunting at its best! Tell us what you think about this source of cheap food below.

I was pleasantly surprised by the plethora of terrific deals, the huge and diverse selection, the large store size, and the loads of friendly staff on every aisle and at checkout.

Watch the below video for a walk-through of various aisles and deals inside this Pelzer discount grocery store.

Whole Foods it surely is NOT, but it is a wonderland of savings for less persnickety bargain shoppers like me and you.

Just be sure to check dates on foods, verify safety / freshness seals are not broken, bring extra coolers, extra vehicle room, loads of patience, and ear plugs (if by chance you really don't care for Southern Gospel music;^}  

I wish we had known about this Bargain Food Store in Pelzer SC years ago because we probably could have saved thousands of dollars on groceries and many other household items over the years. How in the world did we missed this!?

Luckily we heard about it from a frugal friend recently and decided to drive the 50 or so miles to check it out for ourselves.  All I can say is WOW and Ka-ching!

If you too are on a tight budget in SC, GA, or NC - you need to check this source of cheap food out for yourself. It is now my new favorite grocery store...bumping Aldis down a notch. 

It's easy to get to. Coming from the direction of Atlanta / Seneca / Clemson / Anderson, we just took exit 32 off of I-85 and drove around 6 miles southward on Hwy 8 (see map, address, and contact information below).

We will now be taking a little trip to Pelzer SC every month or so to do all our bulk food buying at Bargain Foods Store.

And it is just a few miles down the road from another of our favorite hotbeds of bargains...the famous Anderson Jockey Lot - the most visited tourist attraction in the state of South Carolina, believe it or not!

To give you some idea of the tremendous savings, lower down this page I've included a list of some of the terrific bargains we took advantage of to stock up our freezer and pantry.

If you check out the Pelzer SC Bargains for yourself, don't forget to take some videos or pictures with your camera phone so you can come back here and add your own comments or review of Bargain Foods Store at the bottom of this page.

I'm looking forward to reading what you have to say about this deep discount store.

How did you like Bargain Foods? Share your comments or review here (jumps you down this page to the comment form)
Bargain Foods Pelzer SC store


cheap bulk bargain food


Bargain Food Store Pelzer SC Store Hours, Address, and Phone #

 Bargain Foods Store Hours 

8:00 am until 8:00 pm Monday-Saturday

(CLOSED on Sundays)

An employee reported that Bargains is also open all holidays EXCEPT for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Several online sources seem to have mixed messages on what hours the Pelzer SC store is open. I've noticed the store hours have changed from time to time.

So to be safe, I'd recommend you call the store yourself and verify what hours and days they are open before making a long trip.

Hours may vary according to the seasons.

Store Phone#: 864-947-1937

 Address 

Bargain Foods
349 Hwy 8 East
Pelzer, SC 29669


Nearby cities:
Gantt SC, Fountain Inn SC, Honea Path SC, Belton SC, Easley SC, Central SC, Liberty SC, Pickens SC, Clemson SC, Anderson SC, Pelzer SC, Greenville SC, Laurens SC, Greer SC

Coordinates:  
34°38'34"N   82°26'48"W

satellite image of bargain foods store in pelzer sc

Scroll down for interactive map below

 Phone Number 

Neal Batson is the friendly hard-working owner
(864) 947-1937



Interactive Pelzer SC Map Showing Location of Bargain Food Store

Click the +/- buttons at bottom right of map to zoom in or out. To move within the map, click on map, and without releasing drag in any direction within map. 

I personally talked to the owner Neal Batson. He's a really friendly hardworking fellow. I often see him out working on the floor helping his fellow employees keep the shelves stocked with amazing bargains.

He told me that helping everyone save money on food is part of his personal mission work. He's been in the salvage food business a long time.

Mr. Batson seems very conscientious and happy to offer the deepest discounts so families can save lots of money on groceries and other items.

In my opinion, unlike most big box retailers and grocery chains, Bargains culture is not at all about greed driven profits. Speaking to the owner reinforced that realization for me. This is another reason I'm happy to shop there regularly and to spread the word to help support the owner, his employees, and the local economy.

I have no affiliation with Bargain Foods or its owner. This page is my way of paying it forward to help local families and a local small business that benefits families in the Tri-state area.



Don't Miss the Nearby Discount Grocery Store, Deals Galore in Williamston SC, AND the Anderson Jockey Lot which is South Carolina's #1 Tourist Attraction!

The locally famous Anderson Jockey Lot is a great place to find deals on just about anything, including farm fresh fruits and vegetables - such as the regional favorites: Vidalia Onions, Granny Smith / Red Delicious apples, or Carolina peaches. Think of it as a Farmers Market + Flea Market on steroids.

We'll usually start at the Jockey Lot early on a Saturday morning to get the best deals and selection on fresh produce. (Most vendors have left by mid day.) Then we'll take a short drive to nearby Bargain Foods in Pelzer SC for discount grocery shopping.

Bargains is only about a 15 minute drive away from the Jockey Lot via Anderson Highway. See above interactive map.

Deals Galore, Another Discount Grocery Store Hot Spot

Along the way, be sure to check out another food bargains hot spot I recently discovered: Deals Galore
It's midway between the Anderson Jockey Lot and Bargain Foods. It's a discount grocery store behind Hardees right off the Anderson Highway just before the nice little town of Williamston, South Carolina.

Deals Galore Address: 28 Beaver Dam Rd, Williamston, South Carolina 29697
Deals Galore Phone#: (864) 840-9577

Deals Galore is another large discount food warehouse very similar to Bargains. I took many photos inside and spoke with one of the owners. Nice guy. Nice staff too. Bright, clean, well-organized salvage food store.

I'll be writing up a more detailed Deals Galore review once I get the time.

Neal Batson over at Bargains could use some more healthy competition. With thousands of visitors having arrived to this review since it went live, I've no doubt helped bring the store tens of thousands of dollars in new repeat business.

We've discovered many great bargains at Deals Galore too. It's a well-named store indeed.

So I want to pay it forward and help put them on the map in a bigger way, as I have with Bargains Food Store. Please tell them Frugalicity.com sent you and please share this page using social sharing buttons at upper right.

You can use the satellite map above to find the Jockey Lot and Deals Galore Discount Grocery Store. The Jockey Lot is a square grey spot maybe 5 miles southwest of Pelzer right on Hwy 29 - which is the highway you'll cross over shortly after exiting I-85 if you take exit 32 on your way toward Pelzer and Bargains Foods.

If you zoom in on the satellite map, you'll see the below image with all the long buildings (full of indoor vendors' tables) and rows of outdoor vendors' tables. It's on the south side of HWY 29, right across from what is labeled as Whitefield Cemetery.

Tip: As you might imagine from looking at the below  sky view of the Jockey Lot, when the parking lot is full, there is quite a bit of walking involved to get from your vehicle to the vendors. So wear good walking shoes and bring a baby stroller, tote bags, or shopping cart to haul your flea market finds. Bring cash too, though some vendors do accept credit cards.



Pelzer Salvage Food Paradise: Bargain Food Shopper's Video of Nice Haul of Terrific Deals

The following Bargain Foods video was uploaded by Gwynn Dorine who, like me, also loves deal shopping in Upstate SC.

She shows us a typical haul to what you can expect to score every time you visit this popular upstate SC salvage food store:

71 items for only $64.57 (tax included)!



bargain food store pelzer

A Customer's Video Walk-through of Bargain Foods Store in Pelzer South Carolina

Update: Sorry, the video tour is no longer available. I'm trying to get another one to replace it. The snarcky shopper unfortunately seems to have since shut down his Youtube channel, so his video from inside the Pelzer SC Bargain Foods Store is no longer online. Too bad. It was really a good quick tour of deals from one end to the other.

The following 9.55 minute video from inside the Pelzer SC Bargain Foods Store was NOT shot or uploaded by me.  It is courtesy of Youtube user "theIaughinghyena". So a big thanks goes out to this publisher.

WARNING: If a little cursing offends you, you may not want to watch this video.

I don't know the video publisher, nor is he affiliate with Frugalicity.com, but his is the best video from inside the Pelzer store I was able to find, so I've included it for your viewing pleasure.

You will clearly see just how big this store full of cheap food is.  I'd estimate it's about 4 times the size of an Aldis or Trader Joes and with better deals and much more extensive selection overall.

UPDATE: I replaced the previous video tour with the below excellent video made by a resourceful & frugal college student attending the University of South Carolina, Hannah Costanzo.

Hannah loves food and preventing food waste. She also loves saving money on food at her favorite salvage food store in Pelzer SC.

In her below video she gives you a glimpse inside Bargains Foods as part of her short video entry into the Bocconi Expo2015 competition. #FoodSavingBEC Thanks for your excellent video Hannah, and with credit also going to Youtuber "moneylovingguy".


If anyone wants to whip out their i-phone while shopping there and make a quick short video tour through the aisles, or take some pictures of your deals found inside the Pelzer Bargains, please do share them with us by providing a link to your uploaded video file on Youtube (set to allow for embed on websites) or elsewhere, or by directly adding any pertinent photos via the easy sharing form at the bottom of this page.

I and many others will greatly appreciate it and I'll be sure to give you full credit and a link to your Youtube channel if applicable.

Until then, here is another short video related to the Pelzer South Carolina Bargain Foods store. It highlights a few hair accessory deals one resourceful shopper bought there. Proves Bargains is not just for food deals. They have health & beauty supplies, hardware, pet food, farm & garden supplies, cleaning supplies, soils, fertilizers, spring bedding plants, and on and on.

Credit for below video goes to Youtube user: "tashaislovnit"

Video Overview of Hair Accessory Bargains in Pelzer South Carolina





The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly: Examples of the Low Prices and Quality We Found at the Pelzer Bargain Food Store: 

For $195 I alone bought two buggy fulls of 176 items of food (we did two trips through checkout;^).  And I estimate I probably saved at least $100 on all those items based on what other grocery stores are charging.

The parking lot was full and every shopping cart at checkout was jam packed. You can tell it is a popular spot for stocking up on discounted grocery items. I've never had to wait in line more than a few minutes at checkout. They keep the registers and aisles well staffed.

Payment Methods

I paid with a Discover Card, so I do know they take credit cards.

Update: An employee confirmed to me that Bargains accepts Discover, Visa, Mastercard, but NOT American Express.

For other types of payment, such as check or debit cards, you may want to call the above number and ask. I believe they do take checks.

I always just put everything on my Discover Card because they pay 1% - 5% cashback bonus (I NEVER carry a balance, and thus NEVER pay interest).

Good frugal tips for everyone - NEVER carry balances and try to rack up credit card reward points, miles, or cashback bonuses in the case of Discover Card.

I get hundreds of dollars back from Discover every year. That's more money I can spend on cheap victuals at Bargains;^)

Lower down is a list of the great bargains I found in Pelzer South Carolina.

There were a few items, particularly in the produce and dairy section that were not a very good deal so I passed on those. I don't blame them for throwing in a small percentage of full-priced convenience foods like Milk and eggs.

I'm frugal, but I also like one-stop shopping....my time is valuable too. So needing eggs and apples, I paid $7.55 for a box of 5 dozen eggs (I LOVE eggs) and I paid $3.99 for a good size bag of Red Delicious Apples.

Not too bad, but not great either.  I wanted tomatoes but they were not a good deal at all and they looked like the pale red tasteless kind shipped in from some greenhouse farm factory.

I expect better deals on local fruits and vegetables during the warmer months at both Bargain Foods and at the nearby Anderson Jockey Lot - a very popular flea market (in case you ain't from around these here parts and have never heard of it;^) (see section above)

Overall, despite a few full-priced items on the dairy side of the store, Bargains Foods is like shopping in a store made up of 90% loss leaders or clearance sales specials.


Bargain Potatoes
I did find some exceptional deals in the produce sections, such as the ~10 lbs of sweet potatoes I got for about $1, and the bag with 6 lbs of nice red potatoes I bought for 60 cents total (that's only 10 cents/lb)!

(Sometimes I like to boil red potatoes and just eat them with a little butter and salt...it's a German thing).


Cheap Bacon
I also got a great deal on almost outdated hickory smoked bacon for around $1/lb - which I cut up and put in small bags in the freezer for later use.

I use Bacon very sparingly for seasoning other foods. For example, adding a piece or two to an entire crockpot of pinto beans to add flavor.  Or frying up a piece of bacon next to my eggs (can't beat bacon grease for flavor there) or to dice up for a spinach salad topping.

In my experience frozen bacon stays viable for a very long time compared to other frozen meats.  The 4 lbs. of bacon I bought for seasoning will last me 6 months or longer.

Carnivorous Bargain Hunters Rejoice
There were also big packages of clearance meat randomly piled up in one cooler. I didn't explore those deals very closely though since I'm not a huge meat eater. I am a cheap-skate afterall!

But there is probably more of a goldmine of bargains for the more carnivorous bargain hunter willing to dig through these bulk meat coolers.

Overall, I could easily be a vegetarian and eat very little meat...especially the much over-rated expensive cuts of red meat.  So even bargain bins of beef don't impress me much.

Less meat in your diet is probably THE #1 way to save money on food and slash your monthly grocery bill - with the additional benefits of possibly improving health and lessening your environmental impact (if you are one of the minority who cares about sustainable living).

Western cultures eat way too much meat anyway. Regularly consuming too much animal fats is a leading contributor to many modern diseases such as heart disease and colon cancer, especially here in the Southern United States.

There are lots of other good cheap sources of protein such as the beans in my list of Bargain Foods bargains lower down this page.


"If You Love Saving Money by Freezing Food Bargains...You're Gonna Love Bargain Foods in Pelzer South Carolina"

I think every frugal person who gardens, cooks, and loves deep discount grocery stores like Bargain Foods in Pelzer SC should have a freezer because it allows you to load up on these types of food sales - from breads to meats to vegetables to fruits to cheeses.

A freezer inventory helps reduce shopping trips (time, fuel, frustration) and allows you to get the most bang for your buck by allowing you to stretch those deals out longer.

If you grow a garden, a freezer is a great way to cut your grocery bill because you can stockpile surplus harvests of cheap wholesome veggies and fruits and use them when you need them, especially during the cold season when prices rise on produce.  

You can also cook in bulk ahead of time and have frozen meals ready for the microwave when you don't feel like cooking. That's what I do. I hardly ever get just one meal out of a pot.

Bulk cooking and meal freezing saves time, energy, and money.

And if you are an avid fisherman like me, or hunt or forage for wild foods you already likely know that a stand-alone freezer is a must-have.

Electricity usage for a newer freezer will only cost you maybe around $50/year, depending on the model. A great household investment if you ask me.

A freezer is a tremendous frugal appliance to have.

Back to Bargain Foods Store...
Bulk Boxes of Beef, Chicken, Pork, Fish, Shrimp, Rabbit, Frog Legs, Organ Meats, ect.

There is also lots of big boxes of cheap bulk meat on the last aisle, and a good selection of other cuts on the second to last aisle.

Update: according to one employee, "we have an on-site experienced meat cutter and we offer the freshest meat of all popular sorts and at very competitive prices".

You will find all sorts of deals on beef, chicken, pork, shrimp, scallops, Flounder, Perch, Salmon, Talapia fish, etc. You'll also see more exotic regional delicacies like a pack of 4 pigs feet halves for $3.08, or big boxes of rabbit quarters and frogs' legs. I even saw several organ meats for sale in bulk (examples: a 10 pound bucket of Pork Chitterlings for $8.49).

I did notice some meats came from China - a country I have grown to be greatly distrustful of in regards to product quality and safety - not just on food items.  I'll save those stories for another day.

Needless to say I avoided any meat products that listed China as the source.

No telling how much chemicals or mercury may be in some of those things. Could be less than here in the U.S. Who really knows?

But foods from China I particularly distrust due to their history of recalls, all the recent serious contamination incidents, and their lax or non-existent environmental oversight. Plus meat from China has likely been frozen for a very long time and I've often noticed can taste, um, not very good.

So keep an eye on where Bargain Foods is sourcing these bulk food items from if you are also distrustful of eating out of China's hand;^)

But if you are like many people and could care less, then go whole hog on the bulk meat. I'd just recommend you split a box with someone else and taste it first before committing to a large purchase. You can always get more on the next trip.

I bought a large bag of very cheaply priced Sea Trout from one of Bargain Foods' nearby competitors. I was very disappointed. It tasted horrible. The cat wouldn't even eat it! So be careful about loading the boat on some deep discounts, especially on the frozen meat aisle.

But one bulk meat item I do recommend is the big 10 lb. box of breaded chicken breast fillets for only $10.50. Yum!

These are great for quick sandwiches too. A box lasts me about 6 months or more.

For convenience, I portioned out the box into portions of four or five chicken breast pieces per ziplock freezer bag, and froze them. Makes for frugal, quick, and easy meals.

Bargain Foods has a large variety of beef patties, pork, and chicken breast in large boxes, with inventory often changing.

What's your opinion of Bargain Foods Meat? Share your experiences here (jumps you down this page to the form)

No Telling What You'll See in Bargain Foods

The Pelzer SC Bargain Food Store has all kinds of items for sale that I wasn't expecting to see in a grocery store.

From farm supplies (like bulk horse and chicken feed and fencing materials) to an eclectic selection of discounted beauty, art, and hardware supplies (including water heaters and toilets!), you just never know what they'll have from one week to the next.

Wheelbarrows, water heaters, and Toilets next to groceries? Yup, not your average grocery store. lol But I still like it! Going to Bargains is always an exciting scavenger and treasure hunt.

Beggers and Choosers
Since I'm not quite a beggar, I can still afford to be a little bit of a chooser - such as I was when I chose the discounted Peter Pan peanut butter, over the larger and cheaper container shipped from Saudi Arabia (Arabic writing on jar caught my eye).

Needless to say, I took a pass on the Arabic peanut butter. lol

Yes, you see all kinds of things in the Bargain Foods Store, and from all over.

If I saw something from Fukushima Japan, I'd probably NOT be buying it either!

But most of the time we really don't know where our food comes from anyway. Labels often don't tell the true tale about country of origin.

But that goes for the fancy foodie hang-outs such as Whole Foods Supermarkets as well.

Evidently, there's a lot of "organic" false advertising going on at higher priced chains, based on recent news stories.

So I say, "fancy schmansy" when it comes to paying outrageous Whole Foods prices.

I'm not a food snob by any stretch...more of a Great Value kind of guy. But I still try to be mildly discerning where I can.


Bulk Buyer Beware
Overall this store has mostly closeout / liquidation type bargains so they are clearly purchasing lots from many different retailers.

I saw a wide variety of store branded products from various grocery chains, such as: Albertsons, Wal-mart, Meijers, Food Lion, and many others I had never even heard of.

Maybe some of the little known sources are now bankrupt operations liquidating their inventories. Or in many cases it appears to be outdated or nearly outdated clear outs and close-outs from small to regional to national chains in other states or countries.

There are also many "scratch and dent" sales on things like brand name canned soups, which I passed on. (I make my own soups and freeze extra...it's cheaper and a lot healthier than the high sodium canned stuff.)  

But I bought a lot of perfectly fine un-dented canned goods for 33-50 cents a can.  The large restaurant-size bulk canned goods are an even better deal in many cases.  

But again pay particular attention to dates because some items are well past the "best before" dates.  I saw several things that were a year or more outdated.  But many items are not yet outdated. Either way, you can get brand name foods cheap!

Also be aware that some items may have involved some type of less than catastrophic defect somewhere along the supply chain.

Most things appear perfectly fine, but I noticed a few things that were cheap for a reason related to the actual manufacturing process, maybe.

So if you discover a great price, be careful before buying boxes and boxes of it. I'm now glad I held back on loading up on a few deals.

We saw one old-timer pushing out a buggy with a 4 foot high stack of about 7 boxes of the marked-down hickory smoked bacon.

I sure hope for his sake all is well with it. At least with my piddly 4 lbs. of it I have little to lose but a few dollars if by chance something's wrong - which I highly doubt.

High fat, salt cured, smoked, and vacuum packed bacon? Not very hospitable conditions for bacterial growth. I'd say we both made a wise gamble at ~$1/lb.

Update: Bacon tasted just fine! Bargains always has great deals on bacon.


Bargain Foods Warehouse in Pelzer South Carolina

The above image is of the Bargain Foods Warehouse in Pelzer South Carolina directly adjacent to the actual store.

An employee confirmed to me that this is the building where they receive the food shipments and then bring it next door to stock the shelves of the store. They were carting over loose canned goods in buggies while we were there.

At first glance, I thought this side of Bargain Foods was a lawn and garden section with the pallets seen in the image maybe being garden soils and fertilizer. I was hoping food wasn't on any of the pallets in trailers or outside...see the following update.

Update: I was recently contacted by "a proud bargains employee" who stated the following...

"Just want to clarify - having just discovered this site.  We NEVER store food in pallets out-of-doors!...... That's ALL garden & lawn supplies."

Thank you so much for the heads up. I stand corrected.

I guess my initial thought about the pallets being lawn and garden supplies was correct. Good to know pallets of food are never stored outside. And I've since found some great bargains on gardening supplies, such as bedding plants, soil, and stepping stones. Look under the covered sidewalk outside.

I'd LOVE to get some more insiders' details from any other Bargain Foods employees or frequent shoppers via the below sharing form. Would love it if the owner himself could share more details about this location.


Bittersweet Bargains?

I almost bought an entire box of the below Hershey Chocolate bars (I actually rarely ever eat candy - but I knew I could freeze the chocolate).

But I decided to buy only a few Hershey bars after all, and it's a good thing I decided to hold back on a bulk buy. 

After opening and tasting one, I now know something is off. The nuts in it taste a whee bit stale and there is light-colored spots on the bars, as if the cocoa powder had not been mixed in well in the factory.

Who knows what the back stories are. There is some above average mystery to some of these below average prices. Check the items out as closely as you can.

The below Reeses cups also look as if they got too warm at some point and stuck a little to the wrappers with a bit of mottling on top, as you'd expect if they got warm at some point.  

But they taste 100% fine and look 95% normal. Maybe a refer truck hauling them lost refrigeration for a few minutes in Texas last summer. lol

Another example of possible factory flaw was a pallet of un-labeled bottles of ketchup (each bottle with ketchup of a slightly different shade of red. Tasted perfectly fine though).

I suspect some factories may sell off the accumulated fraction of product from their assembly lines which may not quite meet specifications. Maybe a pH titration was a tiny bit off, or different lots of tomatoes caused mixed colors in a grocery store's end cap display.  Like I said...mystery...like taking a bite of SPAM;^)

Despite my gut feeling, I bought a fancy Pad Thai noodle soup that I ended up later throwing away because while preparing it I found the sealed pack of prepared noodles inside smelled rancid.

I should have listened to the family member who told me not to buy it. That's the sort of prepared food I'll know to avoid next time.

It looked like it was not outdated on the package, though sometimes it can be hard to interpret those numbers.  Next time I'll be even more judicious with what I buy, and avoid certain types of processed foods, as I normally do anyway.

I'll especially avoid buying any out of date grain-based products like noodles and crackers.

At least the below dry pasta turned out to be an excellent buy with no quality problems. Pasta lasts a very long time anyway.


Is it legal for grocery stores to sell outdated foods?

If you go shopping at Bargain Foods in Pelzer you may find yourself asking that question.

After some research online I've verified that it is legal to sell most outdated foods in most cases, with exceptions being foods that can become potentially dangerous, such as dairy or packaged meats.  

I had been wondering about these type discount grocery stores selling outdated food for cheap ever since I saw an episode of TLC's "Extreme Cheapskates" in which a particularly frugal mother was shopping in a bargain food store similar to this one in Pelzer South Carolina.

Now this lady was beyond frugal.  She was the one who insisted the family members use cloth rags in place of toilet tissue, with the used rags getting re-washed and re-used over and over. 

Besides the free road-side salad greens she and the kiddies picked, she was getting tremendous deals on slightly outdated but safe items from a bargain food warehouse. After that episode I was wishing we had such a store here.  

Well now I know we do!

I'm glad there is a store like Bargain Foods in this area where outdated and close out foods can be bought by us more economic folks.  But I am also not as paranoid or bacteria phobic as the average American seems to be when it comes to "beyond sell by date" food.

I know many people who will not hesitate to throw away any perfectly good food item which has gone past its "sell by" date. It's one of the most disgustingly wasteful and stupid things millions of Americans do. Wake up people! Stop throwing cash in your trash and food into landfills.

I often eat "outdated" foods and have never had food poisoning from anything in my fridge or pantry. The human sense of smell is amazingly effective at detecting decomposition in food. If it smells fine, I'll usually eat it.

It's hard to believe that Americans throw away MORE THAN HALF OF ALL FOOD purchased! Think about that. That equates to lots of cash in the trash and lots of needless environmental damage simply due to human apathy and waste.

Bargain Foods in Pelzer SC is my kind of store because instead of all that outdated food being destroyed, it can instead be sold to thrifty and low-income families who may be willing to sacrifice some quality for a lower price.

But don't get me wrong, the MAJORITY of items sold at Bargain Foods Store are of full quality. The food bargains most often result from a liquidation sale when a retailer went under, or if labels / packaging / or brands became defunct.

Most of the salvage food business is built on brand close-outs. In other words, the food inside the packaging is 100% fine.

Or maybe the outer package has minor cosmetic flaws, such as a dented outer box of the otherwise expensive Kashi cereal I often find at Bargain Foods. The Sealed bags inside are always perfectly fine.

I get half off with a smile, and my compost worms don't bat an eyelash while feasting on the non-pristine boxes I lay down as a base under leaves to help mulch my garden;^)


Despite Popular Belief, Bargain Foods in Pelzer SC is not just frequented by low income families on "food stamps"

I believe the SNAP benefits (formerly Food Stamps program) renews early every month. Employees have told me Bargains Food Store tends to be busiest after shoppers SNAP EBT cards are re-loaded. So this is why Bargins may seem more crowded the first half of the month.

But everyone shops at Bargains - rich, poor, and all levels in between. Thrifty shoppers at Bargain Foods often include higher income families too. No doubt a lot of upper income people don't enjoy giving their whole paycheck to Whole Foods.

For many higher net worth shoppers, frugal living (in addition to hard work) was a key pathway to becoming and staying debt free, and ultimately growing wealth. So I'm never surprised at the broad economic diversity of bargain hunters frequenting Bargain Foods Store or any other deep discount outlet.

Everyone loves to save money, especially with high food price inflation. So shopping at this hidden gem in upstate SC is the perfect fit for anyone wanting to keep more of their hard earned money, no matter their tax bracket.


Here's a list of the unit prices on some of the limited time grocery bargains I and others have found in the Pelzer South Carolina Bargain Food Outlet...

  • Turkeys - .49 cents per pound
  • Candied Sweet Potatoes, Royal Prince, large 15.5 oz cans - 2/$1.00
  • Chicken Drumsticks, big 5 pound bag, frozen - $1.99
  • Hillshire Farm sandwich meat, Turkey 1 pound $1.69, Roast Beef 7 oz. $1.19
  • Pork Chops, 3 pound bag - $4.99
  • Chicken Nuggets, big 5 pound bag - $5.99
  • Fresh Chicken Drumsticks and Chicken Thighs - 69 cents per pound
  • Fresh Chicken Wings - $1.39 per pound
  • Frozen Chicken Wings, 5 pound bag - $7.99
  • Fresh Ribeye beef steaks - $5.99 per pound
  • Fresh Boston Pork Butts - 99 cents per pound
  • Heinz Home Style Roasted Turkey Gravy - 3 jars $1.00
  • Bacon, Wright brand, 15 pound box - $31.99
  • Maple Flavored Bacon, Oscar Mayer, naturally hardwood smoked, 16 oz pack - $1.99
  • Folgers Ground Coffee, Country Roast, 9.3 oz - $1.79
  • Cubed Cheddar Cheese, 5 pound bag - $5.99
  • Texas Pete Hot Sauce, 12 fl. oz bottles - 89 cents
  • Barbecue Sauce and Hot Sauce, 18 oz bottles - 39 cents
  • Barbecue Sauce, Sweet Baby Rays, 40 oz bottle - $1.99
  • Pork Back Ribs, fully cooked w/ sauce, 24 oz packs - $3.99
  • Pork Riblets, Aunt Bessie's, 5 pound bag - $6.99
  • Russet Potatoes, 10 pound bag - $1.00
  • Totino’s Pizza Rolls, 90 count bag - $5.99
  • Jack Links Super Size Pepperoni Beef Sticks, 1.5 oz - 2 for $1.00 (I don't usually eat junk food like this, but I bought some because I've heard it's good bait for catching bluegills).
  • Granola Bars, 6 in box - 43 cents per box
  • Kashi GoLean Crunch Multigrain Cereal $3.99 for SUPER SIZED 51 oz. box (3 lb. 3 oz) w/ two big bags inside. TREMENDOUS DISCOUNT! I'm now a fan of this hippie dippy organic cereal, but only if Bargins is selling it at this super cheap discount.
  • Classico Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 25.3 oz - $2.99
  • Vegetable Oil, Wesson brand, 1.25 gallon bottle - $5.99
  • Red Baron Frozen Pizzas, Pepperoni or Cheese, brick oven crust, 17.82 or 17.89 oz - $2.39
  • Onion rings, breaded, big 5 pound bags - $4.99
  • Waffle Fries, big 5 pound bags - $5.99
  • Kraft American Sliced Cheese, 5 pounds, 96 slice packs - $8.99
  • Kraft American Cheese Singles, 24 slice pack - $2.50
  • Peanuts, dry roasted & unsalted 16 oz. bag (1 lb.) only $0.99/bag! Lowest price I've ever seen for this weight of roasted peanuts! They had a pallet full near checkout. I happily loaded the boat on this deal. Bought a year's worth last year. Still enjoying fresh peanuts for cooking & snacking!
  • Bottled Water, Aquafina 32 pack of 16.9 oz bottles - $2.50
  • Bottled Spring Water, Nestle, 24 pack - $1.99
  • Bottled Spring Water, Kewl brand, 24 pack of 16.9 fl. oz bottles - $1.99
  • Yoohoo drink, 12 pack - $3.99
  •  Fresh Ground Beef - $2.29 per pound
  • Apple Sauce snack cups, 6 pack - 79 cents
  • Big 10 lb. box of Breaded Chicken Breast Fillets ~ $10.50 (delish)
  • Breaded Buffalo Shrimp, 5 pound bag - $16.99
  • Stouffer’s Freshly Made Frozen Dinners, Baked Chicken Breast 5/$5.00, Pierre Sausage, Egg and Cheese Muffin for 2/$3.00, and Chili’s Chicken and Rice 5/$5.00
  • Pan and Grill Oil, gallon jugs - $2.99
  • Fruit Cakes, 1 pound $3.49, 2 pound $6.49
  • Fresh Bananas, 4 pounds - $1.00
  • Strawberries and Blackberries, 12 oz containers - 99 cents
  • Strawberries, 1 pound packs - 50 cents
  • Strawberries,  16 oz pack - 50 cents
  • Fresh Pineapples - 89 cents each
  • Large 2 lb. bags of frozen stir-fry veggies $1.99/bag
  • Large 2 lb. bags of Brussel Sprouts $2.59/bag
  • Large 5 lb. bag of Crinkle Cut French Fries $2.79/bag
  • Coffee, Italian Dark Roast 100% Arabica, 80 counts box of k-cups - $10.99
  • Coffee, Folgers Country Roast, ground, 31.1 oz - $4.99
  • Coffee Creamer, Great Value brand, powder, 50 oz - $1.99
  • All sorts of cheap juices, such as 64 oz. Juicy Juice and Cranberry Juice for $0.99
  • Adobo Seasoning (3.7 oz.) 50 cents each
  • Popping Corn, big bags $0.50 (we eat lots of this cheap healthy snack!)
  • Coke and Pepsi, 2 liter bottles - 99 cents
  • Balsamic Vinegar, "Capatriti Mediterranean grown", big 34 fl. oz. bottle $1.99
  • Vacuum packed Hickory Smoked Bacon ~ $1/lb.
  • Quaker Instant Grits, 12 pack of 1 oz bags, various flavors - $1.49 per box
  • Red Potatoes 10 cents/lb!
  • Watermelons, small seedless - 88 cents
  • Tomato Paste 25 cents/can
  • Goya Garbanzo Beans, 15 oz. cans ~$0.33
  • Organic Soy Beans (Adamame), 15 oz. cans ~$0.33
  • Canned Goods, HUGE variety of brand-names, small to bulk cans, well below big box retail prices. Some dented, some not.
  • French Style Greenbeans (14.5 oz.) 50 cents/can
  • Del Monte Canned Corn (15.25 oz.) 50 cents/can
  • 4 pack (5.5 oz. cans) Nine Lives Real Tuna Cat Food $1.19/pack 
  • Canned Tuna Fish (5 oz.) 59 cents/can
  • Starkist Chunk Light Tuna in water, 4 pack of 4.5 oz cans - $2.99
  • Beef Franks, Oscar Mayer Selects, smoked angus beef franks, 14 oz pack - 99 cents
  • Chicken Breast, premium chunk, 10 oz. cans $1.79
  • Progresso Recipe Starters Cooking Sauces, 18 oz. cans $0.50
  • Gallon jug of "La Junta" Picante Sauce $2.50 (this was HORRIBLE, will return for full refund..YES you can return items, keep your receipts!)
  • Refried Beans (16 oz. cans) 33 cents each
  • Chili Beans (15.5 oz cans) 50 cents/can
  • Mission Chicken Caesar Wrap Kit (kit makes 12) $1.39
  • Ranch Beans w/ Jalapenos (large 26 oz. cans) 79 cents/can
  • Raspberry Preserve 2 lb. jar 99 cents (the best jelly I've ever tasted!!!)
  • Emeril's Dijon Mustard (12 oz.) 59 cents
  • Grey Poupon Dijon Mustard (10 oz.) 49 cents
  • Mustard (2 lb. jar) 99 cents
  • Packets of Buritto Mix 33 cents/packet
  • Weber Chipotle Marinade packets 33 cents/packet (terrific seasoning for chicken!)
  • Fleishman's Yeast 3-packs (not outdated) 59 cents total
  • Red Star Yeast 3-packs (not outdated) 39 cents total
  • Saltine Crackers, Nabisco Original Premium w/ Sea Salt, 1 pound box - $0.99
  • Smuckers Grape Jelly 2 lb. jar $1.49
  • Fancy Italian Imported Colavita Pastas, various types of pasta from "Angel Hair Nests" to Rigatoni, Penne Pasta, etc., 1 lb. bags for ~ $.39/bag. Loaded the boat for year's supply. Best pasta I've ever eaten!
  • Allegra Elbow Noodles (1 lb. bag) 59 cents/bag
  • Allegra Shell Noodles (1 lb. bag) 59 cents/bag
  • Allegra Egg Noodles (12 oz. bag) 69 cents/bag
  • Thai Kitchen Noodle Soup pack (1.6 oz.) 20 cents each
  • Bar S Thick Bologna or Classic Frank's, 12 oz packs,  $0.78
  • Corn Meal (Arnett's Stone Ground (1 lb. 8 oz.) 59 cents/bag
  • 5 lb bag Rice $2.99
  • NutriGrain Soft Baked Breakfast Bars, 48 bar variety pack - $4.99
  • Kellogg's Corn Flakes Cereal, big 43 oz box (2 big bags inside) - $3.99
  • Post Cocoa Pebbles Cereal - $0.99
  • Cereal, General Mills brand, Cookie Crisp, 11.25 oz box - 99 cents
  • Cereal, 17.6 oz boxes - 50 cents
  • German Panni Potato Pancake and Potato Dumpling Mix, 7.9 oz. boxes $0.50/box
  • Canned Pitted Tart Cherries 99 cents/can
  • Flame-broiled Chicken Breast Sandwiches, Pierre Signatures, 12 per box - $3.99
  • Fresh Whole Boneless Pork Loin - $1.59 per pound
  • Oscar Mayer Balogna, 8 oz packs - 3 for $1.00
  • Oscar Mayer Classic Beef Franks, 20 count mega pack - $2.50
  • Hot dog Franks, Kahn's brand, pork / turkey / chicken, 8 pack - 28 cents
  • Emerald Cocoa Roasted Almonds, very fancy high priced snack, but only $1.29 for good sized canister at Bargins Foods. Costs much more elsewhere.
  • Wasa Light Rye Crispbread (16/pack) 50 cents/pack (great deal)
  • Hershey Chocolate Bars 50 cents each (nuts tasted a bit stale)
  • Reeses Peanut Butter Cups 14 per bag $1.29 
  • Almond Hershey Kisses 18 oz. bag $1.99
  • Pie Crusts, White Rose brand, 2 pie crusts in 9" pie pans - 38 cents per 2 pack
  • 20 pack AA Batteries $2.79
  • Cat food, flats of ~36 cans, high quality certified, $3.99 (~$.14/can). Best deal by a long shot. I tracked factory and it's the same cat food sold to all the pet food brands who slap their label on it and charge much more per can.
  • Dry Cat Food, 30 lb. bag, Twin Pet brand, complete and balanced nutrition - $6.99
  • Dry Dog Food, 10 lb. bag, Stella & Chewy's brand, fancy freeze dried raw-coated 38% protein kibble -$5.99
  • Cedar Bedding, Kennel Club brand, shavings, large bales - $5.59
  • Pine Bedding, Sun Coast brand, fine cut shavings, large bales - $4.89
  • Paper Towels, 6 roll pack - $1.99
  • Toilet Tissue, 12 roll pack - $1.99
  • Lunchables - $1.78
  • Pop Tarts, Strawberry, 36 count box - $4.99
  • Oreo Cookies, box of 10 packs, 3 pound 4.5 oz - $3.99
  • Assorted cakes, 44 oz, 2/$3.00
  • Fresh Chocolate Chip Muffins, 4 pack - 50 cents each
  • Famous Amos Cookies, large box w/ 42 bags - $7.99
  • Cheez It snack crackers, large box w/ 45 bags - $7.99
  • Yoohoo Chocolate Drink, 12 pack of 11 fl. oz cans - $3.99
  • Salmon, large 14.75 oz cans, wild caught Alaskan pink salmon, no preservatives, very tasty, only $1.50/can! Great bargain. See image below...
  • Spiral-Sliced Hams - 99 cents per pound
  • Sweet Potatoes - 19 cents per pound
  • Flour, King Arthur brand, 100% Organic, bread or whole wheat, 5 lb. bag - $1.99
  • Molasses, Old Mill brand, 32 oz jar - $3.39
  • Cool Whip, big 10 oz container - 99 cents
  • Little debbie cakes, assorted, 4/$5.00
  • Pepperidge Farm cakes, assorted - $2.29
  • Macaroni and Cheese Dinners - 3/$ 1.00
  • Margarine, Country Crock brand, 45 oz - $2.79
  • Butter, Land O Lakes brand, 1 pound real sweet cream butter - $3.29
  • Pepperidge Farm bread, $1.00 each
  • Golden Bake Sandwich Bread - $0.48

These above bargains on food and household items are PAST deals that had limited supply, and thus probably no longer exist. But they've likely since been replaced with new similar deals in the same grocery categories.

Close-outs are usually one time special buys, so the available bargains are always changing, dependent on supply.

The really great deals go fast. Just because you found an amazing bargain today, definitely does not mean you will find it tomorrow. An example is the below pictured wild caught Alaska salmon for $1.50 a can. Glad I backed up the truck on this deal because I've not seen such a great deal on salmon at Bargain Foods since.

Important Fact to Consider:
Yes you absolutely can return items for a full refund if you are not satisfied with something! Keep all your receipts. If you have any questions about returns, call the above store number and ask before making your trip.


What amazing salvage deals have you found at Bargain Foods in Pelzer SC?
What do you think about this discount grocery store? Share your review or read others' reviews and comments below. I'd love to feature your insights, photos, or videos on this review of Bargain Foods.







bargains food store pelzer sc

Where was this 1 gallon Milk for $2.99 as advertised on the Bargain Foods sign out front of the store? I missed that somehow. Oh well, no room left in the buggy by the time we got to the dairy aisle of this large depot of deals.

I don't drink much milk anyway. If I buy milk it is usually for use in making my frugal salmon stew (which I'm making a lot of, given the above terrific bargain on pink salmon).

Some local grocery stores put milk on sale for <$2 a gallon, so it wasn't that great of a bargain anyway, in my opinion. Not EVERYTHING at Bargains is a huge bargain, after all. But there are tons of "loss leaders" nevertheless.

There are lots of great deals on dairy products, but be forewarned, some of the bulk off-brand cheeses don't taste very good. I loaded up on some Swiss Cheese that was awful. So be cautious before backing up the truck.



add your comments or review of Bargain Foods in Pelzer SC

Add Your Comment or Review of Bargain Foods in Pelzer SC

Add your Bargain Foods reviews, images, rants, raves, tips, or best bargain discoveries. Tell us what you bought and how much you saved.

What kind of shopping experience did you have at the popular Bargain Food Store in Pelzer South Carolina? No racist or hateful comments please!

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bargain food store pelzer sc

The Bargain Foods sign advertising 49 cents/lb. Bananas. Not one of their better deals, actually. But the red potatoes for 10 cents/lb....now that was a great deal.

Between this hidden gem in Pelzer SC and the nearby Anderson Jockey Lot, we should find some much better deals on fruits and vegetables come summer and fall.

What deals did you find? Use the above quick and easy form to Share your review of Bargain Food Store. You can even include photos of the cheap food you found there and get notified when someone comments on your submission.

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