regional food distributors/auctions

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I know this should probably be in the preparedness subform, but since I don't necessarily think my question is widely known, I'll ask it to a larger audience. Feel free to move this thread if someone is able to provide an answer.

I want to know where I can buy food at auctions, such as pallets of dented food, or surplus stock that a store is taking off its shelves. This is where places like Biglots or Grocery Outlet buys and resells food at discount prices. I've even seen people sell food from pallets they bought at places like a flea market/swap meet, but of course they will never tell you where they got it from.

I know every large city should have such a distribution center, and I wanted to know if anyone here is familiar with getting food in this way. How do I find the distribution center? Is there more than one? What type of auctions do they have? etc. I live in the Seattle area which should have one.

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No one? If it is truly this little-known, even on a board like this, that tells me that there is indeed super deals to be had.

I'm sure someone here knows something?

[Mouse]

Can't help you with the source of the odd-lots and near expiry food. Where I live we have food store that sells all dent n scratch and near expiry foods, some of them are not even near expiry. They mark them down significantly and we get a lot of stuff there. They have almost everything a normal grocery store has, but it's all pick and peck, some stuff you don't really save that much, other stuff is an unbelievable bargain. My favorite store in town.

I am guessing they have some kind of in with grocers going under or distributors doing the same. A lot of the stuff is dented can goods, so thats pretty obvious why they get it so cheap, but a lot of the stuff is just perfect. We got some Thai peanut dipping sauce for like 70 cents there - stuff that you would expect to see in the fancy foods at $4, and it's really good, but if you cook with it, the stuff falls apart. We determined that a lot of the stuff they have is just marketing flops that were removed from the shelves to make way for some other fad, or this batch is good, but we got complaints that when it's heated up too high the sauce breaks up.

I would think the food marketing people are where the scores are. Find out what products failed for whatever reason and are no longer getting shelf space, then you can hunt down who has the inventory that needs to go. Once the big stores clear it off the shelf if it's not moving fast enough, all the upline distributors are holding a hot potato and have to get rid of it.

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I agree, I think mostly its marketing flops that need to get off the shelves. The place I'm talking about doesn't sell damaged food, and I don't think its near/past expiry.

I kind of doubt that they have a special arrangement with each store chain. I'm pretty sure there is a central center that buys all of that type of food then auctions it. Hence my question.

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Just want to make sure everyone has a chance to see this.