I sit at my desk attempting to grasp the idea that five Office Max locations in a ten-mile radius do not currently have in stock reams of legal paper. With that, I need to know if the following scenario makes me very cheap:
I recently dumped like $70 at Trader Joe’s. I am not a fan of frozen foods at all, but I bought a few packages of pre-made enchiladas and some grilled eggplant. Good stuff, right? I figure, I’m working later hours now with the surge of purchase files on my desk, it’s better than waiting to eat solids when dinner is prepared at 8 p.m. A few nights ago was one of those late evenings. Then I took the package of eggplant out of the freezer, it reads: ALLERGY: Processed on the same machines as fish, shellfish… Normally, I catch these things when I read the label while actually IN the grocery aisles. See, I’m allergic to BOTH fish AND shellfish, so that doesn’t a happy meal make.
Then, I go back into freezer heaven, to find another enchilada package with the same thing. (Two different processing plant locations, by the way). The black bean vegetarian enchilada? Doesn’t have a fish warning on the label, but I’m thinking now that if it’s processed in the same plant, it also could have come into contact with machines, hands, whatever as shellfish remnants. Right?
Here’s the question, do I return them to Trader Joe’s? I have four or five frozen things in there that I will never touch now. They were $3-4 a piece. Four times three dollars is twelve bucks, and my normal grocery budget is about $30 a week. That’s a serious percentage of moolah wasted. Or should I just leave ‘em for the next house guest? There’s also the notion that the persons I would have eating in my household (for frozen dinners) would be my sisters, and they’re all allergic too, so they’re not eating anything made or processed by shellfish plants either. And keeping items such as these in my freezer only results in a very, very bad science experiment when I am starving after a night of drinking.
Just curious. How tacky is that to return food to a grocery store? Would you do it? I would be cool with store credit, seeing as how I shop there every week anyway. I could buy more cereal or eggs and milk and cheese or something. Yes, more cheese!
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July 19th, 2008 at 7:22 am
I would absolutely return em. 12 bucks is 12 bucks.
If something is 3-4 bucks, I’ll usually just pitch it, or give it to someone else (any item, not just food) but once you hit 10 bucks…I’m not taking that kind of hit when I know I can return it. 3-4 bucks is not worth a return store trip to me…10 bucks and higher, certainly worth going back…
I certainly don’t think there is anything weird or rude about returning stuff to the grocery. Stuff happens, and they know that…
July 19th, 2008 at 11:19 am
Yes, definitely return them. If Trader Joes has an ounce of class, they will take them back without a question asked and probably just credit you the money back. Just tell them the honest truth and there should be no problems. It’s not tacky at all.
July 19th, 2008 at 11:49 am
I concur, especially with the likelihood of a drunken science experiment. They probably won’t put the packages back in the freezer, but they will most likely give you store credit. Just take them in the next time you do your weekly shopping, that way you aren’t wasting gas. If they say no, you get a moment of well-earned self-righteous indignation, and then can just throw them in the office freezer, earning yourself cool employee of the week cred.
July 20th, 2008 at 2:08 pm
i’d say it’s definitely worth the attempt to return them. if you explain your situation, i can’t imagine them not understanding. you could also give them a call before heading out there to see what they say.
July 21st, 2008 at 8:01 am
TJ’s will take it back, no questions. They’ve always been great when I’ve had issues with their food. Good luck. I enjoy reading your blog!