Do grocery stores throw out unopened returned food?

[TaraPA]

We, too, had to destroy it all before throwing it away. I had to literally squeeze the lotion into the trash and mark all over the bottle in Sharpie since people would dumpster dive.

No wonder their prices are so high!!

Bingo! Just last week I had someone walk in with FOUR large candles ($24.99 each) - she had burned all 4 almost down to the bottoms, at least 75% used - then claimed "she didn't like the smell anymore." I had to smile & give her over $100 back. They were all holiday scents - so we knew she was just tired of them now that Christmas is over! Unfortunately, this happens routinely.

It's people like that, that take advantage of stores' return policies, that drive the retail prices up!

 

[chisnpeke]

Bingo! Just last week I had someone walk in with FOUR large candles ($24.99 each) - she had burned all 4 almost down to the bottoms, at least 75% used - then claimed "she didn't like the smell anymore." I had to smile & give her over $100 back. They were all holiday scents - so we knew she was just tired of them now that Christmas is over! Unfortunately, this happens routinely.

It's people like that, that take advantage of stores' return policies, that drive the retail prices up!

That's ridiculous. My mom works at JCPenney and said a woman came in with a sweater that had obviously been well worn...you could just tell. It had a hole in it and they didn't have it in the system anymore but JCPenney takes anything back. Those kinds of things just make me angry...if something has obviously been used a lot I don't think stores should take them back unless something happens to them and they go defective. Burning all 4 candles close to the bottom then claiming to not like the scent is not a good enough reason to return them.

 

[LisaR]

OT, but I didn't realize walmart sold pasta sauce that cost nearly $6
what brand?
I don't think I have every paid that much even at a store like Whole Foods!

It was Muir Glen Organic for $5.89 per jar.

I am honestly shocked over this and can't believe people are staving in this country and we throw food that is very obviously not opened into the trash.

 

[TaraPA]

That's ridiculous. My mom works at JCPenney and said a woman came in with a sweater that had obviously been well worn...you could just tell. It had a hole in it and they didn't have it in the system anymore but JCPenney takes anything back. Those kinds of things just make me angry...if something has obviously been used a lot I don't think stores should take them back unless something happens to them and they go defective. Burning all 4 candles close to the bottom then claiming to not like the scent is not a good enough reason to return them.

I totally agree, but I don't make the corporate return policy! The one time I tried to refuse a return was a man whose jar candle had obviously been in heat & melted into liquid, and then was tipped on it's side & hardened again. he even admitted that it was in storage for a year. I refused to take it back, saying that there's no way we would have sold a defective candle like that in the 1st place. He called corporate & reported me, and I got a written warning in my permanent file that I didn't "make the customer happy." Puh-lease! So now i just take it all back & smile. It's not worth losing my job over to argue with those people - most of them are half crazy to begin with!

 

[lillygator]

usually credited back to a vendor, if a vendor item.

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

It's a safety issue (would be for B&BW products as well). Unfortunately there are sick puppies out there who would nto think twice about tampering with something and then returning it. Safety seals can be faked or duplicated. It is to protect you, the consumer. It sucks big time, but what else can you do? There are too many ways somebody can mess with something that would not be immediately obvious to an observer. We say it's bad now, but when somebody gets sick and dies, the public will be asking why this wasn't policy to begin with. This is basically due to the Tylenol murders in the 80's.

The same thing can be said for products like B&BW. On most B&BW stuff I've seen, there's not even a safety seal. It would be so easy for somebody to open a bottle and put some kind chemical into it. They could then return it to the store and have some unsuspecting person buy it and get hurt. It's sad that we have to think about these things, but we do.