Everyone loves a bargain.

And when it comes to food, electronics and a host of other consumer goods, a bargain often takes the form of a bundle. If consumers know they’re getting three things bundled together for less than if they’d bought each separately, there’s a good chance you’ve got your hooks in them.

And, in the process, you’re moving more product off your shelves —often product that otherwise might not move by itself.

In the food industry, the bargain bundle is perhaps best epitomized by the fast food value meal, which in recent years has gotten a revamp with bundling concepts like Wendy’s “four for $4” promotions or McDonald’s McPick 2 menu. Both were extremely popular when introduced.

Deals typically account for about one in four customer visits to quick-service restaurants, according to Business Insider. And the new takes on the value meal pushed that percentage as high as 35 percent at some chains.

The love of bargains and bargain bundles in particular has carried over to the grocery fresh perimeter, and to the fresh meat and poultry department in particular. Retailers (often with a day’s notice from consumers) will bundle a few, many or a whole lot of different cuts of meat together, pack them for convenience and price them at a point that lets consumers know they’re getting a good deal — and helps retailers keep the merchandise turning.

Bundles large and small

Rogersville, Missouri-based grocery chain Price Cutter offers its customers seven different meat bundles. But you can’t just walk into a Price Cutter and pick one up. The chain requires 24-hour notice and asks shoppers to call their local Price Cutter to place their order. Links to stores’ contact information is listed on pricecutteronline.com/meat-bundles.

Price Cutter’s bundles range in price from $35 to $119. Most feature products from all three main meat & poultry categories —beef, pork and chicken.

Different Price Cutter bundles target different merchandising call-outs. Some products emphasis value —100 items under $100,  50 items for $50 —while others —all-natural variety packs — cater to consumers with transparency and sustainability concerns.

A couple of examples:

Meat Bundle #1   ( $35 )

Small Variety Bundle

Five 4 oz Boneless Pork Loin Chops

Three 1 lb Package Ground Chuck

Two 1 lb Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast

Five 4 oz Pork Bratwurst or Italian Sausage Links

1 lb Thick-smoked Bacon

Meat Bundle #3   ( $119 )

Large Variety Bundle

Six 8 oz Boneless Beef Petite Sirloin Steaks

One 2 lb Boneless Beef Chuck Roast

One 2 lb Boneless Beef Rump Roast

Two 1 lb Packages Beef Stew Meat

Six 6 oz Lean Beef Cubed Steaks

Five 1 lb Packages Ground Chuck

Three 1 lb Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast

Two 4 lb Whole Chickens

One 2 lb Boneless Pork Loin Roast

2 lb Thick-sliced Smoked Bacon

Six 8 oz Center Cut Bone-in Pork Loin Chops

Customer service

The Shop ‘n Save retail banner includes more than 90 independently owned and operated stores in Western Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, Ohio and West Virginia.

“Best in the business” customer service is one of the chain’s mantras, and one way it delivers on that is with a twist on the traditional bundle. At Shop ‘n Save stores, consumers create their own “bundles” and benefit from bulk pricing:

Order online, pick up instore

Midwestern retail chain Hy-Vee offers 10 different meat bundles on its website and available for instore pickup. Prices range from $35 to $100 and include a variety of different meat options, as well as some non-meat value-added products.  One example:

Meat Bundle 3 ($50):

4 (8-oz. each) Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Grillers
4 (3.75-oz. each) Pork Bratwursts
4 (5-oz. each) Hy-Vee Choice Reserve® Bacon-Wrapped Sirloin Filets
4 (6-oz. each) Gourmet Steakhouse Burgers
4 (5-oz. each) Ground Chuck Patties - 85% lean, 15% fat
4 (5-oz. each) Twice-Baked Potatoes