6 grocery store sales tricks to watch out for

These days everyone's trying to make the most of their trip to the grocery store, but it's hard to tell when you're saving big if the grocer is using tricky marketing tactics. Deals expert and founder of the excellent site Grocery Game, Teri Gault, helps us decipher the deals from the duds and share her exclusive tips for stretching your grocery budget. Try them this week.

1. Reaching for big packages:

"People are reaching for the big packages all the time but a lot of times the medium package is cheaper," says Gault. "It's just a marketing thing. We think the bigger package will give us the bulk price but that's not always the case." To find the real steal, calculate the cost per unit using the prices on the shelf.

2. Falling for the "buy one, get one half off" routine:

"Whenever you see these they sound like a great deal but the two items together are only a 25 percent savings," Gault says. "Buy one, get one for free is truly half off, not this."

3. Hitting the clearance shelf:

While there are good deals to be found here, the problem is that most of the items are only 50 percent off and damaged, says Gault. "You can score good groceries that aren't damaged whenever a sale hits instead."

4. Discount Coupons:

Coupons don't have as long of a life so they're really not that great unless the item's on sale too. Most of the item you just end up with items you never planned on buying.

5. Confusing store brand with name-brand:

"Store brands are not a rip-off in and of themselves," says Gault, but "if the name brand is on sale and the store brand isn't, or if the name-brand has a coupon or other offer for that week, the name brand may be a better price." That said, store brands offer great quality at a great price point, but if you intend on getting the name-brand, especially when it's on sale at a better price, don't let the similar labeling fool you into snatching the name-brand item.

6. Getting tripped up by sales prices in multiples:

Some stores have started making regular prices in multiples, but you'll rarely on sale. "More confusing numbers prompt us to think we're getting a deal when in fact it may not even be a sale," Gault explains. "Three for Rs 19 has some sort of subliminal message that screams 'Deal!' but they mostly turn out not to be a deal at all."