Disgusting Grocery Store

[Ghel]

It's an open secret around the area that the only grocery store in the town where I live is terrible. You have to be really careful when buying anything "fresh." Check expiration dates, etc. because you're likely to buy spoiled food. But it is the only grocery store in town, so on a snowy day yesterday and facing a 10-mile drive to the next grocery store, I stopped by. Had this conversation with the cashier:

Me: Some of the yogurt in the cooler is more than a month past its sell-by date.
Cashier: I know. Nothing I can do about it.
Me: Nobody listens, huh?
Cashier: <looks around to make sure the owner isn't around> No, they don't.

[KuariKaydrith]

I'd also be wary of their frozen foods...who knows how long they sat out on the floor before being put away in the freezers!

I feel for you

[Seanette]

Might the local health department take some interest?

[Kristev]

Agreed. Closing this store isn't exactly depriving everyone of good, tasty (or allegedly healthy) food anyway.

[RealUnimportant]

If it's the only store in town, you have to take into account how close the next store might be. There's a reason it's still there and still the only game in town; food deserts are still way too common.

[Ghel]

I found the website to submit a complaint in Minnesota. Apparently, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture oversees grocery stores here. We'll see if anything comes of it. They wanted a purchase date. Well, I didn't actually purchase it. I put in the date I was there and saw the expired yogurt.

As I said on the webform, we already live in a food desert, even with that grocery store. I don't really want them shut down because it's 10 miles to the next grocery store. But I don't want anyone to get sick because they weren't vigilant about checking expiration dates.

As for frozen foods, yeah, I always wonder if they got left out before being put away. Or if they've been in there so long they've become freezer burned. It's harder to tell with frozen food.