Do You Return Moldy Produce??

Updated on July 19, 2011
L.K. asks from Aniwa, WI
17 answers

This morning my husband bought 3 pints of fresh blueberries from the market right by our house. As soon as he walked in the door I noticed that they were all moldy. He returned them, and they did not have a problem with that. Do you ever return moldy produce? What if you don't notice until the next day?

What can I do next?

  • Add yourAnswer own comment
  • Ask your own question Add Question
  • Join the Mamapedia community Mamapedia
  • as inappropriate
  • this with your friends

Featured Answers

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

D.R.

answers from Minneapolis on

I usually don't but only because I don't want to/can't take the time to go back to the store, or I forget if I go back for something else. If I were more on top of things and less forgetful, I would TOTALLY take moldy or damaged fruit back.

2 moms found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

D.J.

answers from Minneapolis on

On occassion I have especially when I am already going back to the store or it is convenient for me to stop by with it. I have always had the clerks replace the produce.

1 mom found this helpful

More Answers

R.R.

answers from Los Angeles on

I most definitely do return it, even if I don't notice until the next day.

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

L.L.

answers from Topeka on

Inspect before you purchase,if it is on the inside I typically just toss it, it would cost me more money to return produce that was icky on the inside,the outside I buy them as close to fresh as possible then consume within 2 days.I hardly ever have to toss produce from mold they get eaten before that happens,besides that isn't it our responsiblity to eat what we buy instead of putting the blame on the store that their produce turned moldy after 3-4 days of purchase that isn't their problem.

1 mom found this helpful

L.L.

answers from Rochester on

If I buy produce and it's moldy within two days, I would take it back. I recently bought some raspberries that looked great, but by that night they had mold on them. Food is too expensive to let it just go to waste like that!

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

C.L.

answers from Cedar Rapids on

I have returned produce in the past within a few days if it's moldy; I've also returned chicken that's gone stinky before it's expiration date. Now in both instances I simply exchanged for one that wasn't icky. The thing with my grocery store is that they refunded my purchase price for the fruit, in addition to giving me the fruit. I felt bad, but it's the store's policy. Because this isn't a 'big box' store per se; I don't feel like they're trying to screw me and keeping bad stuff on the shelves, I assume it's an oversight. With berries it's easy to miss.

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

K.F.

answers from Salinas on

Blueberries, absolutely. Especially if they were organic, those guys are expensive. If it was something else probably not, it just depends on what it was, whether or not I NEED to replace it right away and how much it cost.

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

T.W.

answers from Syracuse on

Yes, I definitely return them. That goes for anything I buy that's gone bad. I once bought hamburger rolls and after 2 days they were covered in mold, I went in to return them and the woman at the customer service desk was actually giving me a hard time. I complained to the store manager and they took it back. With the prices of food, it irritates me.

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

B.D.

answers from Pittsburgh on

I try to check it before I purchase it. Typically produce goes moldy on me from not using it in a timely manner. In that instance it is clearly my fault and I just pitch it. If I was jsut home from the store with it and it was convenient for me to return it, yes I would.

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

T.M.

answers from Tampa on

No, I really don't. It ticks me off, but I just don't want to spend the extra time and effort to return it. I do make a mental note to check the produce better the next time I buy it.

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

R.M.

answers from Topeka on

I would definitely return them if they were not edible...I work in a grocery store and I don't think it is unusual at all for people to return things like that. Of course it would have to be within a reasonable time period...and you might need to have the receipt. With the price of things today I cannot think that many of us can afford to buy something and just throw it away.

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

B.C.

answers from Joplin on

yes I would, even if I did not notice until the next day, food prices being what they are I do not have a lot of wiggle room in my budget for food that will have to be thrown away. I have done this with milk that has expired before its sell by date, with a container of cottage cheese that I opened and was molded, and with bread. Never has a store given me any problem.

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

J.R.

answers from San Diego on

Yes, absolutely I return them. Milk too. Even if it's been a couple of days. Normally, it's enough to tell them the next time you go to the store that the produce you bought from them was bad. If you have a receipt and aren't someone who habitually abuses this, they're pretty reasonable and don't actually ask you to show them the evidence before giving you a refund or exchange.

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

V.M.

answers from Cleveland on

i went to use a bottle ofsalad dressing tonight. totally unopened. I looked at the date before i went to open it. 2006!!! We must have bought it off the shelf like that a few weeks ago, because we moved in 2009 and hardly had any foodstuffs to move. I threw it out, but if the store were closer and i had all the time in the world i would have wanted to return it.

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

B.R.

answers from Des Moines on

Lol, ditto exactly what Dina R. said right before me!

1 mom found this helpful

K.L.

answers from Medford on

Ive shopped at the same store for about 30 years. Ive seen carry out kids grow up and become checkers and now they are all retiring! This is why I love being known as a regular at the grocery store. (I also did daycare for 4 different employees kids)All I have to do is tell them I had an item that wasnt good and they give me a new one or money back. One time way back when, I actually brought in the rancid chicken for proof, and they couldnt get that stinking thing out of the store fast enough! They told me to just tell them, and even without a reciept it would be fine. They have made it right over the years for several bigger things,, like a whole loaf of bread that was green in the center way before its date, and curdled milk, rotten eggs, and fish that just wasnt right. I dont make a big deal about a few moldy strawberries, or bananas that are black 3 days after I buy them. Never complained about an avacado, but half the time I dont use stuff fast enough and its my fault.
V.M. How does that happen!! I find salad dressings so many years old it is impossible I had it that long. It had to come from the store already 3 years over the date! lol I just never think to check it before I buy it,, need to I guess.lol

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.H.

answers from Dallas on

Absolutely -- I've taken it back even a day or two later. Even an avocado that I just bought that was icky inside, or anything that I wouldn't feed my family once I saw inside the package or the food itself. The store needs to know when something is inedible and I've never had a problem getting my money or a replacement item right away.

1 mom found this helpful
For Updates and Special Promotions
Follow Us

Related Questions