Vent: Does sale on produce = rotten veggies???

[Lisa_M]

It seems everytime I buy fruits and vegetables on sale they are close to or already rotten. Example: Yesterday I bought 2 5lb bags of potatos on sale 2 for $5. I used the one bag and probably had to throw half of each potato away due to bad spots. Some were even rotting from the inside This is not the first time I have had this experience with potatos (from 2 different grocery stores and NOT Aldi's).

Fruit- grapes on sale, rotten after two days. Strawberries on sale -fuzzy mold already on them in the store. 5lb bags of oranges on sale, getting mushy after 1 week.

Anyone else had this experience? Do I just need to only buy produce when it's full price? I would complain to the store to get my money back, but that would mean saving all those rotten pieces of potato and going back over there with a 5 week old baby. I don't have the energy for that...

 

[4Seasons]

No you aren't the only one frustrated by this. Where I live the grocery store isn't exactly "just around the corner", it means anywhere from an 8 mile drive to the nasty grocery store that I can't stand to go in, up to a 17 mile drive to my preferred store.
Alot of produce lasts at best 2-3 days. The thing that drives me the most crazy is when I get apples, and they look fine on the outside, but you bite into them and they have a brown, almost "mushy" center.
It doesn't make sense at all, but like you I can't just pick up and race off to the store for a refund.
I did my grocery shopping yesterday and needed some zucchini for a recipe, and the only ones they had were right at the edge of being bad (I mean like if I don't use them today they will be trash by tomorrow), and I had to pay $1.78 a lb! I bought just enough to get me thru my recipe, but it's certainly disheartening when we try so hard to eat fresh, healthy food and you can't even find something I would consider *fresh*!

 

[Todd&Copper]

That is why I am kind of retentive about not buying too much produce when it is on sale. I have made the mistake of buying 2 bages of taters when they are on sale, only to end up with a half bag of mushy brown lumps before DH & I have a chance to eat them all.
I haven't had rotten fruit & veggies a day or two later recently except for something I bought recently at Giant (can't remember what it was right now . . .) but I haven't noticed the sale --> rotten correlation.

 

[minniebeth]

You have definately hit on a nerve of mine from grocery shopping!
Especially with the cost of produce (all groceries now), this is very much so a reality that the quality is hit or miss at best. I don't think that it is necessarily the produce that is on sale, but overall where a particular food store gets its produce from. I have just learned to shop for the produce I like and know is fresher at other stores. It is a real pain, but ironically, the better produce comes from stores that are overall more inexpensive. You could spend everyday grocery shopping at different stores. I like produce from stores by us: Meijer, The Andersons, Marc's (the more reasonable stores), Giant Eage has nice meats and produce but very expensive. Kroger's meat and produce is at the bottom of my list and it is where I like to shop best.
The thing that annoys me most is that when you complain about anything or bring anything back, they act like you are an annoyance and a professional/chronic complainer. For as much as I buy there, I return very little.

 

[Chicago526]

This is why I stick to buying frozen as much as possible, and fresh as needed, on sale or not, and then use the fresh as fast as possible. I also try and buy what's in season, it's better quality and it does seem to last longer, and because it's in season, even the non-sale price is usually pretty good.

 

[Mocharilla]

I don't know about where you are, but the Meijer's by my house, when things are reduced price, it's because they're nearing their expiration date (usually 1-3 days) and they need to get them out. So, we always by on-sale if we'll be using it very soon.

 

[Lisa_M]

I'm in Pennsylvania. We have Giant, Redner's, and Aldi. Maybe I'll try the farmer's market next time, but it's a pain because I have to bring cash, their prices are higher and no shopping cart for the baby.

 

[mrsboz]

I find that fresh produce at our store on sale or not is hard to find. We like most vegetables so I look for whatever is fresher. I was at a party last week and someone told me about this tip:

She said that if you put your produce in zip loc bags with a papertowel or a napkin in the bag it keeps them very fresh. She said that she can keep lettuce for two weeks.

I haven't tried it yet. She said that she heard it on Rachel Ray or Martha Stewart. I will defninitely try it. I just didn't have any large bags on hand. It does get frustrating because food is so expensive. I can't understand how people say that they spend so little food shopping. It could never happen with us. I spend a small fortune weekly.

 

[Califgirl]

I find that fresh produce at our store on sale or not is hard to find. We like most vegetables so I look for whatever is fresher. I was at a party last week and someone told me about this tip:

She said that if you put your produce in zip loc bags with a papertowel or a napkin in the bag it keeps them very fresh. She said that she can keep lettuce for two weeks.

I haven't tried it yet. She said that she heard it on Rachel Ray or Martha Stewart. I will defninitely try it. I just didn't have any large bags on hand. It does get frustrating because food is so expensive. I can't understand how people say that they spend so little food shopping. It could never happen with us. I spend a small fortune weekly.

I've used the paper towel tip with fresh herbs that I buy in bunches. I don't completely seal the plastic bag either.

 

[Dopey420]

At the Kroger and Walmart in my town, "on sale" definitely means "spoiling tomorrow" and sometimes it means "already spoiled"..

 

[sarahlovesmickey]

I NEVER NEVER buy produce from the Walmart here because it is always disgusting. I always stick to Shaws or Market Basket produce. Shaws has the best produce!!

 

[kydisneyfans]

I find that produce on sale is typically fresher as the lower price means more turnover on the product.

I rarely buy from Kroger, it just never looks good and the price is not great. WalMart is fruit fly city here. Meijer is the best around here, and that isn't saying much.

 

[ceecee]

I NEVER NEVER buy produce from the Walmart here because it is always disgusting. I always stick to Shaws or Market Basket produce. Shaws has the best produce!!

I have noticed that as well. I avoid Walmart as much as I can. I got a veggie tray once and the brocolli was so tuff you couldn't eat it. I have been buying brocolli every week for years and haven't ever had anything like that before. I cut into a melon that was rotten. Kroger had fresher produce in our area. A local grocery marks theirs down when it's still fresh, just when they notice they seem to have a lot of one thing, so I have gotten some good produce there that is marked down.

 

[SCQ86]

WOW! I thought I was losing my mind over my veggies. I've just been in shock on how the vegetables that I've been buying have been getting bad fast. I bought lemons the other day and in 3 days they were green....***??

I did decide to buy the green bags everyone is talking about.....hoping that will help.