You may have seen meat with a yellow sticker in the meat section while pushing a cart at the grocery store. If the sticker says "Manager's Special," you might feel pleased but also curious about why it just appeared now.

In fact, this sticker isn't put on just any time. The meat department staff checks the inventory and expiration dates before applying it, so knowing the timing can be very advantageous.

According to various store examples, the highest probability is within the first hour or two after opening. If a store opens at 7 AM, data shows that marking is often completed between 8 and 9 AM.

There's also another marking in the evening. It's said that a second marking occurs between 7 PM and 9 PM as staff organizes inventory that needs to be processed that day.

When looking at days of the week, Monday mornings are often highlighted. Stores stock up the meat section more than usual in preparation for weekend shoppers, and since they can't carry over leftover stock from the weekend, they tend to organize it all on Monday.

Some stores mention Wednesday as well. Since delivery cycles and display change times vary by store, some places put out all the unsold inventory from the previous week on Wednesday mornings.

In fact, at a store in the Springfield area, I've noticed that many people gather in front of the meat section every Tuesday morning. The fact that marking is completed during that time had already spread among regular customers.

There's also a pattern to the discount amounts. Typically, a discount of 20 to 30 percent is applied one or two days before the expiration date, and if it still doesn't sell, it drops to over 50 percent on the morning of the expiration date.

Personally, I was a bit surprised by these figures. It means that the discount rate nearly doubles within a day or two, indicating that stores are clearly trying not to hold onto inventory for too long.

Some stores apply a second marking on remaining inventory by evening, raising the discount rate to between 50 and 70 percent. The more urgent the inventory is to be processed that day, the larger the discount tends to be.

It's also important to distinguish between types of stickers. There are standard markdown price tags that are automatically generated based on expiration dates, and there are true Manager's Specials that managers can choose to discount further on the spot.

The latter doesn't have a set schedule and often comes out spontaneously based on the day's inventory situation. Therefore, regular customers who establish a rapport with the staff are more likely to hear about these additional discounts first.

These stickers aren't only found on meat. Similar markings are applied in the deli, bakery, and dairy sections, but the savings are most noticeable in the meat department due to the higher price point.

It's helpful to know that each chain operates slightly differently. Some stores set their own marking times, while others have a similar discount system under the name "yellow sticker" that runs continuously.

The names also vary by store. Some use terms like "yellow tag" or "clearance tag" instead of Manager's Special, but regardless of the name, the goal of quickly clearing inventory remains the same.

It's also worth noting that these discounts cannot be obtained through online orders or pickups. Manager's Specials can only be encountered by visiting the store and visually checking the displays.

Whether app coupons or member discounts can be combined varies by store. Often, you can only find out by scanning at the checkout, so it's better to check in person rather than having expectations beforehand.

One thing to clarify about expiration date labeling is that the sell-by date is a guideline for the store's inventory management, not an indication that the product is inedible after that date.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture makes this point clear as well. Sell-by and use-by labels are not federally mandated safety standards but guidelines set by stores and manufacturers for quality control, and if stored properly, there are no safety issues even after the labeled date.

However, I wouldn't recommend just grabbing items based solely on the sticker. If you're not going to cook it right away, it's safer to transfer it to the freezer on the day of purchase for long-term storage.

It's also important to consider that marking times can vary slightly by store. If you ask the meat department staff what time they usually do the marking, they often share that information surprisingly willingly.

If it were me, I would prioritize morning times over evening closing times. Evening markings are for inventory that must be sold that day, so the variety is limited, while morning markings offer more options.

If you visit your local grocery store repeatedly over a few weeks, you'll start to see patterns unique to that store. Keeping track of which mornings stickers are frequently applied isn't a bad strategy.

Even though a sticker may seem to represent only a few dollars, for a household that shops weekly, it adds up to a significant amount over a year. If you can develop a habit of timing your visits, it could be worth it to reduce your meat expenses.