Mr. Blog's Tepid Ride

October 10, 2013

Check this out.

“Reminder: Please check expiration or “best by” dates prior to purchasing.”

The CVS closest to me has these signs peppered all over the store. Even, and this is true, in the greeting card aisle. (There’s nothing worse than buying a Christmas card and finding out it expired on Easter.) This was apparently prompted by the fact that the store is full of expired items. No joke, I mean that. I’m not just talking about the last box of corn flakes sitting way back in the rear of the shelf. I bought a bottle of soda that had just been packed out on the end of the aisle, right near the registers, and when I opened it I found that it was flat and the expiration date was three months ago. And this was just put out for a big sale!

These signs are an admission that they put out expired stuff. They really should say “Warning! We put out expired food and if you are dumb enough to not look at the expiration dates, then too bad for you, sucker.” Instead of making sure that their items are fresh and their products have not expired, they are putting the onus on YOU to make sure that you do not buy stale stuff. 

OK, I can understand taking this little precaution. After all, I check expiration dates on everything I buy as a matter of course. I don’t trust stores not to put out expired goods. But unlike CVS, most stores do not come out and smugly admit that they sell expired goods. 

Tags: best by, bmj2k, CVS, drug stores, expiration dates, expired food, fresh, Mr. Blog, Mr. Blog's Tepid Ride, ripoff, Rite Aid, smart shopper, stale, Walgreens