There are probably a few skeptics who will think I planned this, but I assure you that I did not.
It is, however, perhaps the most fitting end to my Dominick’s expired food saga.
On Tuesday evening, when we visited the Lake in the Hills Dominicks and found another 336 expired products on the shelves, I was also doing some shopping for my family. I bought three cartons of O Organics Milk, two cartons of Minute Maid orange juice (all of which I checked dates on to make sure they were unexpired) and 3 pounds of Fuji apples.
As we were leaving the store, I remembered that I had an ecoupon loaded to my card for FREE Foster Farms Great Bites chicken sandwiches with a $15 Dominick’s purchase.
Since I had over $15 in groceries, I headed to the freezer case, grabbed a box of Foster Farms, went to the register, paid for my groceries and brought them home. (I honestly didn’t think to check the date on the Foster Farms — it was featured on the front page of this week’s Dominick’s ad, and I figured surely the stock must be fresh if they’re the free item of the week.)
Today, my kids are off from school, and I thought they’d enjoy having the little chicken sandwiches for lunch.
I pulled the Foster Farms Great Bites out of the freezer today and noticed the expiration date on the end of the box…
Expired 11/06/10.
artmom6 says
Jill, it just doesn’t end, does it? I have a feeling something we don’t know about is going on here!
Kates015 says
I just looked at my box of Chicken Bites for a good 5 minutes and there is no expiration date anywhere to be found…
dplvkl says
Didn’t realize they expire 09/30/10! Hubby ate them for lunch.
mommysaves says
I wonder if Dominick’s uses it’s “freebies” to get rid of expired food? In either late December or early January, they did the Pepsi Max 2-liter giveaway. When I went to the LITH Doms, many of the 2-liters had expired in November. One even had a hang tag on it that had expired in September meaning it been around for quite a while. When pop expires, it starts to go flat.
I bought some Kraft Mac-n-Cheese there recently, too. I just checked them today and the expire date is in March. Now, although they weren’t expired when I bought them, that’s a pretty close date. When I’ve bought these at Meijer, for example, the dates are always several months out which means they’re turning their stock regularly. The thing that is weird is that when I went to buy them from Doms originally, the shelves were clear and they gave me a rain check. So, you would think that the new stock would be totally fresh and be dated several months out. Not the case. My first clue should have been that it had the older Kraft packaging. I had bought several boxes the week before at Meijer and they all had the new packaging and don’t expire until September.
jkmommy says
My husband works in manufacturing and at his company that type of embossed code stands for the plant it was made, shift that was working and the date it was made. Just a thought that is the same with the chicken sandwichs. Although he doesn’t make food
Kates015 says
I was just at the Merrionette Park Dom’s hoping to exchange mine. No such luck since all the ones out there were still expired, but only as of 2/16/11. I honestly would have swaped out for one of these, but I alerted the manager who was very apologetic and practically ran over there to remove them from the shelves. I was also pleased to see that they had a cart full of items 50% off obviously from their shelf checking expeditions yesterday. Most of the items were mayo, salad dressing, ketchup and various other condiments that expired anywhere from 3/1-3/31. If I had a coupon with me I probably would have bought the mayo & salad dressing! Though I agree that this is a problem that needs to be fixed I really do like my Dominicks and the staff (except for one lady) is always very helpful. I won’t be abondoning Dom’s even after this and the fact that they are no longer taking expireds.
nice2save says
I noticed a new sign at the entrance to Jewel today – no photography or video recording is allowed in the store.
ab75 says
This is not only a problem at Dominicks but a problem at any other food store you walk into.Especially at the Jewel by my house! I have also been in Valli and Shop and Save which I find to be the worst of the bunch when it comes to out of code products.
I don’t understand why you are just targeting Dominick’s, maybe you should take a good look at other stores too!
This is still no excuse for any store to have expired product on a shelf, but maybe you should re read the link you have on your home page for Product expiration dates. Here is just an excerpt.
Expiration Dates: Should You Pay Attention?
The dates on food labels can be confusing. The truth is, they often have nothing to do with food safety. Here’s what you really need to know.
You’ve assembled everything you need for the perfect deli sandwich: Genoa salami, prosciutto, some thinly sliced provolone and a crusty baguette. To top it all off, you reach into the fridge for your favorite spicy mustard.
And then you notice it. The “Best By” date on the mustard bottle was 4 months ago!
You might think you’ve got to ditch the mustard and settle for a ho-hum sandwich. But that’s not the case. Here’s what you need to know about food expiration dates:
Use-By, Best if Used By, Best By, Best Before: These “use by” and “best” dates are generally found on shelf-stable products such as mustard, mayonnaise, and peanut butter.
The date, which is provided voluntarily by the manufacturer, tells you how long the product is likely to remain at its absolute best quality when unopened. But, as the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service points out, it is not a safety date.
After the “use by” or “best” date has passed, you may start to notice gradual changes in the unopened product’s texture, color, or flavor. But as long as you’ve been storing the unopened item properly, you can generally consume it beyond this date.
Frugalista says
I thought it was a new product. Guess not.
Are you sure that’s not the date it was produced? We can’t really see from the pic.
cg1 says
Are the print and video stories available online? CBS and Tribune, right?
wireman1979 says
Jill: “I honestly didn’t think to check the date on the Foster Farms — it was featured on the front page of this week’s Dominick’s ad, and I figured surely the stock must be fresh if they’re the free item of the week.”
Surely, you jest! Lesson learned for all of us…check EVERYTHING you might decide to purchase at Dominick’s…including the newspaper’s date…it might be expired too!
And don’t call me Shirley! LOL
Thanks for all your work, Jill. You are the best!
P.S. Please tell us that you are taking the Foster Farms product back to Dominick’s!! I’d love to see video of THAT!! LOL
Marlene1963 says
Ok people, we got Dominicks attention. Now we have an even bigger issue that nobody seems to be addressing (isn’t it nice to open a WHOLE new can of worms). Why isn’t anybody going after the FDA and there lack of rules and regulations over expired foods and especially expired drugs? What exactly would it take to see some new laws taking effect over this whole mess? I think it’s time we find out who/what to write and start getting some new laws put in place immediately to be sure this NEVER happens again. We voted these people in office – time for us to make them earn a living. Anybody know where to start?
wpvw42 says
I’ve worked in all ends of the grocery business since 1975. There is not a grocery store in the world, large or small, chain or ma and pa, that is completely in code. It’s impossible. Too many products to check, no employees, so many different ways that products come into the stores; it is impossible. I also know that some of the info about this is not true, and that Jill has a vendetta against Dominicks for certain decisions thier corporate made about her couponing practices. Her credibility in the food manufacturing community has become ZERO.
chickee says
At the River Grove location as well which is located at Belmont and Cumberland, I found about 15 boxes of this product that expired mid 2010!
rowdylibrarian says
I was just telling my husband about this situation, and how some people are saying that Jill did this because she was mad about no longer accepting the expired coupons, and he said something that totally cracked me up. He said, “Maybe they will let us use the expired coupons to buy the expired food!” heeheehee
Trampoline says
I’m really new here and I”m not sure if i’m putting this in the rite place. I”m sorry if I’m not. i went to Dominicks this morning to pick up a couple of things i needed. I was walking around and realized I needed to make a phone call. I was having a hard time getting a signal so i was doing the wave the phone around up and down like you do when you cant get a signal. Anyways, when I was in the check out lane all of a sudden there were lots of Dominick’s employees at the end of the lane including two customer service people.
When it was my turn in line I was still on the phone. The CS lady ordered me to hang up my phone so she could talk to me. I was so confused I just said Excuse me? She said I need to talk to you get off your phone right now! So I paid for my order and in front of everyone she started yelling at me. She said you can’t take pictures in our store! It says so rite on our website. If we EVER see you in here taking another picture WE WILL PROSECUTE YOU! I tried to explain that I didn’t take a picture I was just trying to get a signal. She said oh really PROVE IT give me your phone! SHe reached out and tried to grab my phone out of my hands!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
She wouldn’t listen and just kept yelling at me. I was so embarassed I didn’t know what to do! I asked for their corporate number and she said we have a number for you people to call when we catch you taking pictures. We’ve got a MEMO! She wouldn’t let me see it, just gave me a 630 number to call. No one answered so I left a message. I asked for the 800 number and they said Dominick’s doesn’t have an 800 number. I’m sure I’ve seen it on their website, but I couldn’t find it in the store. I tried alot of times to tel her I didn’t take a picture but she just kept yelling at me. I asked for her name but she would only tell me her first name was Kim so I hope they don’t have more than one person named Kim working there.
If you try to use your phone in Dominck’s be careful!!!!!!!
lorriy says
Mine have the same exact date! I just purchased these today!!!
I honestly have very few problems at my Dominick’s, but this is driving me nuts!!!
I should not have to pay premium prices for out of date food. Anyone without a Fresh Values Card and a linked account to “Just for U” would have paid $4.69 for this box of chicken sandwiches.
The argument that it’s free is bogus.
1. It was a lure to get me in the store (which worked)
2. It was PROMOTED this week and so there should be plenty of fresh stock
3. Now my family is out a meal for the coming week
I’m so taking them back after dinner tonight.
I’m just so sad about this whole expired food and corporate response delay thing. It’s just icing on the cake.
***UPDATE***
I returned the sandwiches and got a cheerful refund at CS! :) Initially, I wanted to exchange them, so I went to the case to get a replacement. The first 5 I pulled out had dates out of code. I brought the 5 to CS. She told me that I’d need the money to replace the sandwiches if I went to a different Dominick’s to buy them. She also said she’d bring it to their frozen guy’s attention. I’m really happy and not as sad as earlier this evening, but I will check the next time I’m in that store.
bubblegum says
I kept quiet about this on here for awhile figuring it wouldn’t really matter. However, after hearing that Jill has been getting some nasty mail and getting insulted & verbally attacked by some people- I wanted to share my experience with her to thank her for bringing this whole story to light. Some people need to realize that when she did this- she had EVERYONES best interest at heart. I, as well as many of you, are very proud of Jill and all that she does to help consumers & corporations. So here is my story-
I was 19 years old at the time. I wanted to make dinner for my boyfriend (who is now my DH <3) so I went to Dominicks after school to pick up what would be needed to make tacos, spanish rice, and beans. Thinking it would be a timesaver, I bought a can of refried beans with chorizo instead of mashing my own (what a costly shortcut in the end!!). J worked that night, so I had one taco before he came home. An hour or two later, I began vomitting, had diarrhea, and extremely bad cramping. (I have very low blood pressure, so when I get sick- it can turn bad quickly.) I was taken to the hospital that night- I felt HORRIBLE. I had to stay for 3 nights- and lab results had shown that it was food poisoning. (Blood test & stool sample test results)
J looked in the garbage when we came home & the beans had expired 4 months earlier. At the time, we didnt think of returning the can- no receipt, and we didnt really know what to expect had we returned it anyway- an apology & a 69 cent refund? We chalked it up to be an accident.
However, in light of the bigger problem that this has become- can any of you imagine how horrible you would feel if your kids or an elder parent had gotten so sick that they died?! I hope that Jill realizes what a difference she is making in peoples lives- helping us shop while saving money, and speaking up for all of us for food safety. Thank you, Jill, your work & kindness is very much appreciated.
A note to all the people sending her the nasty mail- ask yourself what you would do if someone you loved dearly had gotten sick/ died as a result to this negligence. In the end- she's protecting & speaking in YOUR best interest as well!
brdavis77 says
Jill, I just want to say thank you for all that you do! I am fairly new to couponing (last 3 months) and I am a single parent, so I have to be frugal with my money. Because of you and a few other blogs out there, I have truly become a much more informed shopper.
I also want to thank you for the Dominick’s pieces…I can’t believe all of the negative responses out there, but I wanted to let you know that I am already seeing positive out of your work. I was in the Palatine (Dundee Rd.) Dominick’s this morning, and on every single aisle was atleast one worker that was scanning and checking the inventory. I saw outside representatives doing the same (they had WIC on their shirts). When I bought my Pepsi, there was even a Pepsi representative that was very friendly to me asking me about the codes that I bought and telling me that there were better dates in the front of the store. I just wanted to let you know that while I did see a lot of empty shelf space, I could definitely tell that they were restocking with new items as everything that I bought had a date of 2012/2013 with the exception of dairy products that obviously have a quicker expiration date.
Truly thank you for all of your work…I really appreciate it!
stretchingabuck says
I went last Saturday evening to get a can of Carnation evaporated milk. There were about 8 cans on the shelf of the Crystal Lake Dominick’s store. Every single one of them was past the “best by” date printed on the top of the can. I brought them all up to the customer service desk and told the employee. She was apologetic and nice about it, but it astounds me that with all the recent publicity about this, Dominick’s hasn’t been more vigilent than ever. It obviously isn’t a priority for them.
They have put efforts into luring shoppers with their Just For U and Deal Match programs. If they spent the same amount of time making sure the products on their shelves weren’t expired, I’d feel much better about shopping there.
(As an aside, I then popped over to the nearby Jewel and purchased the can with a best by date in 2012. Take notes, Dominick’s. Jewel knows how to do it.)