I ‘ram-raid’ shop shelves for bargains – trolls shame me for not sharing, my 60 Lynx gift sets prove it’s worth it

When Polly Arrowsmith walked into a department store in Leeds, West Yorks, she was on a military-style shopping spree.

She spotted shelves with dozens of Lynx and Sure gift sets, selling for £2 instead of £8.

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Polly, 55, pushed a trolley, removed the Lynx’s shelf and grabbed an amazing 60.

And she’s shameless about it.

“I’m a shelf-swiping supremo,” she said. “I was looking for discount sets from Lynx and Sure on Boxing Day.

“I spent £120 on 60 Lynx sets of two items. That means I’m never short of a gift for a male friend or relative.”

At home, bulk purchases are stored in a bedroom converted into a bargain store with over two years’ worth of items in stock.

The money saved and the large number of gifts for standby men are not the only advantage.

According to Polly, from Islington, north London, she also doubled the bargain offer by getting discount points on her loyalty card.

“I don’t just raid the actual items, but the points and coupons that come with them,” she explained. “There’s a science behind this form of shelf sweeping, and I’m an expert at that. I have the formula to make a bargain out of a bargain,” said the marketing director.

“I spend money to get the discounted items, and then the store gives me card points and coupons, and I can do something good for myself by spending the store’s money on myself. Everyone should follow my example.”

It’s not just cheap stink that Polly gets.

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At Marks & Spencer, Polly stocked her shopping cart with dozens of the same items in the post-Christmas sale.

“I found a shelf full of Christmas card boxes that were reduced to just 10p,” she said. “I grabbed a lot of them.

“The next shelf was also stocked with wrapping paper for just 10p and I grabbed what was left.”

According to Polly, over the past six months she has “rammed” shelves with bottles of shower gel reduced from £6 to 60p and socks priced at 80p less than £8.

“I’ve also swiped discounted cleaning liquids, clothes, tissues and bubble bath for kids off the shelves at 90 percent off.

I even snagged a bunch of garbage bags at 90 percent off.

“I put stuff in my trolley and used a garbage bag as a tote bag.”

Polly said she loved the thrill of researching which stores will have which sales, and even during sales season predicted the exact day they’ll put items at their lowest price.

It’s not just cheaper items that Polly hoards when she goes shopping.

“I snagged a range of Clinique kits for £50 instead of £100 and for another £75 I got a £207 kit and a free £40 Clinique gift.”

“I shop online to make money. Not only do I split up some of the “gift sets” and make money by selling them individually on eBay, I use cashback sites and earn points from the actual site I buy from.”

Polly’s love of decluttering began 42 years ago.

“Unfortunately, my father lost his job and we couldn’t afford nice things,” she said. “I got my first job at a coffee shop when I was 13 and became a super bargain hunter.

“I’ve always been good at math and for the last 20 years I’ve kept an eye on sales.”

However, Polly’s super-swiping supremo skills didn’t really develop until 2010, when she became the self-proclaimed “Robin Hood of Regal swiping.”

“A friend of mine hosted an OAP Christmas dinner in London with donations.

“In December 2010, she mentioned that she couldn’t get a wine donation.

“I was a fan of food deals and had 30 bottles of wine on hand.

“I don’t drink but I couldn’t keep the wine down when I bought a food deal. So I offered to donate the wine.

“I loved helping my friend and the OAPs loved the plonk I donated.

“As a child, we were always taught, even in lean times, to donate to charity when we could.

“After the OAP wine donation, I went through my stash of bargains and donated a ton to charities that support long-term residential accommodation for people with mental health issues.”

Now Polly donates 250 gifts to charity each year, many to vulnerable adults.

However, Polly admits that not everyone agrees with her shelf mopping skills.

“People behind me see me clearing a whole shelf of bargains and tell me I’m greedy,” she said.

“In some stores you can only buy a certain number of gift sets on sale and you get horrible looks or harassment from the staff. I was also banned from a store because they were fed up with me clearing out their shelves.

“But it’s fair. I work hard to find my bargains.”

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