Deep discounts for damaged goods
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Lisa Prentice of Janesville picks out an item in the snack aisle at DJ's Bent 'n' Dent in Beloit.
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Lisa Prentice selects a bag of organic chocolate in the candy aisle at DJ's Bent 'n' Dent of Beloit.
BELOIT — Cans of pineapple are dented.
Crumpled boxes of granola bars are taped closed.
Bags of tortilla chips are one month past their expiration date.
Bottles of salad dressing have black Xs marked on their labels.
Boxes of bandages are discolored.
The shelves at DJ’s Bent & Dent Groceries, 2571 Park Ave., aren’t attractive, but they’re stocked with non-perishable food items, personal hygiene products and household cleaning supplies at 40 percent to 75 percent less than regular grocery store prices.
Lisa Prentice, 38, of Janesville is among the growing ranks of people who’ve made shopping at discount grocery stores part of their weekly routine, pinching every penny they can as food prices have climbed.
Store owner Dana Schear said DJ’s, which opened Feb. 23, fills a need in an area where working families, senior citizens and others without a cent to spare have been forced to rethink their spending.
It didn’t take long for word about the store to spread in Rock County—Schear didn’t begin minimally advertising the store until July—and now she has a troop of regular customers.
Shoppers such as Prentice know a deal when they see one.
“I’m a bargain hunter by nature,” she said. “I try absolutely never to pay full price for anything.”
A can of Campbell’s Select soup that sells for more than $2 at Pick ’n Save goes for 75 cents at DJ’s. A box of Kashi cereal that sells for about $4 at Woodman’s goes for $1.75 at DJ’s. A compact of CoverGirl makeup that sells for almost $8 at Wal-Mart goes for $1.50 at DJ’s.
Prentice’s cart Friday was full of cupboard staples including six bottles of salad dressing, two boxes of granola bars and two taco dinner kits.
“You can’t go wrong here,” she said as she maneuvered her cart through the aisles.
Schear said most shoppers buy in multiples, sometimes dozens of bags, boxes and cans at a time.
She tries to price items at 50 percent less than Wal-Mart and Woodman’s, her benchmarks, she said. And if she has an ample supply of one item or if an item is out of date, she’ll mark it lower.
But discount shopping isn’t for everyone.
Shoppers must be willing to buy dinged up cans, banged up boxes and taped up packages. They must be willing to deal with unfamiliar brands. They must be willing to change their shopping list as the merchandise changes.
Prentice, who for $52.95 on Friday bought a cart-full of groceries that’ll last her family at least a month, said most important, people must consider discount grocery shopping an adventure.
“I always try to get the best bargain,” she said. “It’s fun for me. Going to these stores is like a treasure hunt for me.”
She said she hated grocery shopping before the discount store landed on her radar screen.
Prentice, a wife and stay-at-home mother of an 11-year-old daughter, said she shops first at DJ’s before perusing the grocery store circulars for sales on bread, milk and meat to supplement. But the store just started carrying meat from Sorg’s in Darien and cheese from Decatur Dairy in Brodhead, so she’s got fewer things to get elsewhere.
“I go there first to see what they have,” she said. “It’s always a changing scene there, so I see what I can stock up on.”
Prentice said a typical shopping trip yields a one- to two-month supply of groceries. She said she still makes a Wal-Mart run once a week, but she no longer does the majority of her shopping there.
“I can just load up my car, and I’m good to go for a while,” she said. “And I generally only spend $40 to $45. And it’s not just food.”
To price things at a discount, Schear works with a distributor of salvaged groceries to buy damaged goods, overstocked items and end-of-the-line products. A truckload brings dozens of banana boxes full of miscellaneous items to the store, where she and her employees spend hours sorting.
The merchandise is usually a casualty of the rough-and-tumble grocery business—items that fell off forklifts in a warehouse, items nearing their expiration dates and items rejected by overstocked stores.
The flaws don’t seem to deter shoppers who come to DJ’s looking to save money. The store was busy Friday afternoon, when Prentice pushed her cart up to the cash register, carefully placing her treasures on the counter.
“Like everyone else, (my family is) on a tight budget,” she said. “And here, I can really save a lot of money. I don’t care what the package looks like. I just check to make sure the damage isn’t too bad.”
Store modeled after another in Albany
Dana Schear said it was divine intervention that brought DJ’s Bent & Dent Groceries to Beloit.
She quit her job at Beloit Redi-Mix after 19 years, when her fifth child, a baby boy with Down syndrome, was born.
Schear said the baby, named Dannie Jr., is her “little angel.”
After being a stay-at-home mother for almost a year, she was itching to get back to work. But Dannie Jr. was receiving in-home physical, occupational and speech therapy, and she didn’t want to be away during those sessions; she was learning from the therapists what she could do on her own to help her son.
Schear had heard about Detweiler’s Bent and Dent, a salvage grocery store run by an Amish family in Green County.
Vernon Detweiler opened the store at W363 Atkinson Road, Albany, in 1999.
“It’s like coming to a flea market,” said store manager Char Ceder. “We never know what we’re going to get in. Every 10 to 14 days the merchandise changes.”
Items are priced 40 percent to 60 percent less than regular grocery stores, and the store carries a number of name-brand items—Starbucks coffee is quite popular—as well as organic and gourmet foods, she said.
The Detweilers follow strict guidelines for which damaged items are placed on the store shelves, Ceder said.
For example, canned goods must have their top, bottom and side seams intact, and boxes can be dented, discolored or torn, but the plastic packages inside must be sealed.
Schear thought she could open a similar store herself, a place where she could work and be close to her son and a business that would fill a great need in the community.
She beamed as 21-month-old Dannie Jr. sat on the counter near the cash register Friday.
“He can stay here with me,” Schear said. “And when he’s older, he can work in the store.”
She named the store DJ’s after her “little angel” because if it hadn’t been for him, she never would have opened the store, she said.
DISCOUNT GROCERY STORES
What: DJ’s Bent & Dent Groceries
Where: 2571 Park Ave., Beloit.
Phone: (608) 313-0545
Hours: 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday. Closed Sunday and Monday.
What: Detweiler’s Bent & Dent Groceries
Where: W363 Atkinson Road, Albany.
Phone: (608) 897-2867
Hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday
PENNY PINCHING
For more ideas on how to save money on groceries, go to reporter Kayla Bunge’s blog post on the subject. Dozens of readers posted their money-saving tips in the comments section of the blog.
To read the blog and comments, go to http://gazettextra.com/weblogs/clock/2008/aug/19/plea-grocery-shopping-gurus.
Sep 12, 2008 at 4:31 p.m.
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yes Dj's does take debit...I used it the other day...The Amish only takes cash or checks.
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I too have been doing this for years, I agree hunting for bargins is fun. I not only go to the bent n dents,but thrift stores like Salvation Army & Goodwill, but also to outlet stores like Penneys in Machesney Park. I can buy name brand clothes for about 50% - 75% of the price in the regular store. Sure some is irregular and I always try everything on (sometimes the sizes are mis-marked but all in all I save big money. ANd if you get a group of family or friends together it makes for a nice outing and you can carpool and save $$$ on the gas.
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Just wish we could get a liquidators store here like I have seen "up north" at Adams/Friendship and that area. Those are like a big lots, but even better.I get to them when I visit family/friends once a year and it is a real treat.
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The best part and the downfall too is that you never know what kind of bargin you are going to run into. It is truly a adventure and not for those who have to have consistancy in their shoping habits.
Sep 12, 2008 at 1 p.m.
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I am not certain about debit/credit cards, but I know they accept checks at both bent and dent stores. I am willing to bet DJ's take debit. HTH
Sep 12, 2008 at 8:59 a.m.
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Does anyone know what type of payments they accept here? I'd hate to walk in with a debit card or a check and have them only take cash.
Sep 12, 2008 at 8:35 a.m.
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It just depends on what the outdated items are. When I was stationed in the Azores, it was not uncommon to have cereal on the commissary shelves that was 6 months or more out of date. (That often was the freshest.)
When I was younger, my dad used to get lots of stuff from a local store that didn't look pretty on the outside. If he took the outer layer off, the rest was just fine. That was over 50 years ago & I'm still looking down at the flowers!
Sep 12, 2008 at 8:29 a.m.
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WHAAAAHHHH!!! Everyone knows about my secrets now!!!! haha. I have shopped discount stores, goodwill (which is getting way too expensive), garage sales and Aldi's for YEARS. Getting a good deal to me is a HUGE HIGH. Seriously. I will wait and wait and wait to find something I REALLY want at a garage sale before I go buy it brand new. And I love antiques, and I also wait forever just to spend almost nothing on a treasure I have been looking for. I used to get called so tight I could pinch a penny and get change, now days more and more people are getting into this game. The sad thing though is Goodwill thinks because they are getting busier, they can raise their prices. They aren't going to last long at 7.99 for a pair of pants. And they think they are antique dealers with "ebay appraisals" of items in the case.....as you can tell, I am not such a fan of Goodwill any more.... ;o) But these bent and dent store are fantastic!!!!!!
Sep 12, 2008 at 8:16 a.m.
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Um...Ken... Salmonella most often comes from undercooked egg/meat products. Today's mayonnaise is pastuerized to within an inch of it's life. It's not as if a day past the expiration date a sealed bottle of egg containing product will suddenly develop colonies of bacteria.
You're much more likely to catch Salmonella from produce at the grocery store or a restaurant from food cross-contamination than you are from an expired date.
Sep 12, 2008 at 8:16 a.m.
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Guardian - while shopping at this store supports the local economy, it will not affect jobs being outsourced. They are the same products at large retailers carry that are made in China or another country.
Sep 12, 2008 at 8:01 a.m.
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Buying those dented cans are a real pain in the butt to try and get open but, it can be done with some effort.
Sep 12, 2008 at 6:28 a.m.
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Thank you to DJ's and all their patrons for supporting the local economy. The outsourced workers of Huffy, Levi's, and Vlasic, (to name just a few), thank you for not shopping at China-Mart.
Boycott China-Mart!
Sep 12, 2008 at 6:27 a.m.
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You pay for what you get. ANYONE going to these stores KNOWS they are bent and dent. So you have the responsibility to check the exp. dates. IF you don't want to have to do that don't shop there.
Sep 11, 2008 at 11:42 p.m.
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I have been saving money for years on everything from cereal, diapers, tissues, razors to home suff and electronics by planning my needs over the next 6 months and watching bargain hunting websites like Unodeals.com to stock up as soon as a bargain appears. No store hopping (save gas $$'s) and save state taxes on most purchases.
Sep 11, 2008 at 6:06 p.m.
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It's all okay until someone gets samonella...
Sep 11, 2008 at 2:05 p.m.
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Yes both dent n bents do carry some pet food.
Albany's also carries items like batteries, film,etc... and just yesterday I was able to get HP color printer ink for only $5.00 each, where at Staples I would have to pay $49.00 each And some of the ink wasn't even expired or damaged, only thing wrong with it was the box was a little sun faded. I have bought it in the past and it works just perfectly. Now saving $80.00 alon on the ink now that is what I call savings !!!
Sep 11, 2008 at 1:39 p.m.
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What about animals items, cat food , dog food. This is really exciting.. Because we have def. been feeling the pinch when it comes to grocery's
I wish I had known sooner..
Sep 11, 2008 at 1:33 p.m.
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Is it good deals on the frozen stuff?
Sep 11, 2008 at 1:21 p.m.
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They carry frozen meats from Sorgs, pizzas, popsicles and some other frozen things. They also have eggs, cheese and lunch meat.
Sep 11, 2008 at 1:08 p.m.
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Does anyone know if they carry refg/frozen items other than milk?
Sep 11, 2008 at 11:47 a.m.
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I love this store. I bought an entire box of groceries, so heavy my husband had to carry it out, for $28.
They often have buy-one-get-one free deals, and sometimes even have freebie offers.
You do have to be careful about what expired things you purchase. The salad dressings, if cream based, wouldn't be a great idea. But other dressings, such as Italian, no problem for me.
This is the only place I buy my cereal, snacks, cake mixes, canned veggies, soups, and cake mixes.
Sep 11, 2008 at 11:36 a.m.
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Interesting that they're carrying Decatur Dairy cheese.... Wondering if the Stettlers are trying bring in a few extra bucks to help pay for their defense attorney.
http://www.gazettextra.com/news/2008/sep...
Sep 11, 2008 at 10:34 a.m.
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Wow, what an awesome idea. I wonder if something like that would go over well in a college town like Whitewater?? A new business venture idea, I think...
Sep 11, 2008 at 10:29 a.m.
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You have to definitely watch expiration dates. We bought a box of cereal and did not realize it was eight months past expiration. The ceral was very stale and we threw it out. BUT, all in all, this store is a GREAT bargain.
Sep 11, 2008 at 10:28 a.m.
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3children, that is part of dent and bent :) I guess they could call it "Dent, Bent & Expired" but that's sort of a long name ;) I have bought all kinds of expired items and none of them were "bad". I wouldn't buy expired eggs or milk, and they don't sell them expired. Can and packaged goods can last quite a bit longer than their expire date, hence the discount. I've been shopping there since they opened and haven't had one single bad item.
Sep 11, 2008 at 10:23 a.m.
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I love this store! I go every week, if not a couple times. I get all my kids lunch snacks and juice there. They also have a lot of organic food. And you can't beat their price on liquid Downy. I've seen Walmart sell the exact same size bottle for $7 and you can get it at DJ's for $4. I don't think $1.75 is too much for a box of cereal though....The milk is $3.75 and a bit high, but they're not buying a lot of milk at a time like Walmart or Woodman's. It's not expired either so the price should be normal priced, not discounted:) It's worth it to me to travel a mile and pay a bit more for milk versus going across town to the bigger stores. I make up the difference in the other items I buy. I love knowing that I'm shopping local, right here in Beloit Township and that I know Dana and Dannie from school functions. I like supporting my community :)
Sep 11, 2008 at 10:14 a.m.
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I've shopped here. It is fun. They have a interesting selection of things. The one thing that I did find was that some of the items were past expiration dates.
Sep 11, 2008 at 9:38 a.m.
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If anyone likes pecan pie...I got what's called Pecan Pie in a jar at DJs. It was the best ever.I did find somethings OVER priced.Milk,bread and the cereal were way over priced.Dent and Bent is the best so far to me .
Sep 11, 2008 at 9:05 a.m.
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I am so glad to see another store like this in the area. I used to go to the one in Albany all the time , but have been disappointed with them as of late. Their prices have gone up, like for cereal, and animal supply's and its not worth my gas to make the trip out there. I do just as well watching for sales at the local stores.
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