Sam's return policy on non-perishable food--NOT happy

[KKB]

2 years ago I returned some non-perishable food (extra from grad party). No issues.

Yesterday I returned some (leftover from a dance team kiddie clinic) & was told that food returned is thrown away. OK--WHY? It is non-perishable...why not give it to a food bank? They said they don't know if it got too hot or how it was housed--WHHATTT?? OK, our food bank has food drives several times a year where people drop off non-perishable food from their pantries--WOULDN'T THAT BE THE SAME THING??!!

Oh they informed me I was welcome to keep the food & donate it myself. Wait--WHAT? SOOOO...it is OK to donate this food on MY dime, but not yours? OK, I get it--this is a way to discourage returns. NOT impressed.
(funny, our local grocery takes returns & doesn't throw away non-perishables...)

Will not be renewing our membership...I was impressed with meat prices last year but no longer & honestly I can match most prices when things are on sale.

Have never been a Walmart fan--this just put the nail in the coffin on that relationship.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Their reasoning does make sense. Can you imagine what would happen if they donated your returned food and it made someone sick? Quite frankly, it would never occur to me to return food to a store; if I didn't need it, I would donate it myself somewhere. I don't know why you didn't do this. I don't see how you think they are discouraging returns; they actually have a very liberal return policy.

Your time would have probably been better spent writing to Wal-Mart/Sam's Club protesting this policy.

 

[nugov2]

My best guess is that that they cannot b/c if the food has left the store they cannot guarantee it hasn't been tampered with and has nothing to do with the fact they are owned by Walmart. Most stores donate almost expired goods, but those have never been purchased and returned. If someone got sick they could probably sue the store if the item was tampered with and in this sue happy society those are the ramifications people have to deal with...stores protecting themselves from lawsuits.

 

[ICF]

never returned excess food back to it's place of purchase.....if we have "extra" of something that we wont eat ourselves, we'd likely just donate it on our own.

 

[lovesmurfs]

Why does it matter what the corporation does with returns? If they returned my money, it wouldn't matter to me. Did they refuse to refund the return?

 

[ajwolfe]

Ironic timing on this post...So last Friday I needed to return a clothing item to Walmart and as I'm waiting to return I see an employee throwing food into a cart from behind the counter. He seen I was looking and commented that it was all returns - a heaping cart. There was some cold stuff in there, chips, bread, juice, soda, etc. I was completely grossed out by it. Sorry I don't like the idea that I'm spending my money on food that has sat in who knows what type of conditions at someone's house or in their car and now is back on the shelf. I would much rather them just pitch the food - which I'm really hoping the items that were meant to be cold were eventually pitched.

Not sure why you would return excess food. Either eat it or donate it yourself. The only time I see where a food return would make sense is if it was expired when you purchased or was defective after opening somehow.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Wal*Mart does the same. It's a liability issue.

 

[MomToOne]

I believe I've read Target does the same thing (although I admit I've never done it so I don't have first hand knowledge).

 

[scottmel]

well I just returned 42.00 of canned soup yesterday with ZERO shame. I figure if they can sell a Gluten Free product and put enough sodium in it to kill you I have zero shame in returning it. DD's doctor diagnosed her with kidney stones, gee I wonder why, upon investigating some of her gluten free products they are loaded with salt. I returned them. I wouldn't donate something to someone else that I personally wouldn't consume....

 

[mjkacmom]

Our shoprite does the same, for the reasons stated by other posters. If DH buys the wrong item, we keep it. They don't advertise that they toss it. I'm sure many grocery stores do the same.

A friend picked up a huge online order, and she had several bags that weren't hers. She called, and they told her to keep the items, because they would just throw them out anyway, since they left the store.

 

[Lilliputian]

I think all grocery stores are required to do that. They may not always tell you about it, but it is the requirement.

Maybe the reason she mentioned the policy is to discourage people from making food returns simply because they changed their minds. It is wasteful, and it causes increased expenses to the store which are then passed off to the customers, but it's not the store's fault.

 

[mjkacmom]

well I just returned 42.00 of canned soup yesterday with ZERO shame. I figure if they can sell a Gluten Free product and put enough sodium in it to kill you I have zero shame in returning it. DD's doctor diagnosed her with kidney stones, gee I wonder why, upon investigating some of her gluten free products they are loaded with salt. I returned them. I wouldn't donate something to someone else that I personally wouldn't consume....

Soup is probably one of the worst things to eat if you are looking for low sodium, gluten free or not! One serving of soup contains 60% of your daily sodium. Buyer beware, read labels. I wouldn't blame the supermarket - people buy soup, and the store isn't your food police.

 

[nugov2]

well I just returned 42.00 of canned soup yesterday with ZERO shame. I figure if they can sell a Gluten Free product and put enough sodium in it to kill you I have zero shame in returning it. DD's doctor diagnosed her with kidney stones, gee I wonder why, upon investigating some of her gluten free products they are loaded with salt. I returned them. I wouldn't donate something to someone else that I personally wouldn't consume....

Just a tip, the grocery store allows you to read the label at the store before you buy things, you don't have to wait until you get home

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

...... I wouldn't donate something to someone else that I personally wouldn't consume....

I thought that was the type of food you did donate,

 

[pooh'smate]

All stores have to claim out the food once it is returned not just Sam's or Walmart. It isn't advertised but some will tell you just incase you would rather donate it.

 

[ajwolfe]

well I just returned 42.00 of canned soup yesterday with ZERO shame. I figure if they can sell a Gluten Free product and put enough sodium in it to kill you I have zero shame in returning it. DD's doctor diagnosed her with kidney stones, gee I wonder why, upon investigating some of her gluten free products they are loaded with salt. I returned them. I wouldn't donate something to someone else that I personally wouldn't consume....

Holy Geez, either that soup was made of gold or you bought a TON of it to start with!

 

[kingagdar]

I work @ a large grocery store in the south and we donate out of date (still consumable) non-perishable foods as well as perishable foods. There are guidelines for what perishable foods are donated( no fish,fowl, cultured dairy) and all is kept either in my dairy cooler or a freezer for pick up 3x a week by a local food bank.

 

[ImDMous]

I would think as soon as food is no longer under their control that it would be off-limits to donate. They have no idea what happens to it once it leaves the store and taking chances with people's food could lead to really bad situations. They could be injected with something and returned, left in a hot car for hours, opened and resealed, etc. Intentional or not, there are too many unknowns that could lead to people getting sick.

 

[Allison]

I think that is a good policy. The store has no way to know what someone might have done with that item.

 

[dsanner106]

Remember the Tylonal poisoning cases from a decade or so ago? This person took home the bottles, injectected poison in the pills and returned them to the drugstore. Placed back on the shelves they were bought and killed people. Stores were sued and since then, once a consumable leaves a store, they don't take them back and resell.

drew