Refund refused.

[GroceryGIrl]

This happened a few weeks ago. This lady who had purchased a pack of six bottles of those yoghurt beverages arrived wanting a refund. She had her receipt and a plastic bag with only two of the six bottles in it. She explained that they were expired and wanted to return them. I look at her receipt, which indicated that she had purchased these a good six days previously. I then look at the date on the returned bottles which was the same as the day of the return. First, you can't just return two out of a pack of six items and expect a full refund. Second, we can't refund something you've already had for an entire week just because it's now reached their date of expiration.

[BaristaTrav]

And....she said ok? No managers summoned? No calls to corporate? I feel like you're leaving us hanging. Often an SC with a return that asinine isn't turned away that easily.

[fma_fanatic]

DaDairyDruid has mentioned from time to time customers returning items a few times past their sell by/expiration date. I'll have to kick him over here to chime in.

[EvilEmpryss]

Maybe, maybe, if the expiration date on the bottles was *before* the purchase date, I could understand wanting a refund. Since most foods don't magically turn from good to bad on the date printed on the label, I could even see why she might have eaten 4/6 without realizing it until a few days later. If the food was expired before the sale date, I think a full refund would be in order as the store never should have sold the product in the first place.

If the stuff expired the day *of* the sale or after, too bad, so sad, learn to eat your food quicker.

[bainsidhe]

Hellmart would do the return. Yes..I'm serious.

[BookstoreEscapee]

I agree with EvilEmpryss. If it was expired when she bought it, and she just didn't realize it until she got home, she should at least be able to exchange it (though preferably not short 4 bottles) - they shouldn't have been sold in the first place in that case (I know some items can be sold after the expiration date, but whenever I've seen that it was clearly marked - and discounted; I don't know if yogurt is one of those items).

That said, she had two bottles left. She could have drank them in the next few days and they'd be fine.

[Titi]

But the OP mentioned that the expiration date was the same day as the day that they were trying to return the product. So no buying close or out of date for this one.

[GroceryGIrl]

Exactly, she waited until the product expired before returning it. Surprisingly enough, she did not make a fuss about it. She just told me I could dispose of them but then she took them back and left with them.

[Kristev]

Only to advance directly to her neighborhood Yellow Unhappy Face Store.

[emax4]

In that case, I would have taken the 6 pack price, divide it by 3, and given her back 1/3 (she was returning 2 of 6 bottles) of what she paid for it. Management should agree to that.

[EvilEmpryss]

Exactly, she waited until the product expired before returning it.

I once bought this huuuge roast (16 lbs) that was on sale because it was close to its expiration date. I thought I'd be able to get to it to carve it up and freeze it before it went bad. Nope. Couldn't get to it for a few days and by the time I unwrapped it it'd gone bad.

It didn't even cross my mind, though, that I should try to take it back to the store. But that's why I'm posting here instead of get posted about here.

[Bloodsoul]

I have a bottle of steak sauce from Grand Union that has since expired (March, 1997).

I can has refund?

[Shalom]

Heck, I have a sealed jar of peperoncini that expired May 1994 in my closet. Nothing wrong with it as far as I can see.

(And I can't see how yoghurt can expire anyway. Isn't it just milk with a specific type of bacterial overgrowth (lactobacillus or some such) in it? It's kind of spoiled by design, how can it get worse?)

[EvilEmpryss]

Yoghurt can spoil, trust me!

Sour cream, though, that's the one I have trouble telling when it's gone bad.

[QASlave]

Wow. If this worked I'd NEVER have to PAY for milk again!!