As people look to save money where they can amid the cost of living crisis, one woman has shared her thrifty tip to cut her grocery bill.
Meia, from the US, revealed she snaps the meaty stems off broccoli before purchasing to ensure she doesn’t pay for anything she won’t eat.
But her supermarket trick has divided many, with some branding the move “stealing”.
Meia, who posts on TikTok as @mimicarter81, shared a video of two stems in her hands that she throws back into the display box.
“I’m not going to pay for these,” she declared.
“I’m only going to pay for what I am going to eat.”
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After showing off her bag full of broccoli heads, social media users erupted over her money-saving strategy.
“That is stealing, I’ve notified the manager,” someone commented.
“You’re causing more work for the employees,” another stated.
The “sneaky” tactic however is also a firm favourite among many of the video’s 6 million viewers.
“Every bit of saving helps. It all adds up. Good for you for shopping wisely,” one said.
“100 per cent you go girl, don’t waste money, times are hard as it is,” another praised.
As one said: “Ha… Been doing that for years.”
Many however decided to mock the cost cutting tip, labelling it a “cheapskate” move.
“This is why I always peel the prawns in the supermarket,” one remarked.
“I take the raw chicken out of the plastic because I don’t wanna pay for the plastic,” another scoffed.
It’s not the first time this divisive move has caused controversy, with a fed up grocer who was sick of customers snapping off broccoli stems putting up a sign to discourage it in 2020.
The sign said that if staff found a customer had snapped off a broccoli stem, they would be charged double.
Thus, it would defeat the attempt at saving money that customers were trying to do.
Another cheeky way people try to get discounts at the supermarket is by swapping tags on fruit or by weighing an item as something else.
It’s not the only reason shoppers are urged to keep the stems on broccoli, with Aussie nutritionist Lyndi Cohen – known as the Nude Nutritionist on Instagram – previously revealing it contains a lot of fibre which is “really important for your gut health and microbiome, which affects your immune system, mood and more.”