Holt Food Auction- The New Trend in Grocery Shopping

It might seem a little unconventional, buying your groceries at an auction instead of a supermarket, but some people we spoke with say the savings is unbelieveable.

For thrifty grocery shoppers, clipping coupons and buying generic brands isn't good enough anymore, and here in Holt, food auctions are seeing an increase in popularity.

"I think over the last 6 months we've definitely seen an increase. In February we had about 115 bidders, we only have 96 chairs back there," said Chris Crepeau, of the Michigan Auction Sales.

Chris Crepeau runs Michigan Auction Sales which conducts a monthly food auction in Holt.

He says now more than ever, families are looking to save.

"I would say at least 25 percent, some of the stuff is 50 percent and even more savings," Crepeau said.

Some, like Kathy Fox, say they depend on the auction, because without it, they can't make ends meet.

"It's very helpful especially when you have kids that are packing lunches and a husband packing a lunch, you can buy all this stuff at a fraction of what it would cost in the stores," Fox said.

The food is cheaper because it is purchased in bulk and may be nearing its sell by date.

"Some of the things might be close to going out of date, but 99% of everything we sell is in date," Crepeau said.

But in date or not, Fox doesn't let that stand in the way of a bargain.

"It's all good stuff, I've never had anything that was bad," Fox said.

Fox says she spends about 200 dollars a week at the auction, and the food lasts her family of 7 about 6 weeks.

"Freeze it, freeze it all, ya know bread, cupcakes, cheese, butter," Fox said.

Fox says she'll continue to rely on the auction and expects to see more shoppers trading store aisles for the auction hall.

If you want to check out the Holt food auction for yourself, you can find a list of dates and times by going to www.michiganauctionsales.com.