stores selling stale or dated food

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   celiebugproposted 14 years ago

   Are you experiencing stores selling food or other items that are almost out dated?  The expiration dates seem to be getting lower and lower.  When I write lower, I mean instead of 2 years of shelf life, you will get 9 months.  What is going on here?  I am very curious if other people are experiencing this also.  it feels like I am being ripped off at the grocery store almost every time I shop now.  Please respond with your comments.  I am very interested if this is state wide or usa wide.  Thanks, Celiebug

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      goldenpathposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Oftentimes it is an "in-house" problem at the retail level.  Being a grocery store it is usually a problem of employees not taking their job seriously and failing to rotate stock.  When stock is not rotated much product goes expired.  True, however, there are some products that are getting shortened life spans particularly dairy and meat products.

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      cosetteposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      
      
      YES!
      
      i have noticed this a lot. mostly at two places:
      
      Fry's and Costco, of all places. Costco's produce is getting pretty bad these days. i bought some plums last week and when i got home, there was ugly brown juice leaking from the bottom of the container and i opened it (as i did in the store) and everything looked fine but when i took the plums out there was a ROTTEN one on the bottom with white fur growing on it and it was oozing some awful stuff (shudder).
      
      i suspect that they rotate old fruit by putting it in containers with new fruit to get rid of it.
      
      when i went to get some 1%, Fry's had milk dated for that day. so i asked the guy in the little frozen room back there to get me some new milk, and he did. it took a while, but he did.
      
      i blame it on our hard financial times...

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      Amie Warrenposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      It's not the stores, unless it's store brands. It's the vendors. I used to work in a grocery store growing up...big chain...and the vendors would pull stale outdated stuff to the front to fool people into buying it, because if it didn't sell, it was charged back to their account and they lost their commission on it.
      
      Vendors are horrible! We would pull outdated things off the shelf and box them up for them to take back, and they would open the boxes and put it back on the shelf.

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         SomewayOuttaHereposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         ..i always look at dates...besides who wants to buy any non-perishable with a 2 year expiry on it anyway...sounds too scary for me.

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         Maddie Ruudposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Yeah, I always reach to the back to grab my milk.  My mother tipped me off when I was just a wee little kid to the fact that the products with the fast-approaching expiration dates are always in front.

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            Amie Warrenposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            Plus, with milk, you want to get it from where the flourescent light hasn't hit it yet. My mom used to get the milk last, and pull it from the very back.

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   susanlangposted 14 years ago

   I agree with goldenpath here, I have seen some out dated stuff on my local supermarket shelf and when I spoke to the store manager about it he removed the items and had a chat with the staff.

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      nick247posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Same, I'm starting to find milk which only lasts for 2 days. Mind you, it's a scandal how much stuff gets thrown out just because it's coming up to use by date - a lot of this stuff is fine for a few days after....

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   Wendi Mposted 14 years ago

   I bought some (what I thought were fresh) mushrooms yesterday at a rather large grocery store in Florida.  As I was getting ready to stir them into my Chicken Cacciatore I noticed they were rather slimy...needles to say, they never made into the crockpot!  Ughhh!!!

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   flread45posted 14 years ago

   I have found food that is over a year past due,but people still buy it.Even meat products,that have been frozen and are almost black looking.
   We are evolving into another world.

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   Jane@CMposted 14 years ago

   Depends on where you shop.  I won't buy food at Walmart - they are close to outdated or outdated on many things.  Since we live in the upper midwest, fruit & veggies are shipped in & rarely very fresh. A head of lettuce might last two days after purchase.  I live for summer, organic home grown - fresh!
   
   If I find an outdated item, I bring it to the store managers attention.

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   Justine76posted 14 years ago

   Lots of foods, especially canned goods and dry goods can last years beyond the "sell by" date, if stored properly. Manufacurers stamp a date considered to be well within this time frame, to avoid loss due to people storing food improperly.

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   KristenGraceposted 13 years ago

   Ewww... Yes.  I always double check pretty much everything I buy anymore.

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   fettyposted 13 years ago

   I find that supermarkets that offer specials are usually selling items with a nearly expired date . So the sale is more beneficial for the store. I watch dates like a hawk now after reaching for one of my bargain salad dressings that looked gray in the bottle before I ever opened it. Also, fresh food in the winter in New Jersey is becoming a joke. You almost have to buy the stuff the day you plan on using it. All spring and summer and as far into fall as I can stretch it I buy from the farmer or the local produce store. Costs a little more but the produce is fresh and lasts for almost a week!

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