Bargain Hunter: Eat up the deals at Wonder Bread outlet

When I was a little girl, there was a Rainbow Bakery outlet in downtown Modesto. Once a month or so, my dad and I would head over to stock up on bread and more.

It was that "more" part that made me happy to go along -- the cupcakes, fruit pies and Sno Balls (those puffy little pink, coconut-covered confections) and such that also would fill the cart.

I'm not sure when the outlet went away, but I do know my parents saved by buying the five-for-$1 loaves and keeping them fresh for weeks in the freezer.

So for a long time after spying the Wonder Bread- Hostess Bakery outlet at Prescott and Standiford (it's no doubt been there for years), I'd been meaning to go in and check it out.

OK, so no five-for-$1 bargains -- it was the 1960s, after all -- but the bread and other baked goods still are considerable deals. I picked up hot dog buns for 98 cents and spied several bread options for the same price per loaf or a bit higher.

The expira- tion dates were a week or a bit longer, about the same as those at the grocery. I asked the clerk why the prices were cheaper and she said it was because the goods come straight from the bakery: no middleman.

She said fresh shipments arrive Tuesdays and Fridays.

I was just tickled to find my childhood favorites from the Rainbow Bakery -- fruit pies, cupcake, Snoballs and such -- all there, most for 80 cents each.

No, not '60s prices, but a bargain, nonetheless.

-- Pat Clark

Have a tip for other bargain hunters in the region? Send it to pclark@modbee.com and include the words Bargain Hunter in the subject line.