Tesco Sandhurst (Meadows) and out of date food
Discussion
Over the last year or so, there have been a number of occasions when I've discovered I've bought out of date food at this store - mainly chilled items. It has happened often enough that I now generally check the date on the food when I buy it - not to make sure I've got the one at the back of the shelf which will last longer, but purely to ensure I'm buying food that's safe to eat!
However - last night (17th Oct), I forgot to check - I'd realised as I was heading for the checkout that I forgot to pick up the bacon I wanted to use in my dinner recipe, so I simply chucked a pack of their finest in the basket.
Went to open it when I was cooking - and discovered that it's use by date was the 12 Oct! That's not just slightly out of date - that's massively out of date!
Needless to say, I will be returning it tonight as a very unhappy customer. If it was just the once it wouldn't seem so bad, but I genuinely do feel I need to check the stuff I'm buying there is in date now. Surely that shouldn't be necessary at such a big store - particularly when they have computers that figure out my entire lifestyle just from my clubcard activity - they really should be able to work out they've got out of date food on their shelves!
Anybody else found this at that store or am I just unlucky?
However - last night (17th Oct), I forgot to check - I'd realised as I was heading for the checkout that I forgot to pick up the bacon I wanted to use in my dinner recipe, so I simply chucked a pack of their finest in the basket.
Went to open it when I was cooking - and discovered that it's use by date was the 12 Oct! That's not just slightly out of date - that's massively out of date!
Needless to say, I will be returning it tonight as a very unhappy customer. If it was just the once it wouldn't seem so bad, but I genuinely do feel I need to check the stuff I'm buying there is in date now. Surely that shouldn't be necessary at such a big store - particularly when they have computers that figure out my entire lifestyle just from my clubcard activity - they really should be able to work out they've got out of date food on their shelves!
Anybody else found this at that store or am I just unlucky?
There were a couple of Actimel multipacks on the shelf yesterday which were 2 days past the sell by date. Thankfully i check the dates rather than just dropping it in the trolley. As mentioned previously it all comes down to staff checking things, etc (or not as the case may be)
To add to this though, when i was in Tesco today, one of the floor managers was attempting to explain to a member of staff which items went where on the shelf by using a picture chart to point them to the right shelf/section, as it appeared the member of staff in question wasn't particularly fluent in English.
Then later on round the quieter part of the store down the far end with the fizzy drinks/water, etc, there were about 7 of the food pickers having a good old mothers meeting (read that as not working). Was just walking off the aisle when one of the managers walked past me, and he didn't sound very happy when he found them.
To add to this though, when i was in Tesco today, one of the floor managers was attempting to explain to a member of staff which items went where on the shelf by using a picture chart to point them to the right shelf/section, as it appeared the member of staff in question wasn't particularly fluent in English.
Then later on round the quieter part of the store down the far end with the fizzy drinks/water, etc, there were about 7 of the food pickers having a good old mothers meeting (read that as not working). Was just walking off the aisle when one of the managers walked past me, and he didn't sound very happy when he found them.
This is the price you pay for the race to the bottom on food prices.
Low prices have largely come from cutting store staffing - meaning essential stuff like date checking becomes a rushed job.
It's one thing computers can't (yet) do - they can only react to what human input tells them - until full RF tagging of stock becomes a reality, the tills won't know if you've bought a pack that goes out of date today or next week.
However, it really shouldn't happen - my advice if it's regular is to take the product and receipt to your local trading standards officer. They'll make life incredibly uncomfortable for the store manager by conducting a 'raid' where they'll rock up mob handed and check all the fresh food aisles.
Low prices have largely come from cutting store staffing - meaning essential stuff like date checking becomes a rushed job.
It's one thing computers can't (yet) do - they can only react to what human input tells them - until full RF tagging of stock becomes a reality, the tills won't know if you've bought a pack that goes out of date today or next week.
However, it really shouldn't happen - my advice if it's regular is to take the product and receipt to your local trading standards officer. They'll make life incredibly uncomfortable for the store manager by conducting a 'raid' where they'll rock up mob handed and check all the fresh food aisles.
Soovy said:
A whole five days.
I would imagine that during the war that would have gone straight in the bin.
Yeah and in Zimbabwe the kids have to eat soil. Doesn't mean they should keep doing it when times get better.I would imagine that during the war that would have gone straight in the bin.
Regardless of what you think, the food could be less safe to eat. But even that is not the point. The OP has paid for food that he believed was within the use by date, he has not been supplied with that.
Bullett said:
Don't shop at Tesco?
M&S is next door, Waitrose is round the corner and Sainsburys is up the road.
They shouldn't sell out of date but that won't kill you.
The main reason I tend to shop at tesco tends to be the range. I did try Sainsburys a couple of weeks ago but even for a big store the range seemed more limited than Tesco. M&S is next door, Waitrose is round the corner and Sainsburys is up the road.
They shouldn't sell out of date but that won't kill you.
Having said that, since their huge re-org, I can't find half the stuff I want in Tesco anyway, and the fact that I could now get my make-up done there is not a big plus for me.....
Perhaps it is indeed time to shop around. M&S is definitely too limited for a general shop, but I may start trying Waitrose. A bit small, but at least the food is generally pretty good.
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