Overview
- Tesco’s shelf labels use a reversed date code, with “250121” indicating 21 January 2025 as the promotion end.
- Waitrose typically prints only the day and month on labels, while Sainsbury’s often shows the start date and usually wraps promotions on Tuesdays.
- Which? says supermarkets rotate short-term deals frequently, with many reductions linked to loyalty schemes such as Tesco Clubcard and Sainsbury’s Nectar, whereas Waitrose promotions do not require membership.
- Tesco and some rivals list exact promotion end dates in their apps and on websites, though in-store label decoding can be quicker for shoppers.
- Which? also outlines best‑before coding: Asda and Tesco use a letter for the month and a number for the day, while Sainsbury’s codes begin with ‘J’ and end with ‘S’ with the date embedded in the middle.