Kitchen

[Allegedly]

Has anyone returned produce to Walmart? They have a 100% love it or return it guarantee. I purchased some nectarines on Friday that are TERRIBLE..dry, mealy, and tasteless.

I tried looking on their website for the specifics of the guarantee but the website is under maintenance. I know I only paid a couple dollars, but I am considering using the guarantee as almost every time I get produce at Walmart it stinks. I need to stop purchasing there.

[debic]

If you have a receipt I would think it's perfectly ok to do so.

[gardenman]

I can honestly say I've never gotten bad produce from Walmart and I buy a lot there. Of course I carefully select the produce so maybe that's why. As a rule if you want to return something they'll take it back. You may get some odd looks from the customer service staff returning fruit, but they'll take it back and refund your money since the customer is always right. They may be a bit confused about it, but they'll refund your money.

[Allegedly]

Thanks for the replies. Walmart has specially been running commercials on their produce, saying if you do not love it you can return it. That is why I asked the question. I think each Walmart has their own local suppliers. My mom's Walmart has gorgeous produce, my Walmart stinks. Perhaps if more people returned produce, they would change suppliers.

[gardensla]

Go for it!

For such a vendor with such huge purchasing power, their produce is awful in my opinion. I think produce is graded into classes and they buy from the lowest traunch possible.

[HonnyBrown]

You can return everything to WalMart.

[Deadeye Daisy]

Not necessary to actually bring the produce. Just bring your receipt (and if product had ID or pricing stickers on it, bring that in). You're NEVER required to actually bring in perishable items to get a refund at ANY store.

Suppose you only shop once or twice a month - surely, you're not going to hang on to an inferior perishable item that long, be it an animal or vegetable procuct.

I would say that almost every time I go in to Publix or Ingles, I bring in a produce receipt for refund. That peach may smell like a peach when you buy it, but if it tastes 'mealy', it means that somewhere along the line, they were refrigerated. Stone fruits should NEVER be refrigerated, even at home.

When I buy strawberries at Publix or Ingles, I buy two, sometimes three packages. When I get home, I make one package of the ripe ones that are edible. The other one or two unripe packs, I get refunded. When I get at the farmer's market, I make up my own container with only ripe berries. And before you ask, when I buy grapes in a supermarket, I pick one or two compact bunchs and put it a fresh bag. I NEVER buy grapes with a bunch of loose ones rolling around in the bag.

NEVER pay any attention to anyone in a store who tries to tell you that that ANY fruit will be fine 'when it ripens'. Once a fruit has been picked, sugar production STOPS!. That goes for ALL stone fruits (peaches, plums, apricots, nectarines, etc), ALL melons, grapes, berries. Those strawberries that are half ripe will NEVER be ready to eat. If that cantaloupe doesn't smell like a melon when you buy it, it will NEVER taste like one.

Once removed from the vine, sugar production stops. That's why orchardists use a refractometer to verify the sugar content of fruit before picking and shipping. Once correct sugar content is reached, the fruit can be picked even if it's rock hard (preferred by orchardists who ship cross country). Rock hard, but fully ripe fruit will become edible after a few days.

For stone fruits, color is NOT an indication of ripeness. In peaches, though, you never want ANY green around the stem end. Stem end should be a yellow/orange color, even if the rest of the peach is 'peachy' color.

Pineapples are ALWAYS to be picked fully ripe. They will not ripen after picking. They just get softer.

Bananas and plantains are two of the very few fruits that actully continue to ripen and develop sugar content after being picked.

[wagirl]

I have returned produce, meat and some cheese that were awful after just one day with no problems at all. I don't shop at Walmart, but I do at Safeway, Haggen and Albertson. Most do not want the actual thing back but a receipt is all that is needed.

[lovesrecess]

I never buy produce at WM other than bananas, limes/lemons occasionally....almost everything else I have bought there has been terrible but I didn't return them just tossed them. I rarely shop there...the line for returns always has at least a dozen people in it with one disinterested CS behind the counter.

[Pickwickpapers]

My WM will accept produce returns even if you have eaten or used part of the items providing you have a receipt. I was in line at the return desk one day and a man returned two gallons of milk and a tray of pastries. When he was asked the reason for the return he said that he bought too much and didn't need the others for the meal that he was having. The clerk didn't say anything and refunded his money. When it came my time, I asked her what would happen to his returned food and she said that it would be trashed. I can see a refund if the produce was bad but returning food items because you purchased too much is odd to me but that's my opinion.