What do you do when you get bad food from the grocery store?

[Xithras]

So I'm sitting here a few minutes ago and I pulled out an apple to snack on. I bought the apples in a bag from my local grocery chain two days ago. I picked the apple up, took one bite, and discovered that the entire core was rotten. Dark, slightly moldy, and very disgusting. The only thing more gross than the sight of the apple is the knowledge that part of it was in my mouth. I can still kinda taste it. :puke:

Everyone has bought bad food from a store at one time or another. What do you do? Forget about it and drop the food in the trash? Take it back and demand a refund? Call them up and complain? Casually mention it on your next visit? Call a lawyer?

I'm not asking what I should do. I should take the bag of apples back to the store and demand my money back. But I won't, because I spent less than $2 on the bag and it isn't worth the time, gas, or stress to go exchange it. I'm asking what you actually do in these situations. Am I in the minority in just grumbling a bit and forgetting about it, or an I pretty typical? What would you be doing right now if you'd bit my moldy apple?

[Kali]

1. are there other bad ones in the bag?

one rotten item is just nature, the whole bag would be a problem.

I have more problems with wrong pricing than bad food (and pre-packaged bags of fruit are kinda asking for it - I like to select each one of the item, myself)

although one year I returned a bunch of peaches that looked ok but were really gross and brown inside - they may have been held too cold in storage.

of course I spend a hella lot of money in the local small town store and know some of the employees - nobody ever questions it when I come in for my cheap ass refunds or the rare return

[Xithras]

6. Just cut open three more. Two were bad.

The third was fine. Counting the first, that's a 75% bad rate. Eww.

[Kali]

16. 3 in a bag - I would take them back

I wouldn't demand, I would present it as a favor to them to let them know there might be a problem - then if they didn't offer something like a replacement or refund I would file that away in my little grudge-holding mind.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. I'd check to see if the other apples are bad.

If not I'd eat them; if they are I'd toss them. For $2 I probably wouldn't bother to return them, but if the whole bag is bad I might call the store and tell them - maybe they got a whole bad batch.

[Gormy Cuss]

3. If it's a store where I shop on a regular basis, I bring in the receipt on my next visit

and explain what was wrong with the food. Most stores don't want you to bring in the nasty evidence but with a really disgusting problem like that I'd call them the same day and complain. These days though there are very few stores that will issue a refund or credit unless you in turn give them your name, address, and phone number so it's hardly worth the bother.

[elleng]

4. Depends on the item, I'd say, how important, cost, etc.

One bad apple in a bag of them, I'd probably return/exchange the bag, but your reluctance to do so understandable.

[grasswire]

5. I complain

With produce I don't get any money back, for some reason. But with moldy bread, or other items, they cheerfully refund the money. I always take the evidence to them and the receipt.

[RebelOne]

7. I bought some fish from my local grocery

and when I opened the package the next day, it was spoiled. So, I took it back along with the receipt and received a refund. Fortunately, I did not have to travel far, so it was no big hassle to return it. I don't think I would have bothered if it was only a $2 bag of apples, but this was an $8 piece of fish.

[MorningGlow]

8. I take stuff back

but only because I go to the supermarket CONSTANTLY (7 YO with a hollow leg--I dread the teen years). I don't make a special trip to return stuff, though.

[femmocrat]

9. I would take it back with the receipt and get a refund.

Two dollars is two dollars.

[RedCloud]

22. Exactly and I think stores profit from it as well.

[Demoiselle]

10. I like to think that complaining does the store a favor..

I like to think it, anyway. Certainly they don't want to get a reputation for crappy products. But it is a pain to make a trip you don't need to make...Velveteen Ocelot's suggestion to call is a good one, of course. At least you will have given them a warning.

[rurallib]

15. agree 100% - you are doing them a favor.

[seaglass]

11. I have returned, thrown away and taken food of equal value.

3 times I got bad light cream from the grocery store and returned it. I also told the dairy manager that I thought something was wrong with their refrigeration because it happened 3 times in a month. He didn't seem to care so I don't shop there.

I bought some artichokes and found little worms in them when I was stuffing them. :-( I threw them away but have been unable to eat stuffed artichokes since :cry:

I bought a bag of sour grapes. Now every time I go to the store I have one grape before I buy. 1st to make sure they are not sour and 2nd because they owe me a bag of grapes.

I probably wouldn't return the apples. The only reason I returned the cream was because it was a necessity for my coffee. :-)

[Denninmi]

12. It depends on the item and price.

If its expensive, I take it back. If its not, I usually just feed it to the chickens -- they eat pretty much anything, good or bad, and have iron stomachs.

[MrScorpio]

13. I spank it

Bad food. Bad, bad food.

[JohnnyLib2]

14. Nothing, because my wife is already on the warpath.

They know her well....:hide:

[BiggJawn]

17. Season the hell out of it and eat it.

Hey, might as well get used to what it's gonna be like around here after the "New Feudalism" gets rolling...

[AtomicKitten]

18. Call the store, save the apple (freeze it) and receipt, take it in next time you go for a refund.

nt

[zen_bohemian]

19. look thru the bag and toss out the bad apples

I don't know if I would take it back to the store....I do, however take bad meat to the store if I buy it that day or a couple of days prior...meat is too expensive to just turn the other cheek

[murielm99]

20. I always take things back if they are bad.

Most stores will refund or replace willingly.

If they get enough of one item sent back, they can speak with their suppliers. It is up to them to keep their customers happy.

[applegrove]

21. I made some soup using ready made chicken stock from a cardboard box.

I got sick. Figured it was the stock. Told the manager...don't know if I got my money back. I, more than anything, wanted him to be aware that those new stock cartons can go bad.

[davsand]

23. I'd call the store and talk to the produce manager.

I'd let him know what happened, and I'd appproach it as letting him know in case there might be others in that same condition on his shelves. MOST times they offer to replace the item or give a refund.

However, I did have it happen one time that a meat manager pretty much blew me off. As he rushed off the phone I could just tell he didn't give a shit. The item at issue was a rib eye steak that absolutely REEKED when I opened the package. It looked fine, but stank so bad it almost gagged me. I wrapped the plastic back around the steak, put it back into the store's bag and drove to the store. When I got there I asked for the store manager and then took him with me back to the meat department. I opened that bag and pulled that nasty meat out. I opened that plastic and waved it around some while loudly explaining that THIS was the rotten meat I'd called him about--did he now think maybe I should get a refund...

Don't PISS me off.


Laura

[sinkingfeeling]

24. I take things back, but I live only 2 blocks from the grocery store. I've taken back

moldy Brie and sour milk that had a 'good' date on it.

[muffin1]

25. When I was working full-time, I usually would let stuff like that go.

Now that I'm mostly unemployed (occasional pet-sitting), anything that is bad goes back. I spend hours clipping coupons and keeping track of what's on special that I can combine with coupons. No way am I just gonna throw money away! It's rare that we buy something bad (I DID get home recently with chicken thighs (a HUGE package for something like $4.00). The date on the package indicated the chicken should have been good for another week. Once opened, it smelled like it had turned several days prior. :puke:

Almost all stores are good about refunding money for bad food these days. I've never had a problem. :)

[saras]

26. It depends on the situation

I throw stuff away and write it off. Maybe mention it later, maybe not.
I take stuff back for a refund. Usually get it.
I take stuff back to tell them there's a process problem. May or may not get a refund.
I quit using that store, or quit buying that product there.
Worst case, I mailed it to corporate headquarters (hamburger, back in the seventies).

I also check a lot of food before buying or eating it that I didn't used to check first.

Basically I view doing SOMETHING about it as a civic responsibility, that I can't just write off because it's inconvenient. The question then becomes "what is actually effective?" Writing it off isn't ever effective, so it always leaves me feeling wrong.