How would you handle this?

[Irishgrrrl]

Last night on the way home from work, DH stopped at a local mom-and-pop grocery store to get us some hamburger to make burgers for dinner. This grocery store is usually known as being EXCELLENT. They have some of the best meat and fresh baked goods in the area. Well, while DH was there, he noticed that they had a Boston cream pie with strawberry topping that looked awesome, so he bought one of those too. We didn''t get a chance to eat any of the pie last night (although we did have the burgers, which were delicious as usual). So, we just popped the pie into the fridge and left it there.

Just a few minutes ago, DH opened the pie and was about to cut a slice, when he noticed something "weird-looking" in the strawberry topping. IT WAS A BAND-AID!!!

It looked like it had been wrapped around someone''s finger and slid off, presumably while they were making our pie. I''m soooo grossed out!!! Nothing like this has ever happened to me before. So, how big of a stink should we make?

 

[MichelleCarmen]

That sucks that this happened and ruined the enjoyment of a great store! Maybe write up a review on yelp.com?

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Gross. I would tell the owners about it but if that ain''t a quality control problem, not sure what is. I would be polite about it though.

 

[princesss]

Date: 6/19/2010 10:06:59 PM
Author: MC
That sucks that this happened and ruined the enjoyment of a great store! Maybe write up a review on yelp.com?

I''d probably give them a chance to make it right before I wrote a review.

I guess I''m of the opinion that accidents happen (no matter how gross - and this is definitely up there on my gross-o-meter), and yes, there should have been some kind of check, but give them a chance to fix it. I''d go in, ask for a manager/owner, and explain the situation. See their reaction and go from there.

 

[Irishgrrrl]

Thanks, guys. I''m leaning toward not writing any kind of negative online review, because I really don''t want to risk ruining their business over what may have been (hopefully!) an isolated incident. DH and I were talking about it, and he thinks we should take the pie back to the store and show a manager. I agree with this, but I''m not sure what we should ask for (other than our money back, obviously).

 

[Tacori E-ring]

I agree with Princesss and am confident they will make it right. Keep us updated!

 

[lilyfoot]

Date: 6/19/2010 10:17:33 PM
Author: Irishgrrrl
Thanks, guys. I''m leaning toward not writing any kind of negative online review, because I really don''t want to risk ruining their business over what may have been (hopefully!) an isolated incident. DH and I were talking about it, and he thinks we should take the pie back to the store and show a manager. I agree with this, but I''m not sure what we should ask for (other than our money back, obviously).

I agree with the poster who said yes, this was gross, but mistakes do happen, everywhere. I don''t know what more you could want, past getting a refund? A refund and a free pie?

 

[Irishgrrrl]

Date: 6/19/2010 10:39:20 PM
Author: lilyfoot

Date: 6/19/2010 10:17:33 PM
Author: Irishgrrrl
Thanks, guys. I''m leaning toward not writing any kind of negative online review, because I really don''t want to risk ruining their business over what may have been (hopefully!) an isolated incident. DH and I were talking about it, and he thinks we should take the pie back to the store and show a manager. I agree with this, but I''m not sure what we should ask for (other than our money back, obviously).

I agree with the poster who said yes, this was gross, but mistakes do happen, everywhere. I don''t know what more you could want, past getting a refund? A refund and a free pie?

Ummm . . . I''m not so sure I want a free pie!

 

[elrohwen]

I would absolutely take it in and ask for your money back. I wouldn''t accept a free pie either.

 

[Maisie]

I would find out if the pie was made on the premises by them or if it was bought in. Not all stores make their own goods. I would definitely ask for a refund. I wouldn''t ask for anything else.

 

[mary poppins]

I would take it back, informed the manager and ask for a refund. Although it otherwise sounds like a nice place, I would probably be concerned about getting backed goods from there in the future. But really, something like that could happen anywhere.

I purchased a mini cheesecake from my neighborhood grocery store a while ago without paying too much attention. When I was about to eat it at home, I noticed some mold on it even though it was well before the "sell by" date. I''ve since purchased other baked goods from there, but I make sure to inspect them and the rest of my potential purchases more carefully before buying.

A band-aid, though. Ick. Luckily it was on top of the product so he saw it. If it were inside, he would not have known until he ended up chewing it. Eeeuw. Well, we never know what could be in our food. That''s the risk we take every day, usually without incident.

 

[tyty333]

Date: 6/20/2010 9:58:40 AM
Author: Maisie
I would find out if the pie was made on the premises by them or if it was bought in. Not all stores make their own goods. I would definitely ask for a refund. I wouldn''t ask for anything else.

Ditto

 

[Irishgrrrl]

Date: 6/20/2010 9:58:40 AM
Author: Maisie
I would find out if the pie was made on the premises by them or if it was bought in. Not all stores make their own goods. I would definitely ask for a refund. I wouldn''t ask for anything else.

Maisie, I think this is exactly what we''re going to do. But, I''m about 98% sure that it was made at the store . . . they pride themselves on their baked goods being made on the premises. So I''m pretty sure that the band-aid belonged to a store employee. Hopefully, this will make them change their policy and employees will be required to wear gloves in the future.

 

[Irishgrrrl]

Date: 6/20/2010 10:13:38 AM
Author: mary poppins
I would take it back, informed the manager and ask for a refund. Although it otherwise sounds like a nice place, I would probably be concerned about getting backed goods from there in the future. But really, something like that could happen anywhere.

I purchased a mini cheesecake from my neighborhood grocery store a while ago without paying too much attention. When I was about to eat it at home, I noticed some mold on it even though it was well before the ''sell by'' date. I''ve since purchased other baked goods from there, but I make sure to inspect them and the rest of my potential purchases more carefully before buying.

A band-aid, though. Ick. Luckily it was on top of the product so he saw it. If it were inside, he would not have known until he ended up chewing it. Eeeuw. Well, we never know what could be in our food. That''s the risk we take every day, usually without incident.

Yeah, this happened to us recently too! But instead of cheesecake, it was raspberries. And they came from a different store than the one with the band-aid in the pie. We didn''t say anything about the mold on the raspberries, because that''s something naturally occurring in food. Yes, it was well before the sell-by date so the mold shouldn''t have been there, but we hadn''t kept the receipt and didn''t feel like making a big deal out of it. But, the band-aid situation is a whole different story!

 

[Irishgrrrl]

Date: 6/20/2010 10:13:38 AM
Author: mary poppins
I would take it back, informed the manager and ask for a refund. Although it otherwise sounds like a nice place, I would probably be concerned about getting backed goods from there in the future. But really, something like that could happen anywhere.

I purchased a mini cheesecake from my neighborhood grocery store a while ago without paying too much attention. When I was about to eat it at home, I noticed some mold on it even though it was well before the ''sell by'' date. I''ve since purchased other baked goods from there, but I make sure to inspect them and the rest of my potential purchases more carefully before buying.

A band-aid, though. Ick. Luckily it was on top of the product so he saw it. If it were inside, he would not have known until he ended up chewing it. Eeeuw. Well, we never know what could be in our food. That''s the risk we take every day, usually without incident.

Yeah, this happened to us recently too! But instead of cheesecake, it was raspberries. And they came from a different store than the one with the band-aid in the pie. We didn''t say anything about the mold on the raspberries, because that''s something naturally occurring in food. Yes, it was well before the sell-by date so the mold shouldn''t have been there, but we hadn''t kept the receipt and didn''t feel like making a big deal out of it. But, the band-aid situation is a whole different story!

 

[Jennifer W]

I'm pretty sure they'd want to know about this, so they can make sure it doesn't happen again. A few things like this could ruin a reputation that has probably taken them a long time and a lot of hard work to achieve.

ETA for the benefit of non-US folks, what's a Boston creme pie? It sounds really, really good (minus the band aid...)

Jen

 

[lknvrb4]

Date: 6/20/2010 12:18:18 PM
Author: Irishgrrrl

Date: 6/20/2010 9:58:40 AM

Author: Maisie

I would find out if the pie was made on the premises by them or if it was bought in. Not all stores make their own goods. I would definitely ask for a refund. I wouldn''t ask for anything else.

Maisie, I think this is exactly what we''re going to do. But, I''m about 98% sure that it was made at the store . . . they pride themselves on their baked goods being made on the premises. So I''m pretty sure that the band-aid belonged to a store employee. Hopefully, this will make them change their policy and employees will be required to wear gloves in the future.

If they pride themselves on their baked goods they would want to know this happened.

 

[Irishgrrrl]

Date: 6/20/2010 3:08:59 PM
Author: Jennifer W
I''m pretty sure they''d want to know about this, so they can make sure it doesn''t happen again. A few things like this could ruin a reputation that has probably taken them a long time and a lot of hard work to achieve.

ETA for the benefit of non-US folks, what''s a Boston creme pie? It sounds really, really good (minus the band aid...)

Jen

Jen, they are VERY good, provided you get one with no band-aid! LOL!

Here is a Boston cream pie.

 

[Irishgrrrl]

Date: 6/20/2010 3:43:25 PM
Author: lknvrb4

Date: 6/20/2010 12:18:18 PM
Author: Irishgrrrl

Date: 6/20/2010 9:58:40 AM

Author: Maisie

I would find out if the pie was made on the premises by them or if it was bought in. Not all stores make their own goods. I would definitely ask for a refund. I wouldn''t ask for anything else.

Maisie, I think this is exactly what we''re going to do. But, I''m about 98% sure that it was made at the store . . . they pride themselves on their baked goods being made on the premises. So I''m pretty sure that the band-aid belonged to a store employee. Hopefully, this will make them change their policy and employees will be required to wear gloves in the future.

If they pride themselves on their baked goods they would want to know this happened.

Yes, I think so too. I know I would want to know if I were them.

 

[missy]

Date: 6/20/2010 12:23:07 PM
Author: Irishgrrrl

Date: 6/20/2010 10:13:38 AM

Author: mary poppins

I would take it back, informed the manager and ask for a refund. Although it otherwise sounds like a nice place, I would probably be concerned about getting backed goods from there in the future. But really, something like that could happen anywhere.


I purchased a mini cheesecake from my neighborhood grocery store a while ago without paying too much attention. When I was about to eat it at home, I noticed some mold on it even though it was well before the ''sell by'' date. I''ve since purchased other baked goods from there, but I make sure to inspect them and the rest of my potential purchases more carefully before buying.


A band-aid, though. Ick. Luckily it was on top of the product so he saw it. If it were inside, he would not have known until he ended up chewing it. Eeeuw. Well, we never know what could be in our food. That''s the risk we take every day, usually without incident.

Yeah, this happened to us recently too! But instead of cheesecake, it was raspberries. And they came from a different store than the one with the band-aid in the pie. We didn''t say anything about the mold on the raspberries, because that''s something naturally occurring in food. Yes, it was well before the sell-by date so the mold shouldn''t have been there, but we hadn''t kept the receipt and didn''t feel like making a big deal out of it. But, the band-aid situation is a whole different story!

Well this is an unfortunate situation for sure. I would definitely go back with the pie and obtain a refund and probably never purchase from them again. As another poster said this could (and probably does) happen anywhere. However once I *know* this has happened at a certain place I wouldn''t be able to eat there again and enjoy it.

This certainly makes the case for doing all your own baking LOL
(not to mention cooking but I will not go into it here and now...suffice it to say we don''t eat out as often as we used to but I am fortunate in that my dh enjoys cooking and baking and is wonderful at it also).

 

[Sabine]

I would show them, ask for a refund, ask them what their sanitation policy is, and if their employees don''t wear gloves, let them know that you think that would be a good idea. Maybe if they tell you what their sanitation policy is (and you find out that it must have just been one employee how didn''t follow), or they show you ways they are going to improve, you''ll feel better about the situation. Ick.

 

[Irishgrrrl]

OK, here''s the plan: After work today, DH is going to take the pie back to the store and ask to speak to a manager. He''s going to ask for a refund and see what they say. I''ll let you know how it goes!

 

[Lisa Loves Shiny]

Ewwww!!!! Last month I made a hamburger for my DH. He bit down on a piece of glass!!! I called the store manager and took pics. DH went to the store and brought the packaging of the meat. The manager apologized and gave us a $20 gift card. He also filed a claim with the store insurance company who followed up. Since DH was not hurt we did not pursue any complaint. The meat cost $5 so the gift card was sufficient. People are human and mistakes are made so it was okay.

The owners of the store should offer you a refund and at least a little more.

 

[partgypsy]

Believe you me, working for my Dad who had his own business, the owner would WANT to have this brought to their attention and have the opportunity to correct it, rather than you not say anything and maybe stop going to their store. This way they can rectify it with you, and if they do their own baked goods, change procedures to prevent this from happening again.

 

[House Cat]

There is a food safety procedure that states if someone is wearing a band-aid on their hand, they should be wearing gloves while preparing food. Obviously someone wasn''t following that procedure. Think of the fear someone would have if they had found that band-aid in their mouth!

I''d call and let management know. I would want a refund though, not another pie. The band-aid fell off of the person which means from then on, someone was preparing food with an uncovered wound. Disgusting.


Personally, I''d never eat there again. I have a thing about food safety and cleanliness. I won''t even eat at a restaurant that has a dirty bathroom. A band-aid in the food is WAY over the line.

 

[Irishgrrrl]

OK, here''s what happened: DH took the pie back to the store last night. He asked to speak to a manager, but there was no manager on duty. So the girl at the checkout counter told him to speak to the guy who was running the meat department, because he was the closest thing to a manager that was available. DH walked back to the meat department and very quietly explained to the guy that he needed to return the pie because there was a band-aid in it. After looking at the pie and seeing the band-aid, the guy was horrified! He apologized to DH and thanked him for being discreet. He gave DH a refund, but that was all.

I guess I''m pretty much OK with how the store handled it. However, if it were my store, I would have wanted to do more than just issue a refund in the hope that I could retain the customer. I think I would have offered a small amount of store credit or something like that in addition to the refund, but that''s just me.

 

[lilyfoot]

Date: 6/22/2010 8:58:56 AM
Author: Irishgrrrl
OK, here's what happened: DH took the pie back to the store last night. He asked to speak to a manager, but there was no manager on duty. So the girl at the checkout counter told him to speak to the guy who was running the meat department, because he was the closest thing to a manager that was available. DH walked back to the meat department and very quietly explained to the guy that he needed to return the pie because there was a band-aid in it. After looking at the pie and seeing the band-aid, the guy was horrified! He apologized to DH and thanked him for being discreet. He gave DH a refund, but that was all.

I guess I'm pretty much OK with how the store handled it. However, if it were my store, I would have wanted to do more than just issue a refund in the hope that I could retain the customer. I think I would have offered a small amount of store credit or something like that in addition to the refund, but that's just me.

Well, as you said, this guy wasn't even really a manager. The right thing for the meat dept. guy to do would be to relay this story to the manager, and give him your contact info (which he should've gotten). Then, the manager could take whatever actions he thinks are necessary, which could range from a follow-up apology phone call, to more "compensation" for their error.

Honestly, if I was in this situation, I wouldn't expect more than just a refund (which was the point of my "free pie" comment earlier in this thread). A band-aid in your food is obviously gross, but it's also obviously just a mistake. If you don't want to take the chances of not knowing what's in your food, then you should prepare all of your food at home. Cooks/waitresses/etc., can do just about anything to your food before it hits your plate. I remember not too long ago, a pizza chain got in trouble when some of their employees taped themselves spitting and putting boogers in food (they put the footage on YouTube

)

BTW, did you guys ever find out if their food preparers wear gloves?

 

[Irishgrrrl]

Date: 6/22/2010 9:08:00 AM
Author: lilyfoot

Well, as you said, this guy wasn''t even really a manager. The right thing for the meat dept. guy to do would be to relay this story to the manager, and give him your contact info (which he should''ve gotten). Then, the manager could take whatever actions he thinks are necessary, which could range from a follow-up apology phone call, to more ''compensation'' for their error.

Honestly, if I was in this situation, I wouldn''t expect more than just a refund (which was the point of my ''free pie'' comment earlier in this thread). A band-aid in your food is obviously gross, but it''s also obviously just a mistake. If you don''t want to take the chances of not knowing what''s in your food, then you should prepare all of your food at home. Cooks/waitresses/etc., can do just about anything to your food before it hits your plate. I remember not too long ago, a pizza chain got in trouble when some of their employees taped themselves spitting and putting boogers in food (they put the footage on YouTube

)

BTW, did you guys ever find out if their food preparers wear gloves?

I wasn''t there when DH returned the pie, and I don''t think he asked. However, he said he didn''t see anyone wearing gloves while he was there. This is exactly my point, though. The person should have been wearing gloves, ESPECIALLY if they had a wound on their hand (which they obviously did, since they were wearing a band-aid).

And I do realize that mistakes/accidents happen. But what if (God forbid!) we hadn''t seen it until it was too late? Or what if we had company over and served the pie to them? This situation had the potential to be much worse than it was, and I think the store should take it very seriously. Many people (like DH and myself) simply don''t have time to prepare all of their food at home, so they do buy things pre-made from a grocery store. Consumers should be able to have a reasonable expectation that there won''t be anything gross in their food when they buy it from the grocery store. A simple policy that employees must wear gloves when preparing food would have prevented this situation from happening. And DH did have to run back to the store (which is quite a bit out of his way) to return the pie, which wasted his time and gas. I just really feel like a little more than just a refund would have been appropriate.

 

[TooPatient]

As long as you don''t prepare the food from scratch at home there is no way to know for sure what is in it. For that matter, people have to handle the produce between where it is picked and where you buy.


I worked in a deli for awhile and saw stuff that would make you never want to eat out again. It got so bad that I actually contacted the police so they could notify the correct people. (long story short, mechanical failure in the building left some unknown chemicals draining all over the food. The owner tossed the worst out but wiped most of it off and sold it anyway without knowing what chemicals he was serving to people.)


I''m not defending the band-aid. That is just gross and should have been prevented. The next time you are in the store, you should speak with the manager to make sure they were informed of the issue.


Also, not sure where you are but health department regulations where I am state that any prepared food (food that won''t be cooked after the customer purchases it) must not be handled without gloves. (food that is cooked after purchase used to be optional -- except when injured -- but I think even that is mandatory now)

 

[charbie]

Id follow up with a letter or phone call to the owner/manager. Just let them know you recently returned a pie, and it had a band aid in it. Tell them you understand how mistakes happen, but this concerned you for infection control issues (gag) and clearly someone wasn''t wearing gloves. Let them know you''re calling to make sure the situation was brought to their attention...id want to know that the guy in the meat dept. brought this forward.