Bread for the masses. . . .

Last Wednesday, when I met with a group of like-minded frugal folks to talk about our frugal strategies and motivations, I learned something interesting. There is a grocery store in town that will place unsold produce and baked goods outside the back (or in this case, the side) doors every Sunday at 8:00 a.m. I've heard of stores doing this, but never knew anyone with the exact details describing when and where to go.

Being that I'm trying to reduce my grocery bills even further (see this post for tips on how I've done this so far), I decided to get up a little earlier than usual and head over to this particular store to see what there was to be had.

I must say, as I pulled up to the store and parked my car (the store is located quite a way from my house), I felt a little awkward. Was I really going to walk up to the delivery entrance of this rather high-end local store, trolling for free food? I've often read articles by and about 'freegans' who basically dumpster-dive for their clothing, furniture, and yes, even food. While I can relate to the desire to eliminate waste and 'reduce, re-use, recycle', I'm mildly repulsed by the idea of eating food from a dumpster, to be honest. But here I was, inching my way into the world of eating something that was literally inches away from the garbage can.

Here's what I found: there were two or three wooden bins, containing the remnants of produce. I picked up two brown bananas, with the intention of using these to make banana bread later in the week. I passed over the blueberries that had escaped their plastic container and rolled around loose next to wilted greenery of some sort (lettuce? cabbage? kale? who knows?). I next turned to a shopping cart filled with paper bags. Inside these bags were perfectly lovely loaves of bread of all types, plus two or three different kinds of rolls. As I chose three loaves of bread from the hundred or so that were there, two possibly homeless people rolled up on their bikes and began eyeing the food as well. After a quick greeting, I stepped away from the shopping cart, with more bread than I'll eat in a week (one loaf will go directly into the freezer).

So, will I visit this store again? Probably, but not anytime soon. Well, maybe not until the end of the month, when my grocery budget is history and I'm jonesing for more bread. Who knows? Maybe next time the produce will be more attractive and usable, and I'll get more benefit from a 7:30 a.m. alarm and a 10 minute drive.

What do you think? Does the very idea of this disgust you, or could you see yourself eating day-old bread (at least, I hope it's only day old) you picked up from a shopping cart outside the delivery door of a grocery store?