Expired lunch meat and Wal-mart

[Jenn Lynn]

I bought some lunch meat yesterday. I go to open it today and realize it says "best if used by May 18 05". So I call Wal-mart and explain it to the lady. She told me I could bring it in, get a refund, etc. I said that I wanted to let them know in case there was more. She asked if I was coming in soon or if she needed to write it in the books (?). I told her I would be in this afternoon. She said ok I won't write it down then.

WTH? She didn't ask for the name brand or anything! She is going to trust that I come in this afternoon and then notify the right people? Am I missing something here? I would think a store would want the product off of their shelves.

 

[Beauty]

This is really simple,

THEY DON'T CARE!!!!! At our Wal-Mart its hard to find anyone who knows anything and they are bascically there to draw a pay check. They could care less whats there or whats wrong.

 

[buzzlady]

The same thing happened to me at Target. My DH picked up a gallon of milk and never checked the exp. date. He just put in in our basket. Later that day I went to open it and it didn't smell good. I looked at the date and it had expired 3 days ago!!! I called and the girl said to just come in and get a refund. Umm how about the rest on the shelf. She said that she would have someone take care of it. She didn't even ask what brand or size.

 

[DukeStreetKing]

I bought some lunch meat yesterday. I go to open it today and realize it says "best if used by May 18 05".

It's still good, just not "best". I'd eat it.

 

[Cantw8]

Here's what we do in my house....sniff it, if doesn't seem acceptable to you then give it to the dog

 

[mickeyboat]

Something similar happened to me at our local grocery store. I noticed one of the small, chest-type coolers had become un-plugged, and all the food in it was warm. I notified somene up front who really didn't seem to care.

Hope no one gets sick.

Denae

 

[Disneyland_emily]

Well speaking as a Retail person-

We've had situations like that and its not hard to go and scan ALL the milk or ALL the lunch meat to find problems-

-em

 

[piratesmate]

DH used to work in a grocery store - in dairy & frozen food. It may well not have been that they didn't care, but more that they were going to call the manager for the area & have him check everything in that section. I know when DH was told that someone had gotten something past expiration, they were required to go back & make sure that whoever stocked the shelves hadn't "missed" anything else.....or just got too lazy rotate stock, etc. Usually if there's one problem, there are others - and not just for the same product.

 

[Trish Bessette]

I'm an expiration date queen I check every date on absolutely every product that I can. Actually, not every product, can goods and things like that I know last a while. Anything dairy I check the date! I have found many, many things that have expired at grocery stores.

 

[Jenn Lynn]

It's still good, just not "best". I'd eat it.

I'm pregnant and not taking any chances. Not that I would eat it otherwise. I have had food poisoning twice. It's not fun.

I (usually) don't buy anything that is close to whatever date they put on the package. And I usually throw it out after it gets past the "best" date. I can't eat stuff knowing it is past it might be bad.

Beauty-You are probably right. They will probably sell it all anyway.

 

[Jenn Lynn]

DH used to work in a grocery store - in dairy & frozen food. It may well not have been that they didn't care, but more that they were going to call the manager for the area & have him check everything in that section. I know when DH was told that someone had gotten something past expiration, they were required to go back & make sure that whoever stocked the shelves hadn't "missed" anything else.....or just got too lazy rotate stock, etc. Usually if there's one problem, there are others - and not just for the same product.

Interesting. I hope that's what they did, but I'm not holding my breath.

 

[lecach]

Jenn Lynn - when I was pregnant my Dr. told me not to eat lunch meat. Or soft cheeses (brie, blue cheese,goat cheese) or anything with raw egg (caesar salad).

 

[YourMajesty]

I bought some lunch meat yesterday. I go to open it today and realize it says "best if used by May 18 05". So I call Wal-mart and explain it to the lady. She told me I could bring it in, get a refund, etc. I said that I wanted to let them know in case there was more. She asked if I was coming in soon or if she needed to write it in the books (?). I told her I would be in this afternoon. She said ok I won't write it down then.

WTH? She didn't ask for the name brand or anything! She is going to trust that I come in this afternoon and then notify the right people? Am I missing something here? I would think a store would want the product off of their shelves.

Don't forget to take it back. Wal-Mart gives you double your money back for expired and/or bad food. Worth the trip back.
I've had this happen twice once with cookies that tasted salty and once with bad chicken.

 

[DisneyAddict_M]

Jenn Lynn - when I was pregnant my Dr. told me not to eat lunch meat. Or soft cheeses (brie, blue cheese,goat cheese) or anything with raw egg (caesar salad).

That's what my sister's doc told her too. No lunch meat unless it's been heated first. Between you and me, I think it's a dumb rule, since I lived off ham sandwiches when I was pregnant.

 

[Aidensmom]

DH used to work in a grocery store - in dairy & frozen food. It may well not have been that they didn't care, but more that they were going to call the manager for the area & have him check everything in that section. I know when DH was told that someone had gotten something past expiration, they were required to go back & make sure that whoever stocked the shelves hadn't "missed" anything else.....or just got too lazy rotate stock, etc. Usually if there's one problem, there are others - and not just for the same product.

I was going to say the same thing - my brother used to be a department manager in a grocery store, and he had to check everything if something was found out of date.

 

[Jenn Lynn]

Jenn Lynn - when I was pregnant my Dr. told me not to eat lunch meat. Or soft cheeses (brie, blue cheese,goat cheese) or anything with raw egg (caesar salad).

From what I have read it is deli lunchmeat, not the pre-packaged kind. I will say that I ate Subway all the time when I was PG with DD.

Edit- ok I just read you are supposed to heat pre-packaged stuff too. I have been eating it for 7 months now.

I took the meat back. They gave me my item for free plus a refund.
The lunchmeat I purchased today says "best if used by July 27th". The other stuff must have been out there for quite a while.

 

[aprilgail2]

I would never eat it! I toss anything away that is close to the date on it!
BTW.........What the heck kind of walmart sells lunch meat LOL???I've never seen groceries and meat in Walmart other than a few canned type things....

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

This happens to me at the Natural Food store as well. With so much merchandise--they do there best...but things happen.

I now check all expiration dates b/c it is a PITA to have to return an item.

You can always go in the store and let them know that if you don't see someone right now to check all the merchandise that you will go to the health dept and request that they do that.

However---in most cases..they will have an employee recheck an entire case anyway. It really doesn't matter the brand of the item b/c if it was an oversight--it may be the only one....but there could have been an oversight elsewhere.

 

[Jenn Lynn]

I would never eat it! I toss anything away that is close to the date on it!
BTW.........What the heck kind of walmart sells lunch meat LOL???I've never seen groceries and meat in Walmart other than a few canned type things....

Super Wal-mart.

 

[Sleepy]

In my local military commissary, almost ALL products are close, right on or past the expiration date. It's just something we are use to. It's nothing for the milk to expire TODAY....ALL of it! Nothing for hotdogs or lunchmeats to have similar expiration dates and I just hold my breath and wonder exactly when the frozen foods were actually frozen........foods that are normally fresh case such as bacon, kielbasa, sausage, etc. Some stuff is even thawed out and placed as if it were a fresh case item such as containers of BBQ pork or beef. My friend picked up a container today that had manufacturer exp. date of Jan 12 5005. The exp. date sticker the commissary placed on the item said next week. We have no idea if this was actually supposed to be manufactured as a frozen item or if it was originally a fresh item, frozen, then thawed. The fact they thawed out an item frozen and it will sit for a while before bought scares me given the original exp. date. We just take a chance with most things here.