Poll - out of date stock on supermarket shelves

[Watis]

I've had several instances recently of finding stock on supermarket shelves that has pased its 'best before' or 'use by' dates.

If you found such items, what would you do?

Watis

[UncleEbenezer]

Erm, depends on the item (how much does the date matter?), and how much they've reduced it.

And on circumstances. How much effort is involved in finding a member of staff to alert?

[Watis]

Erm, depends on the item (how much does the date matter?), and how much they've reduced it.

And on circumstances. How much effort is involved in finding a member of staff to alert?

The products I have in mind aren't reduced - they have been left on the shelf unsold and not spotted and removed when the shelves have been replenished!

It usually only take a minute or so to find a member of staff, so not too onerous a task. And now you've made reveal what I did!

Watis

[bungeejumper]

Erm, depends on the item (how much does the date matter?), and how much they've reduced it.

If the date has actually passed, then I'd doubt whether any of my local shops would dare take the risk of discounting it - because that would be an active acknowledgement that they knew something was up. (As distinct from 'not noticing' that the meat pies were going furry at the edges.)

I regularly buy short-dated stuff from the discounted shelf. Vegetables will often keep for a week beyond their sell-by date, and I wouldn't even look at a steak that wasn't at least ten days out of date. (More tender, and with a better-developed flavour.) Most meats on the naughty shelf are fine for the freezer. Milk products and bread, somewhat less so.

BJ

[greenrobbie]

If a use-by date has gone past, I would do nothing, but be annoyed, and wonder about the stock management in the store. It would incline me to start looking for another store with better management.

[Slarti]

Use by date, eg milk, physically remove it from the shelf and give it to a member of staff, even if they are not in that department.

Best before date, make sure that it is at the front of the shelf with the date on display and take one with a longer date, if one existed. I would mention it to a member of staff if one was to hand.


As for things past their best before date being sold at a discount https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-42217026

Slarti

[IanSmithISA]

Good evening,

I've had several instances recently of finding stock on supermarket shelves that has pased its 'best before' or 'use by' dates.

If you found such items, what would you do?

Watis

I am confused by your question as it seems to show a complete lack of understanding of the information being given.

Best Before Dates are a recommendation that the product is past the date where it will be at its best but is in no way unsafe to eat.

Use Buy Dates are a statement that product will be either unsafe to eat or statistically likely to be unsafe to eat after the specified date.

So which one are you asking about?

Bye

Ian

[swill453]

I am confused by your question as it seems to show a complete lack of understanding of the information being given.

Best Before Dates are a recommendation that the product is past the date where it will be at its best but is in no way unsafe to eat.

Use Buy Dates are a statement that product will be either unsafe to eat or statistically likely to be unsafe to eat after the specified date.

The supermarkets should be displaying neither, though. Albeit for different reasons.

Scott.

[Stompa]

I once found some potato salad in the chiller cabinet at Iceland that was 6 months past it's use by date. I informed the manager, and hung around to make sure that it was removed. Mind you, he moved pretty sharpish!

[Weath]

The supermarkets should be displaying neither, though. Albeit for different reasons. Scott.

Not true.

There is nothing stopping either the selling or redistribution of items that are past their 'Best Before' dates. In fact a number of retailers have recently started doing so in order to promote the reduction of food waste.

[swill453]

Not true.

There is nothing stopping either the selling or redistribution of items that are past their 'Best Before' dates. In fact a number of retailers have recently started doing so in order to promote the reduction of food waste.

I did say there were different reasons. Supermarkets won't as a matter of policy display goods past "best before" dates in with their normal stock, unhighlighted. I'm sure they'd take action if it was pointed out to them.

I'm well aware it's not illegal.

Scott.

[Raptor]

The supermarkets should be displaying neither, though. Albeit for different reasons. Scott.

Not true.

There is nothing stopping either the selling or redistribution of items that are past their 'Best Before' dates. In fact a number of retailers have recently started doing so in order to promote the reduction of food waste.

I think you will find that what they have done is actually remove all dates from certain products. We call it the sight and sniff test. Leaving it upto customers and staff to decide when a product is no longer fit to sell.

What is also happening is that certain products that have breached their dates can be taken by staff for upto 1 day past so as to reduce waste.

A lot of time is taken to remove out of date products, rotation is the main way, but no system is infallible, relying on staff training to keep it correct. Unfortunately staff and processes are not infallible. Today whilst checking back stock found 5 boxes of crisps that expired at beginning of January, they were immediately "wasted" and put aside for return to depot for disposal.



Raptor

Declaration. I am a stock controller for a major supplier.

[Howyoudoin]

I've had several instances recently of finding stock on supermarket shelves that has pased its 'best before' or 'use by' dates.

If you found such items, what would you do?

Watis

Do you mean a major supermarket or a small local one?

I'd be very surprised if an item in a top 4 supermarket passed its Best Before or Use By date. They just turn over too much stock. But if it happened, I wouldn't consider complaining about it unless I thought it was a health risk. I'd just alert a member of staff.

Unfortunately, with small local supermarkets, it's much more likely to find something out of date. They normally put anything that has passed its BB4 date next to the till at a greatly reduced price.

Oddly, i'd be much more concerned about something that was past its Use By date in an unnamed local supermarket rather than a Big 4 Supermarket, purely because I would take it as a rare mistake at the latter and something that may have been done at purpose at the former, despite the risks.

HYD

[Watis]

My OP and poll was prompted by yesterday's shopping expedition, when I found two products that had passed their use by date. In both cases the older product was behind the newer stock so that does rather suggest that staff are not rotating the stock correctly, or at all.

One was a dairy product 4 days overdue, the other was a fresh savoury sauce that was 4 weeks overdue! The staff member took them off the shelves and said they would bring it to the attention of the fresh goods manager.

This is at one of the big four supermarkets. I'm finding examples more frequently and wonder if corners are being cut to save money. For example, the aisles are regularly partially blocked by racks of merchandise ready to be put on the shelves but there's no-one around doing that.

Another example of poor stock control yesterday was skimmed milk. There were two racks of 4 pint bottles. The bottles on one rack had a use by date of 28th January; the bottles on the adjacent rack were dated 17th January!

Watis

[tjh290633]

In our local small supermarkets it is common to see milk, for example, marked down the day before its best before date. On occasion I had not noticed the reduced price, it being the only bottle(s) of that quality available.

It will normally last several days past that date.

TJH

[dionaeamuscipula]

This is at one of the big four supermarkets. I'm finding examples more frequently and wonder if corners are being cut to save money. For example, the aisles are regularly partially blocked by racks of merchandise ready to be put on the shelves but there's no-one around doing that.

We're at full employment. At least as likely that they can't recruit enough staff.

DM

[didds]

We're at full employment. At least as likely that they can't recruit enough staff.

DM

is that the UK "we", or just all supermarkets, or one s/market chain, or one specific s/market? (I might have missed something above)

I only ask because 8 years ago I did a stint stacking shelves overnight at a local s/m. We had a team of maybe 8-10.

A reliable source tells me that team now is whittled down to 3-4, but the same amount of shelves and goods exist ... this through store economics.
So for that specific example the store is only at "full employment" because it cannot afford any more staff and compared to 8 years ago is at half employment. (There was no slack in the previous o/night team I can assure you!)

didds

[Weath]

I did say there were different reasons. Supermarkets won't as a matter of policy display goods past "best before" dates in with their normal stock, unhighlighted. I'm sure they'd take action if it was pointed out to them.

I'm well aware it's not illegal. Scott.

With respect, no you didn't, you said [quote="swill453]The supermarkets should be displaying neither, though. Albeit for different reasons.[/quote]

You gave no reason for why neither should be displayed and as I have said this would be at the discretion of the store in the case of BB dates anyhow.

[dionaeamuscipula]

We're at full employment. At least as likely that they can't recruit enough staff.

DM

is that the UK "we", or just all supermarkets, or one s/market chain, or one specific s/market? (I might have missed something above)

I only ask because 8 years ago I did a stint stacking shelves overnight at a local s/m. We had a team of maybe 8-10.

A reliable source tells me that team now is whittled down to 3-4, but the same amount of shelves and goods exist ... this through store economics.
So for that specific example the store is only at "full employment" because it cannot afford any more staff and compared to 8 years ago is at half employment. (There was no slack in the previous o/night team I can assure you!)

didds

The UK.

It is many years since I stacked shelves or worked checkout, so I have no personal experience.

DM

[swill453]

I did say there were different reasons. Supermarkets won't as a matter of policy display goods past "best before" dates in with their normal stock, unhighlighted. I'm sure they'd take action if it was pointed out to them.

I'm well aware it's not illegal. Scott.

With respect, no you didn't, you said [quote="swill453]The supermarkets should be displaying neither, though. Albeit for different reasons.[/quote]

You gave no reason for why neither should be displayed and as I have said this would be at the discretion of the store in the case of BB dates anyhow.[/quote][/quote]

I don't know which bits of my posts you're misinterpreting or failing to understand, so I'll stop there.

Scott.