In der Rabatt-Supermarktkette um 20 Uhr können junge Leute den Rentnern nicht gewachsen sein.
"Is it about to be restocked? I'm scared."
"Can you stop pushing? I can't even stand still. What are you doing!" A girl squeezed between the elderly people shouted with a frown while holding her glasses.
At 8:07 p.m. on April 21st, Li Xi, who had just finished work, rushed to the Seven Fresh supermarket on the basement floor of Wangxianghui in Yaojiayuan, Beijing. Although she was only 7 minutes late, there were so many people that there weren't enough shopping carts. She had to squeeze into the crowd with a shopping basket. It was unclear how many rounds of scrambling had already taken place, and the scene was in complete chaos. At 8 p.m., this supermarket started its daily clearance (i.e., clearing the inventory every day to avoid selling overnight goods) on time. Although it was a weekday, the supermarket was packed with people, in sharp contrast to the deserted shopping mall upstairs.
Seven Fresh at 8:07 p.m.
Other well - established, emerging, and even internet - famous supermarkets such as Hema, Walmart, Wumart, and Yonghui also have similar daily clearance activities. They have all joined the competition to attract customers with discounts. They are like the enchanted pumpkin carriages in the Cinderella story, transforming into a "paradise for the poor" at 8 p.m. every night.
However, the popularity of Seven Fresh far exceeds that of the other supermarkets, as can be seen from the above scene. A netizen once posted a video - when the rolling shutter door just opened, the elderly people bent over and rushed into the supermarket. The scene was comparable to that of scalpers on the day when the latest iPhone was released. Some netizens also complained about their outrageous experiences, such as the elderly people taking things directly from others' shopping carts or even snatching them from their hands. Some young people also complained that they simply couldn't grab good things. Even the search term "How to out - compete the elderly at Seven Fresh" has become a related search term on Xiaohongshu, with 143 notes found.
The sudden popularity of the evening clearance may stem from a challenge that became popular on social media two months ago - a challenge to see how many things one can buy in Beijing after 8 p.m. with 100 yuan. A blogger bought a box of guavas that cost 16.88 yuan during the day for 10.88 yuan, a box of pineapples that cost 24.8 yuan during the day for 14.8 yuan, and a whole black - bone chicken at a 50% discount... The video received 537,000 likes and 421,000 shares. In the comment section, some people were collecting the names of discount supermarkets, some were sharing their shopping experiences at discount supermarkets, and some were amazed at the prices in Beijing. A picker at Seven Fresh even said that he "was scared every time it was the discount time. The old ladies were like zombies."
After seeing these videos, Li Xi specifically came to this nearby Seven Fresh supermarket after work the next day.
I entered the supermarket at 8:02, 5 minutes earlier than Li Xi. The elderly people had already started scrambling. Since I couldn't compete with them in strength, I lingered outside. After the crowd dispersed, I saw several boxes on the ground, filled with discounted angelica vegetables, organic broccoli, selenium - rich celery, and a bunch of green leafy vegetables I couldn't name, all at half price. As for the 6 - box pack of blueberries for 49 yuan and the Dalian Meizao cherries that cost just over 50 yuan, which were highly recommended by netizens, they were already gone.
The remaining broccoli in the box
Just as I was busy selecting vegetables, another round of scrambling started on the other side. This time, the new arrivals were yogurt, meat, pastries, and cooked food. People were pushing and shoving, and even a delivery staff member was surrounded and couldn't get away. He could only complain, "Is it really worth it for such a small amount of stuff?"
In less than two minutes, after the elderly people who had grabbed the popular items left the source area, a group of young people slowly walked to the boxes and began to sift through the remaining things. What was left in the boxes was either steamed corn buns and cold dishes with a shelf - life of less than a day or yogurt that cost nearly 20 yuan and wasn't very cost - effective.
I watched Li Xi rummaging through the box. She chose two boxes of yogurt, a box of tomatoes, and a bag of crown daisy seedlings, all at half price. She said that she didn't usually eat these things, but "influenced by the on - site atmosphere, I just wanted to buy and grab."
On the other side, the elderly people had already pushed their spoils and headed to the second battlefield - the warehouse door. A kind - hearted old lady told me to go to the door quickly because the staff might push out a cart of daily - clearance products. If I didn't go soon, there would be nothing left.
There were at least 30 people standing in front of the warehouse. They were divided into two groups. The young people stood on the left, and the elderly people stood on the right. Both sides were eagerly looking forward.
Looking at the crowd, a middle - aged man shook his head and reached out to stop his wife from squeezing into the crowd. "There are so many people. Don't fight for it. It's too scary. There's no need!" But his wife was unmoved and plunged into the crowd without looking back. Seeing this situation, a lady with a child hiding at the back complained to her companion, "Is it about to be restocked? I'm scared."
The collective promotion of supermarkets
Among the customers in discount supermarkets, the elderly people have the strongest combat power.
Their shopping carts are filled with discounted products. Since I didn't manage to grab a single item I liked, I was both envious and felt a sense of frustration for not getting a bargain. So I decided to learn from these elderly people.
An old lady who had grabbed the discounted blueberries said that the staff usually push out a batch of fruits and vegetables first. She goes to the warehouse door of the supermarket at 7:30 p.m. every day and can grab the first batch of blueberries and kiwis. "But there's no way to know what time they'll be put out or how many batches there will be each day." An old man also said that it was "uncertain" whether one could grab good things. "There may not even be any meat some days."
Some old ladies have even formed a group to grab goods. When the staff push out the last batch of clearance products such as flowers from the warehouse in a small cart, two old ladies cooperate very well. One grabs the flowers at the front, and the other guards the shopping cart, watching over the "treasures." The old lady at the front walked to the shopping cart with at least ten bunches of flowers in her arms. She and her partner selected some, and finally left three bunches in the cart and threw the rest back into the small cart.
The elderly people grabbing flowers
Every time this old lady grabbed a product, she would take a photo and send it to her old friends, asking, "Do you want this? The shelf - life is until the Xth of X month. If you don't want it, I'll return it."
Seeing this situation, many young people were discouraged.
"I used to be able to buy a few things occasionally, but now the old ladies come in groups. Some of them block others from getting close, and some are frantically loading things into their carts. I'm really convinced. I can't buy anything at all now." A netizen complained, "The shopping experience has become really bad. It's no longer the Seven Fresh I used to like. I go there less often. Let those who want to fight for it do so."
When I expressed the same thought to the supermarket staff, she suggested that I come in the morning in the future. I would have a better chance of grabbing more things. She told me that the supermarket has two clearance sessions every day, from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. in the morning and from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. in the evening. The morning session has a more complete range of goods and fewer people. Many of the goods in the evening session are leftovers from the day that haven't been cleared.
After learning some rules for the clearance, I decided to visit a few more supermarkets.
I heard that Ito Yokado in the Fourth Ring Road of Beijing has discounted bento boxes at 8 p.m. So at 7:50 p.m. the next day, I went to this well - established Japanese supermarket.
As soon as I entered the supermarket, I didn't see any customers. I only saw a staff member setting up a small stall to sell ribs, shouting that if you buy 3 boxes together, it would only cost 136 yuan, "and if you want, I'll give you an extra box for free." This is in stark contrast to the bustling scene at Seven Fresh. Going further inside, there was also a batch of low - priced meat. You could buy 5 boxes of about 110g of beef or 4 boxes of 280g of pork for 100 yuan.
Discounted meat slices
A staff member also told me, "If you buy something this time and come back during the day, just tell us that you bought something before, and we'll give you a discount." It's like getting a discount membership card with one purchase.
I asked, "Can you make money with such low prices?"
"It's about making a small profit but selling in large quantities. There's no other way since no one comes." She said that since the shopping mall upstairs started renovation, the supermarket has been sparsely populated. The people I passed by that day were all young people, and there wasn't a single elderly person. An hour later, when I left the supermarket, there were still a large number of snacks, cakes, and bento boxes with a 15% - 30% discount left on the shelves.
At 8 p.m. on April 24th, I appeared at the door of the Yonghui supermarket in Shijingshan District on time. This is the first self - renovated store in Beijing that learned from Fat Donglai and has been in business for a little over half a year.
There weren't many people in the snack area at first glance. But as I went deeper, I realized I had underestimated the situation - people were all gathered in the cooked food area and the bakery area. All the discounted food was placed on the counter, including pig ears, lamb heads, crayfish, duck necks, mixed vegetables, etc... The products that weren't sold out during the day would be discounted for clearance. The variety was even more abundant than that at Seven Fresh.
Clearance products placed on the counter
A staff member in the cooked food area told me that if I wanted fewer people, "never come on weekends." If there aren't many products left, the supermarket won't conduct discount promotions. "The sales on weekdays are not very good, so there will be a clearance with discounts at night. There are 20% off, 30% off, and the maximum is 40% off."
But most of the customers here are young people, at least 70%. Different from the elderly people, they don't rush in a swarm. Instead, they form a circle around the counter, like an assembly line. When they see the food they like, they put it into their shopping carts without hesitation.
Looking at the counter full of products, my friend and I couldn't resist and bought several large boxes. We left with a total bill of over 200 yuan.
"The three meals of office workers are all waiting for discounted supermarket products."
Undoubtedly, the elderly people are definitely the biggest beneficiaries of the evening discount promotions. They can buy the vegetables they want at affordable prices and also kill time in their retired life when they have both money and leisure. On the day I went to Seven Fresh, I asked several elderly people in a row, and they all said that they came almost every day.
Some netizens even suspect that the elderly people have become Seven Fresh purchasing agents. "Can an old man finish ten bags of vegetables? They'll turn yellow in a few days. He must be taking them out to set up a stall."
However, for the office workers near the supermarket, the evening discount promotions are their preferred canteens. After finding that the supermarket after 8 p.m. is even more cost - effective than the vegetable market, their first stop after work is no longer home but the discount supermarket.
A young person who goes to the supermarket to shop every week at night told "Post - 90s Research Institute" that since accidentally discovering in 2023 that the supermarket near his company starts to offer discounts at 8:30 p.m., he goes to the supermarket to shop twice a week, buying enough food for three days each time. He said, "The three meals of office workers are all waiting for discounted supermarket products."
