Instacart Delivers 3 Year Old Expired Pizza from Ralphs

This is the place for general and miscellaneous posts on topics which might extend past the boundaries of any specific region. No non-grocery posts.
CalItalian
Store Manager
Store Manager
Posts: 1103
Joined: October 1st, 2009, 12:25 pm
Been thanked: 39 times
Status: Offline

Re: Instacart Delivers 3 Year Old Expired Pizza from Ralphs

Post by CalItalian »

J-Man wrote: November 28th, 2020, 7:36 am
veteran+ wrote: November 28th, 2020, 6:27 am
I am not a subscriber to L.A Times.

Does the article mention which store the pizza came from?
West Hollywood, Doheny and Beverly.
It's a former small Hughes Market without a lot of freezer space. I was it it once when a cashier was held up at gunpoint and store employees took us through the back to escape.

Bristol Farms, a former (Chasen's) restaurant is across the street.
storewanderer
Posts: 14379
Joined: February 23rd, 2009, 3:54 pm
Has thanked: 2 times
Been thanked: 298 times
Contact:
Status: Offline

Re: Instacart Delivers 3 Year Old Expired Pizza from Ralphs

Post by storewanderer »

veteran+ wrote: November 28th, 2020, 6:42 am
I have worked for Ralphs, Publix, Vons, King Soopers, Fresh & Easy, Food Fair/Pantry Pride and ALL of these companies have a Product Expiration Program. I actually created an exhaustively accurate one for F&E.

There are corporate and store level compliance checks in place at all of the above companies, in addition to County health department spot checks.

Something is going on at Kroger/Ralphs and it sure feels like the Ides of March. The signs are everywhere from corporate Customer Relations to store level managers and employees. I just do not recognize how they do business anymore.
Yeah, and if these programs are followed, it actually does work. In Smiths in my area at one specific location in the past two months I've seen while walking through grocery aisles random bagged coffee tagged with "reduced" stickers about to expire in the next month, random packaged private label cookies tagged with "reduced" stickers about to expire in the next month, and a few other things tagged this way in dry grocery aisles. Obviously someone there at that particular location is doing the section-based date checks (like they are supposed to be doing) and either getting rid of expired product or reducing the product that is about to expire. Because I have not seen this manner of reduction at the other Smiths locations on dry grocery.

But it seems like those programs are often not followed. I know there is a schedule by section, checklist, sign offs, etc...

Rite Aid (since they distribute most items one piece at a time vs. in boxes/cases) has an interesting expired items program which I am not sure where the data comes from, but they send a list of items that are potentially about to expire to the stores and the stores get a print out every week and go look for those items and put a markdown sticker on them. CVS program seems to be a pop up box on the cash register in certain item categories (baby formula, dairy, etc.) that tells the cashier to check the expiration date on the product at the checkout. I wonder how that works on the self checkout.

I was at another store recently (wasn't Smiths) and I found some expired items on the shelf. Didn't think much of it, but alerted someone. Nobody did anything about it- I went back a few days later and the stuff was still there. Finally got someone who actually cared to look at it, and they found 3-4 cartfulls of expired product after checking this section and were quite embarrassed about it. It was surprising but for whatever reason this particular category did not "empty the shelf" during the Pandemic earlier this year. And this chain's overly high everyday pricing, pricing private label items above name brand items routinely and not promoting them on ad, and staff that doesn't seem to care all contributed to what happened, and this was far from the first time I had issues with expired products in that specific store.

One time I worked in a chain and was in a ~1.5 year old store. We found an item (OTC Drug- value was less than $10) that had an expiration date 3 years old during restocking. We did not really know what happened, one manager assumed that we must have accepted a return on an expired product and wanted to figure out who to write up but immediately insisted up front it was not her who refunded it (...yeah, I know). Like it is worth anyone's time to make a big deal over a $10 item getting written off. Anyway, went into the POS controller and looked up activity on that UPC. Nope- we had only ever sold one unit of it, and never processed a refund on it. The count was accurate in the system vs. shelf, so not likely a refund was done using a generic item code/department key unless someone then went into the system and adjusted counts after. Perhaps a customer showed up and did a "self exchange" or the distribution center sent us a product that was that expired. But it was only one of the boxes on the shelf that was expired. The rest were not.
TW-Upstate NY
Shift Manager
Shift Manager
Posts: 421
Joined: May 11th, 2009, 6:09 pm
Been thanked: 4 times
Status: Offline

Re: Instacart Delivers 3 Year Old Expired Pizza from Ralphs

Post by TW-Upstate NY »

While nowhere near extreme as this, I witnessed something like this first hand in Target a few years ago with the local Coca-Cola bottler. I am an absolute stickler for checking product dates and one day I happen to be in the soda aisle and for several weeks I had been "following" an outdated 12-pack of one of their slower moving varieties. The thing had to be about 6 months beyond its use by date and I just found it beyond comprehension how a brand with a top notch reputation such as Coca-Cola could leave that on the shelf for so long. I mean those delivery drivers are in those stores several times a week and somebody should've seen it and pulled the product. One day, I noticed a sales rep. for Coke in that aisle appear to be taking inventory so I pointed this out to the guy. To his credit, he pulled it off the shelf BUT there was another carton literally within a day or two of its expiration date and I pointed that out as well and the reply I got was: "they'll buy that." No, they likely won't since it's probably been here forever and it's one of your slower movers. At least I tried. My point is that some of these vendors are nothing but downright lazy about it and if they aren't policing themselves how can you expect someone else to do it for them?
storewanderer
Posts: 14379
Joined: February 23rd, 2009, 3:54 pm
Has thanked: 2 times
Been thanked: 298 times
Contact:
Status: Offline

Re: Instacart Delivers 3 Year Old Expired Pizza from Ralphs

Post by storewanderer »

TW-Upstate NY wrote: November 28th, 2020, 6:07 pm While nowhere near extreme as this, I witnessed something like this first hand in Target a few years ago with the local Coca-Cola bottler. I am an absolute stickler for checking product dates and one day I happen to be in the soda aisle and for several weeks I had been "following" an outdated 12-pack of one of their slower moving varieties. The thing had to be about 6 months beyond its use by date and I just found it beyond comprehension how a brand with a top notch reputation such as Coca-Cola could leave that on the shelf for so long. I mean those delivery drivers are in those stores several times a week and somebody should've seen it and pulled the product. One day, I noticed a sales rep. for Coke in that aisle appear to be taking inventory so I pointed this out to the guy. To his credit, he pulled it off the shelf BUT there was another carton literally within a day or two of its expiration date and I pointed that out as well and the reply I got was: "they'll buy that." No, they likely won't since it's probably been here forever and it's one of your slower movers. At least I tried. My point is that some of these vendors are nothing but downright lazy about it and if they aren't policing themselves how can you expect someone else to do it for them?
Yeah, these vendors have to spend time to take back old product so some of them drag their feet at the concept of it. They are only fooling themselves though as one of the reasons as you point out that these major brands send the vendors into the store to supply product is to ensure proper product quality. Getting an item that is going to expire in a day or two is what you expect from the half price rack, not from a premium soda brand.

A few weeks ago I found Pepsi in front of a store doing some kind of demo/raffle for a college football team. They had a table out front with various free Pepsi products and a Pepsi rep manning the table. They had Pepsi cans in a couple rows, then a large assortment of Bubbly taking up probably 20 rows, and then 3 rows of Lipton Pure Leaf items available for free. I took one of the Lipton Pure Leaf unsweetened, which was going to expire in about 5 days. It was obvious they had slow movers for the giveaway but this sort of thing is one way the soda vendors can get rid of items that are about to expire if they stay on top of it and remove it from the store before it actually expires.
veteran+
Valued Contributor
Valued Contributor
Posts: 2233
Joined: January 3rd, 2015, 7:53 am
Has thanked: 1202 times
Been thanked: 71 times
Status: Offline

Re: Instacart Delivers 3 Year Old Expired Pizza from Ralphs

Post by veteran+ »

Oh my my my...............

That is a Ralph's Fresh Fare and it is a dump!

I am not surprised at all.

I recently walked in and felt something was just not right with several things.

Thank you for the information.

I will be calling corporate Monday morning about this and other issues.
veteran+
Valued Contributor
Valued Contributor
Posts: 2233
Joined: January 3rd, 2015, 7:53 am
Has thanked: 1202 times
Been thanked: 71 times
Status: Offline

Re: Instacart Delivers 3 Year Old Expired Pizza from Ralphs

Post by veteran+ »

storewanderer wrote: November 28th, 2020, 12:42 pm
veteran+ wrote: November 28th, 2020, 6:42 am
I have worked for Ralphs, Publix, Vons, King Soopers, Fresh & Easy, Food Fair/Pantry Pride and ALL of these companies have a Product Expiration Program. I actually created an exhaustively accurate one for F&E.

There are corporate and store level compliance checks in place at all of the above companies, in addition to County health department spot checks.

Something is going on at Kroger/Ralphs and it sure feels like the Ides of March. The signs are everywhere from corporate Customer Relations to store level managers and employees. I just do not recognize how they do business anymore.
Yeah, and if these programs are followed, it actually does work. In Smiths in my area at one specific location in the past two months I've seen while walking through grocery aisles random bagged coffee tagged with "reduced" stickers about to expire in the next month, random packaged private label cookies tagged with "reduced" stickers about to expire in the next month, and a few other things tagged this way in dry grocery aisles. Obviously someone there at that particular location is doing the section-based date checks (like they are supposed to be doing) and either getting rid of expired product or reducing the product that is about to expire. Because I have not seen this manner of reduction at the other Smiths locations on dry grocery.

But it seems like those programs are often not followed. I know there is a schedule by section, checklist, sign offs, etc...

Rite Aid (since they distribute most items one piece at a time vs. in boxes/cases) has an interesting expired items program which I am not sure where the data comes from, but they send a list of items that are potentially about to expire to the stores and the stores get a print out every week and go look for those items and put a markdown sticker on them. CVS program seems to be a pop up box on the cash register in certain item categories (baby formula, dairy, etc.) that tells the cashier to check the expiration date on the product at the checkout. I wonder how that works on the self checkout.

I was at another store recently (wasn't Smiths) and I found some expired items on the shelf. Didn't think much of it, but alerted someone. Nobody did anything about it- I went back a few days later and the stuff was still there. Finally got someone who actually cared to look at it, and they found 3-4 cartfulls of expired product after checking this section and were quite embarrassed about it. It was surprising but for whatever reason this particular category did not "empty the shelf" during the Pandemic earlier this year. And this chain's overly high everyday pricing, pricing private label items above name brand items routinely and not promoting them on ad, and staff that doesn't seem to care all contributed to what happened, and this was far from the first time I had issues with expired products in that specific store.

One time I worked in a chain and was in a ~1.5 year old store. We found an item (OTC Drug- value was less than $10) that had an expiration date 3 years old during restocking. We did not really know what happened, one manager assumed that we must have accepted a return on an expired product and wanted to figure out who to write up but immediately insisted up front it was not her who refunded it (...yeah, I know). Like it is worth anyone's time to make a big deal over a $10 item getting written off. Anyway, went into the POS controller and looked up activity on that UPC. Nope- we had only ever sold one unit of it, and never processed a refund on it. The count was accurate in the system vs. shelf, so not likely a refund was done using a generic item code/department key unless someone then went into the system and adjusted counts after. Perhaps a customer showed up and did a "self exchange" or the distribution center sent us a product that was that expired. But it was only one of the boxes on the shelf that was expired. The rest were not.
The "data" comes from corporate or the warehouse.

There used to be corporate compliance officers that would randomly visit stores for spot checks. Reports would be generated and the Store Manager would be assessed a penalty usually against any store bonus package. This program would be done to avoid issues in anticipation of County inspections. Store Managers could be disciplined and eventually terminated for non compliance.
veteran+
Valued Contributor
Valued Contributor
Posts: 2233
Joined: January 3rd, 2015, 7:53 am
Has thanked: 1202 times
Been thanked: 71 times
Status: Offline

Re: Instacart Delivers 3 Year Old Expired Pizza from Ralphs

Post by veteran+ »

TW-Upstate NY wrote: November 28th, 2020, 6:07 pm While nowhere near extreme as this, I witnessed something like this first hand in Target a few years ago with the local Coca-Cola bottler. I am an absolute stickler for checking product dates and one day I happen to be in the soda aisle and for several weeks I had been "following" an outdated 12-pack of one of their slower moving varieties. The thing had to be about 6 months beyond its use by date and I just found it beyond comprehension how a brand with a top notch reputation such as Coca-Cola could leave that on the shelf for so long. I mean those delivery drivers are in those stores several times a week and somebody should've seen it and pulled the product. One day, I noticed a sales rep. for Coke in that aisle appear to be taking inventory so I pointed this out to the guy. To his credit, he pulled it off the shelf BUT there was another carton literally within a day or two of its expiration date and I pointed that out as well and the reply I got was: "they'll buy that." No, they likely won't since it's probably been here forever and it's one of your slower movers. At least I tried. My point is that some of these vendors are nothing but downright lazy about it and if they aren't policing themselves how can you expect someone else to do it for them?
At Fresh & Easy I implemented a DSD procedure upon delivery for expiration dates on all vendor products. Merchandise was OFTEN refused for date issues, including "soon to expire" dates that was also contingent on how soon the product would take to normally sell.

Again I emphatically say.......................there is NO excuse in my book for this to happen (3 years?).
pseudo3d
Posts: 3851
Joined: November 12th, 2015, 7:01 pm
Has thanked: 5 times
Been thanked: 77 times
Status: Offline

Re: Instacart Delivers 3 Year Old Expired Pizza from Ralphs

Post by pseudo3d »

A few years ago, there was a case where someone bought a box of cereal that had expired over 20 years prior from a Walmart, and I can't find any followup on if it was a hoax or not, so I assume it is real. (These things do happen.)

Sure makes those "expired a week ago" photos from Yelp seem petty, don't they? :roll:
Post Reply