The Best Grocery Store Trick You Need to Know About

If you have a go-to grocery store in your town where you always shop for weekly staples, you likely also have an associated loyalty card that cuts you in on deals and saves you money. In stores that offer these exclusive savings, such customer loyalty programs are the only way to shop.

But what happens when you venture outside the town limits or hit up a new store while traveling and don't have an account set up at the local Piggly Wiggly? No one wants to be stuck paying full price when you see the tags offering a card-holder discount. I have a fix for that—one I learned somewhere along the way and have used for years in various locales, from Florida to Wyoming. And I know I'm not the only one who uses it. Learn this secret checkout code and watch the savings tick down on your vacation essentials like paper towels, hot dogs, potato chips, and indulgent treats. Here's how this simple yet ingenious hack works.

How to Get Grocery Store Savings Without a Loyalty Card

If you’re a person of a certain age, you need only to hear the numbers "8-6-7" to finish the line with “5-3-0-9!” and hear the iconic jingle ring through your brain. Well, I'm here to tell you that the hit song from the '80s is also the trick to grocery store savings. Tommy Tutone's song "867-5309/Jenny" is a cultural reference point that now serves as a convenient placeholder for those who find themselves sans loyalty card at checkout.

How to Use 867-5309 for Grocery Store Savings

When prompted to enter a loyalty card number at the checkout counter, simply input the local area code followed by 867-5309. You may need to do a quick search to find the area code, but the rest should be smooth sailing. I have done this with area codes 412, 307, 407, 305, 843, 602, and so on. In the countless times I've tried, I've only been unsuccessful once. Testing this method might be my favorite part of visiting new markets—that and seeing what the bakeries have to offer.

There are two possible reasons this number seems to always work. Either grocery stores have programmed their systems to recognize this as a generic code for customers who don't have their own cards, or some savvy shoppers set up their loyalty accounts with this phone number and are racking up the rewards—laughing all the way to the bank. As long as I am getting the deals in the moment, it doesn't really matter to me.

It seems this secret trick isn't really all that secret, as I found a Reddit thread dedicated to this very topic. The post from KobiLou backs me up: "When I go to a grocery store that I don't have a loyalty card for (usually while traveling, moving etc.) I punch in the local area code followed by 8675309...It works 95% of the time. Thanks Jenny!"

Many replies agree: "I can vouch for this. I work in a grocery store and saw this on here before, so I tried it out and it worked! The value card even had gas rewards!" Apparently, it works at all kinds of stores, according to another Reddit thread on the subject.

The word isn't totally out, though. When I told my co-workers, their jaws dropped, and everyone was amazed. I can only assume we'll all be trying it now—cause "Jenny [we] got your number."

Finally, my disclaimer: While using (area code) 867-5309 is a convenient (and fun!) workaround to score savings without your own store card, it's not fail-proof. Hopefully, in those outlying cases, you get a kind cashier who will give you the discounts anyway. Until then, "Jenny, don't change your number."