A 'discount sticker' TikTok account is the purest thing online
YellowStickerGuy brightens a dark world
One of social media’s redeeming elements is its ability to elevate the niche. As accounts can reach swathes of people, things that would’ve floundered in obscurity can find an actual audience.
An example of this? YellowStickerGuy.
This TikTok account is all about celebrating the humble supermarket discount sticker.
If that’s something you’ve never heard of before, gather round and let me spin you a yarn. Most supermarkets in the UK have set times where they reduce the price of packaged food when it’s just about to go out of date.
Almost everyone in the country has a memory of seeing something breathtaking in the reduced aisle: a BLT for some shrapnel, a loaf of bread for pocket change, a whole rotisserie chicken for the price of a pack of Polos. It’s a veritable wonderland.
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Supermarket reduced items are one of those elements of British culture that’s universal, uniting people in the the love of a good bargain, so when I saw YellowStickerGuy I was a little surprised I hadn’t come across something similar before, because, goddamn, it’s a good idea.
The YellowStickerGuy’s videos have turned finding discounted food into an art form. Complete with a catchy little jingle, the account not only takes us on journeys to unearth bargain bites, but also acts as a place people can share their own discount discoveries.
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To find out more about the project, I reached out to the YellowStickerGuy himself.
The 29 year old lives in the North East of England. When I asked about the genesis of the account, he explains he recently moved house and found out that his new local shop “seems to almost always have stickers on the go.”
This inspired him. Seeing so many great offers and getting “such a kick out of [them],” he started documenting the best discounts he stumbled across.
After sending these pictures to friends and “telling anyone who’d listen,” the YellowStickerGuy knew he needed to do something with this energy.
“That’s when I made the TikTok account, as a way to share the yellow sticker joy with others.”
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Since I came across the account a few weeks ago, it has taken off — and it’s unsurprising to see why.
“It’s universal, it’s fun. Who doesn’t love buying something at a reduced price?”
Not I, YellowStickerGuy, not I.
While the account is a bit of lighthearted fun, I believe the reason it resonates goes beyond a shared cultural language of discounts.
While the YellowStickerGuy sees his work as “a daft laugh,” he’s aware that “something as simple a yellow sticker reduction in the shop probably does reflect life in the UK to some degree.”
Many are suffering through the cost of living crisis, and an account like this both functions as some light entertainment and a reminder that this is a way many people are forced to find food.
In some senses, it’s part of a wider trend of UK-based discount-focused TikTok accounts, with @mealsbymitch riding a similar wave.
The difference between the two accounts though is the sense of fun and enjoyment that the YellowStickerGuy emanates, something that the public have picked up on and embraced.
“There’s an overwhelming feeling of positivity surrounding the content, which I love,” he says.
Beyond that, it seems to have stoked an actual community. “I’m getting dozens of emails every day from people wanting to show off their finds.”
And in a tough, increasingly polarised world, something like this is beautiful. It’s a topic someone from any walk of life can enjoy: a good goddamn bargain.
And the future? What are the next steps for YellowStickerGuy?
“Car boots I reckon.”
Another British institution. Another bargain hot spot. Another thumbs up from me.