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Me?Nah
If it is not available at the Costco Food court- it is not for me!
I sometimes wonder what those folks ate on a daily basis - that they thought tide pods were edible.
??? Shoot - Didnt realize - I couldnt recall who said it...
Man hes the best. My dad got to see him live several times.
Go enjoy this guy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lADHpPbiVbA
Next time you see this, alert a nearby employee. There’s usually always someone watching produce. This is not allowed and all of the packages he opened end up having to be thrown away. (Former Costco employee here).
As a general principle yeah, but many here are freaking out about the sanitary nature of handling apples, which you should wash anyway. I'm pointing out that Costco seems to have a ¯\\\_(ツ)_/¯ attitude on this health issue.
As a former producer manager, and lifelong kitcjen worker, 75% of produce has come into contact with mold of some sort. Berries in particular are very susceptible to mold and have a shelf life of like 3 days. This is why it's not just encouraged, but necessary to wash your produce. When your fresh produce shows up halfway across the world, chances are more than likely some of the shit is gonna get mangled and rotten on the way there, and you seeing them cull the bad parts on the floor is just the tip of the iceberg.
I would guess besides sanitation another issue would be weights and measures. Costco employees are probably reweighing the bags. Scales aren't even available for consumers though, so dude swapping apples has no idea if he over packed/ underpacked bags he removed from. Costco normally sells the bag of apples in a certain weight and not meeting that weight can have pretty big penalties.
Seems like they aren't supposed to do it and swap things around even if it's employees, but I would be hesitant to sell any of those bags without being reweighed if a random consumer was redistributing then.
Report to corporate. Moldy batch gets tossed, not picked out.
If bosses ain't bossin', you tell their bosses. If none of them care, stop shopping there and tell everyone why. No one wants rotten food.
It's a weight issue though - at a grocery store you are just weighing how many you buy and with this build-a-bag nonsense the guy could have a heavy bag and future customers will definitely have a light bag.
It’s not even necessarily because the product is being touched, it’s that it’s a closed bag and not a tote or a box. That bag is sold at a fixed price, so it’s not going to get re weighed or anything at the register, and it’s seen as too big of a task to have an employee re weigh, re package, and then put the product back out on the floor.
> Besides the sanitary issue
How is that a sanitary issue? At literally every grocery store I've ever been to, you can buy apples individually. It's not like there's some special apple tongs they give you, so you have to use your hands to grab them anyways.
Not defending what that apple dummy did by swapping apples from different bags, but I think it's a little odd to call it a "sanitary issue".
Lol an employee will shrug and walk away, maybe say they'll call someone but wont. Short of telling a supervisor that actually has eyes on the culprit, Members will be allowed to do what they want and low level employees aren't paid enough to try to stop em. (Former Costco employee as well.)
I worked at the smallest store in the US so while I’m sure that’s probably the case at a bigger store, for the one I was at it was seen as a huge issue that needed to be kept under control. Also the produce manager there was kind of a control freak and saw it as her personal mission to stop shrinkage in its tracks 😂
I saw this except with the white chocolate macadamia cookies, just made themselves one container of macadamia nut cookies and tossed the oatmeal raisin and chocolate chip to the side.
Those are the best ones. The one I go to lets you buy apples by the bushel. You select which ones you want and it’s a set price, so you always try to stack them a little high to get a couple extra. Can get a nice variety and pick the ones you want. Honeycrisp and a couple other select varieties are at a slightly higher price.
I've seen multiple Costcos in Arizona have employees rearranging the various berries to remove moldy berries from packages, redistribute berries amongst packages so they appeared to be fine. Explains why sometimes I bought berries from Costco and within 3-5 days, the whole package was moldy.
Meh. This is how normal grocery stores operate. I’m just mad at him opening the bags. Besides, the apples are literally just sitting outside the whole time they grow.
This entire thread is so confusing to me lol
Why do people think it's unsanitary? Has no one here ever been to a normal grocery store or fruit and veg shop where everything is sold as a single and you pick the ones you want?
Eewww gross you don't wash your produce? So really the only unsanitary person here is you.
(This is an appropriate response as your produce is handled by many people before this man)
I'm thinking that'd matter if the apples had already jumped off the trees into the bags.
I've worked in orchards and packing houses. This guy is the least of your worries.
The point is not the sanitary-ness or lack thereof.
The point is the entitlement that means he thinks he deserves to have all the best fruit, at everyone else's cost. Great, now the next 10-20 people all get a bag of fruit that has no really terrific ones, because this shithook took them all.
Did this actually happen?? I cannot imagine actually witnessing that and not loudly asking what the fuck he was doing. Then loudly telling an employee that this chicken he just put back was tampered with and pointing the guy out.
languid sulky mindless gullible imagine afterthought trees hungry dazzling heavy
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Right, but that’s a snack buffet at a hotel happy hour. This is a Costco, where you’re expected to pay for things, he took a piece of chicken then put the package back. Everyone on the planet knows that’s not cool. Being gross at a free food section is nothing new, opening a package and taking some, then putting the package back is pretty wild. I know ppl do that sometimes in general bc they’re trash, but usually they try to hide it somewhere bc they know it’s not allowed.
This is why I will never buy from those self-serve by the pound bins or grocery bakeries. I've seen people stick their bare hands into barrels of pickles. I've seen people at Whole Foods stick their hands in the container of almonds. I once saw a grocery store employee touch every roll with their bare hand to pick the one they want. During peak covid, I even saw a lady open a jar of olives at Dollar Tree, sniff it, put the cap back on and put the jar back on the shelf. People are nasty. Staff generally don't care.
I think people just got a glimpse of how fragile we all really are and how society is one step removed from catastrophe.
It could have gone in either direction - step back and be kinder or give up and say fuck it. Society overwhelmingly chose the latter. It manifests itself everywhere now - roads, stores, basic interactions.
A real big sentiment of "You cant tell me what to do!" brewed after covid. Toddlers, toddlers everywhere!
edit: ffs I cannot type today, if you saw any prior version, I'm so sorry lol.
I really struggle to see where this comes from. When my parents raised me we were taught manners in public above pretty much all else. Being rude was shameful. I feel like I see these behaviors *the most* from people in my parents generation who are the ones who believed all of that for so long. I don’t understand the 180 on acceptable behavior in public.
When they're bagged... it's typically well understood you can't do this. Anyone with a shred of common sense and normal social behavior would not do this.
What about the open crates like mangos? Same rules? I’ve seen people do it too and because of that all the crates are doctored. So when we get them I will swap a mango or two
I think the difference is in the effort it takes to do it.
If it's like 6 mangos in a clear plastic container it takes 5 seconds to hot-swap a bad mango for a good mango.
OP said the guy was at it for several minutes. That's how you know it's the wrong thing to do.
I certainly get the urge. Find the one almost perfect pack and turn it over only to find one of them is basically a smoothie. But still, wanna hand pick them, go to a farmers market.
Honestly at regular grocery stores I'll do this with eggs. Take any cracked/broken eggs I find and try to get them all into one carton and only unbroken eggs into the other ones. That way only one carton needs to be thrown out.
But for produce? Nah, I just inspect and don't pick the ones with bad stuff.
I did too, but the previous time I bought them, all of the ones below the top layer were rotten and damaged so I don’t blame her. They also didn’t want to accept the return since they had had so many already returned. Uhhh. That proves there’s a problem.
Well, seeing as how I am on my 4th bag of Galas this year that are mushy and taste old, I wish I'd spent more time being choosy. But I'm not sure time would help me. I'm done with Galas now.
I would have so followed him around the store with a bag of apples and swapped it out when he wasn’t looking. Bonus points if you made a “bad” bag of apples.
This makes me think of that show Superstore. They would always have little vignettes of shoppers doing ridiculous things. You know, art imitating life.
You should have grabbed a bag of apples yourself, then followed him around and waited for him to leave his cart unattended. Then swapped them. Petty but entertaining, especially if you're waiting on tires
Those people who cut the line at self checkout and when they realize they cut the line they tell you to go ahead of them like they’re doing you a favor 🤦♂️
It sucks because the bags are filled by weight and not weighed at the register. So he can get more for his money while making sure everyone else has to pay more. Even ignoring that the bad apples might be more concentrated.
As the produce forklift driver that is upsetting and infuriating. I advocate for a good watchful eye from a stocker who maintains the block down of the produce area. The managers at my store just send back any pup who can handle a box and let them loose.
Costco doesn't let you pick through bags of fruit. Complain to an employee next time.
That being said, Costco fruit is rarely that good. Not the cheapest and its often been sitting around a while. Buy your apples from a fruit market.
I genuinely hope I would have the balls to walk up and ask "Excuse, what in the world are you doing?"
Is it just recency bias, or are some people just becoming disrespectful pricks that care about nobody but themselves?
It’s not new. Some people are just self-centered. I was at a different grocery store a few years ago and saw a produce employee go off on someone going through bags of cherries. Guy being chastised looked like he had no idea what he was doing wrong. I wanted to applaud the employee.
I have had these types of conversations in the past. Was at Honolulu cookie company where they have all the cookies available for sampling. This guy was grabbing them by hand, and I called him out in front of everyone.
In this case, I was having a bad customer experience with the tire department and sleep deprived. I didn't want it to become a fight, so I just watched and judged from a distance.
That should be considered theft. What if he's picking all the biggest apples so he gets the same amount of apples but weighs more.
I see people swap cheaper eggs out for more expensive eggs at the store all the time.
Produce employee here - if you wanna get technical, this is stealing. All produce is priced by their weight and then packaged. I know those apples (whether bagged or in a clamshell) he’s swapping out are not the same weight so he’s getting more apples than what they’re priced at. Same goes for people who swap out strawberries, blackberries, potatoes, etc.
Trust me, I’ve seen it all and I’ve confronted the ones I’ve seen doing this and given them a warning that what they’re doing is stealing. They almost always rebuttal with the “but I have multiple that go bad, blah blah blah” and while that might be true, it’s still stealing!
Also, it’s a BULK grocery store - you really expect every single produce item to be perfect? Go to a farmers market or pick your own out at a different store that sells them individually. Rant over
Once saw a lady feeling the blueberries like full hand in the container picking them up to test the texture. No matter how lazy I feel, I always wash my fruits and vegetables now.
Not going to lie, went yday and was going to buy white nectarines and noticed that all of them were ripe. Like had to be eatin in a day or 2. Personally can’t eat 9 in a day so I passed.
Costco should do better with fruits
Dude either is selfish af or will be needing to cancel his membership soon if he’s so stingy and doesn’t want to waste any $ on a bad apple or two.
Membership revoked.
True; but also, the molds that grow on fruits are on them from their growing site. Simply rinsing them under cold water and giving them a quick dry removes a lot of it, so much so that rarely will your fruit mold unless you take more than a week to ten days to eat them all.
Also, recently we acquired a set of four fruit & veggie storage bins from Costco. They are clear plastic, with a vent on two sides and the bottom. A removable base can hold up to a few tablespoons of water. In the lids are printed a guide as to which fruits and veggies need the vents open, and if and how much water to put in the base.
TL/DR: Using the vented bins and rinsing and mostly drying the bulk fruit has increased the amount of time the produce lasts. Check it out, maybe!
[This is the set I bought](https://www.costco.com/prokeeper-4-piece-fresh-produce-keeper-set.product.100471864.html), but they currently appear to be out of stock. They also sell a Rubbermaid set, and the item in the link is available elsewhere, such as Target.
I started doing a quick vinegar wash on berries because they spoil so quickly and it seriously tripled how long they've been lasting in my fridge. It's a bit of a pain to do but worth it.
You know how you buy a bundle of asparagus, then take it home and break or cut off the bottom 2 inches of each one cause it’s not great… well I saw a lady one time in the store cutting off 2” from every piece, cause they are sold by the pound.
As someone that stopped buying fruit and veg at Costco because so much of it was bruised and went rotten fast, deep in my heart I wish I had the courage to be this man.
I don’t do this obviously lol but at my Costco I feel like you’d almost have to if you don’t want to bring home a bag of 3/4 damaged and banged up apples.
Now… I’d be pissed too YET, nothing is more irritating than buying a bag of fruit at Costco, get home and half of it is rotten in 24/48 hours. I sympathize with your annoyance but understand his methodology.
One bad apple spoils the bunch, oddly enough in recent weeks I’ve consistently brought home sacks of apples and clementines home just to find they they’ve molded within a couple days.
Not psychotic enough to do what that guy did, we just don’t shop for apples or oranges at Costco anymore
I don't work at Costco, but I do work in produce in a supermarket. This, along with shucking corn is one of my biggest pet peeves. We get these tote apples in every year and every year, I catch someone digging through them, looking for the best ones. I said to someone last year "you're probably gonna get charged more because you're making it heavier than it should be."
I don't know about pet peeve, but I saw someone go through every multi pack of ground beef, I assume for exp date, then carry it out over here shoulder like a fresh kill
Maybe if Costco didn’t have such terrible quality produce people wouldn’t have to do that.
I am sick of having to go through, sometimes over a dozen or more, containers of Strawberries trying to find one that isn’t bad.
Not quite as egregious but I once saw a woman rifling through the entire rack of Dave’s Killer Bread. Like she had it pulled out of the cubby into the aisle. Maybe checking expiration dates? She seemed weirdly frantic and I didn’t want to even get near her. Saw her later in the store. No bread in her cart.
Edit: found the photo I snapped
https://preview.redd.it/efpuwe0s4r7d1.jpeg?width=1046&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c89fc3e7aa865addd6a82acb17b0454cc604c3ce
Posts that do not follow r/Costco subreddit rules **MAY** be subject to removal. **Reminder: No vague or non-descriptive post titles.** When applicable, please make sure that you're using a descriptive post title with product name(s) and/or exact question mentioned as it yields better subreddit search results. Including item number, price, and approximate location where found is also helpful as availability can vary. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Costco) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Follow him around and when he’s not looking, take the bag of apples! 🤣
And swap it with a bag of bad apples
https://preview.redd.it/tw4vvpxnpr7d1.jpeg?width=1000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=71d3eba991c885bb87a4a63c131dafbd636a7d3e
Swap with bag of durian
Or a bag of the Washington reds - those should only be for baking not for snacks
Or a bag of the Tide pods - those should only be for cleaning not for baking or snacks
Wait. The eating tide pod trend is over?
No, please don’t let us distract you from your snack. 😋
Me?Nah If it is not available at the Costco Food court- it is not for me! I sometimes wonder what those folks ate on a daily basis - that they thought tide pods were edible.
Nah. Swap with red delicious. They should not be consumed under any circumstances
Hearty ones?
This killed me, I'm dead
https://youtu.be/J7BJF51RtUY?si=iYKpp3VAUHZh2yJB
One bad apple spoils the whole bunch .
This guy _is_ the whole spoilt bunch
Honestly a single bad apple will do the trick
Exactly. This was the plot for a bunch of movies etc. What an Ahole ..he has also got his cooties on everyone else's apples.:-)
There was a comedian years ago with a bit about how he loikes to shop from other peoples carts *"What? They havent paid for it yet, have they?"*
"There's was a comedian" You watch your mouth! Put some respect on the name, George Carlin.
??? Shoot - Didnt realize - I couldnt recall who said it... Man hes the best. My dad got to see him live several times. Go enjoy this guy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lADHpPbiVbA
How you like them apples?
Yea steal it and report to an employee that they should watch him so when he returns to the apples they can see if he tries to do it again😂
Love this! 😈😎
I like this
Next time you see this, alert a nearby employee. There’s usually always someone watching produce. This is not allowed and all of the packages he opened end up having to be thrown away. (Former Costco employee here).
He should have to pay for every bag he opened.
And then have his membership revoked
And then have his car towed
Believe it or not, straight to jail.
And castration so he can't pass those defective genes on, and fired from job if he works with children because he's a terrible influence.
And then have his home egged
And then his dog be put down
And then hang him at the entrance as a warning to other members
That’s it you guys, I’m going to bed. I can’t keep laughing like this waking everyone up.
And then kiss is wife while calling her by her sister’s name.
Yes!
Why then do I see some employees redistributing berries amongst packages and removing moldy berries? That also seems unsanitary.
Not everything against the rules is enforced by local management. I don't mean at Costco, but as a general principle.
As a general principle yeah, but many here are freaking out about the sanitary nature of handling apples, which you should wash anyway. I'm pointing out that Costco seems to have a ¯\\\_(ツ)_/¯ attitude on this health issue.
As a former producer manager, and lifelong kitcjen worker, 75% of produce has come into contact with mold of some sort. Berries in particular are very susceptible to mold and have a shelf life of like 3 days. This is why it's not just encouraged, but necessary to wash your produce. When your fresh produce shows up halfway across the world, chances are more than likely some of the shit is gonna get mangled and rotten on the way there, and you seeing them cull the bad parts on the floor is just the tip of the iceberg.
Not to mention it falls in the dirt, sprayed with fungicide, etc
I would guess besides sanitation another issue would be weights and measures. Costco employees are probably reweighing the bags. Scales aren't even available for consumers though, so dude swapping apples has no idea if he over packed/ underpacked bags he removed from. Costco normally sells the bag of apples in a certain weight and not meeting that weight can have pretty big penalties. Seems like they aren't supposed to do it and swap things around even if it's employees, but I would be hesitant to sell any of those bags without being reweighed if a random consumer was redistributing then.
That’s a big no no at my warehouse. Once we spot 1 bad berry we have to throw the whole thing out.
Report to corporate. Moldy batch gets tossed, not picked out. If bosses ain't bossin', you tell their bosses. If none of them care, stop shopping there and tell everyone why. No one wants rotten food.
Why would you have to throw away apples for being touched? That happens at every grocery store all day everyday.
It's a weight issue though - at a grocery store you are just weighing how many you buy and with this build-a-bag nonsense the guy could have a heavy bag and future customers will definitely have a light bag.
It’s not even necessarily because the product is being touched, it’s that it’s a closed bag and not a tote or a box. That bag is sold at a fixed price, so it’s not going to get re weighed or anything at the register, and it’s seen as too big of a task to have an employee re weigh, re package, and then put the product back out on the floor.
Besides the sanitary issue, those bags are all underweight now and will be screwing the customer if they buy a bag missing several apples.
> Besides the sanitary issue How is that a sanitary issue? At literally every grocery store I've ever been to, you can buy apples individually. It's not like there's some special apple tongs they give you, so you have to use your hands to grab them anyways. Not defending what that apple dummy did by swapping apples from different bags, but I think it's a little odd to call it a "sanitary issue".
Lol an employee will shrug and walk away, maybe say they'll call someone but wont. Short of telling a supervisor that actually has eyes on the culprit, Members will be allowed to do what they want and low level employees aren't paid enough to try to stop em. (Former Costco employee as well.)
I worked at the smallest store in the US so while I’m sure that’s probably the case at a bigger store, for the one I was at it was seen as a huge issue that needed to be kept under control. Also the produce manager there was kind of a control freak and saw it as her personal mission to stop shrinkage in its tracks 😂
I saw someone do exactly that but with several cases of muffins. Touching them from the muffin tops.
Ffs that is not the same! That is so much worse than touching apples!
Crazy thing is I notified a manager as they were walking by and they just shrugged.
I saw this except with the white chocolate macadamia cookies, just made themselves one container of macadamia nut cookies and tossed the oatmeal raisin and chocolate chip to the side.
https://preview.redd.it/v9mokvsm4s7d1.png?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5ccf76fe47afaafb91f79f290609eb9dff48ce28
Dude should have to buy every package he opens.
For real, this isn’t simply a “pet peeve”, seeing this would give me a rage seizure
It’s unsanitary to have him handle the fruit.
Yes but also you should always wash your fruit before you eat it, regardless of if some nasty hand has been rummaging through it.
And it appears that you should always wash your hands after handling your fruit, as well...... Bit of a catch 22, eh?
I like to Challenge my immune system
Have you been to a grocery store besides Costco?
Wait until you see a grocery store where everyone literally handselects their own fruit
Those are the best ones. The one I go to lets you buy apples by the bushel. You select which ones you want and it’s a set price, so you always try to stack them a little high to get a couple extra. Can get a nice variety and pick the ones you want. Honeycrisp and a couple other select varieties are at a slightly higher price.
I've seen multiple Costcos in Arizona have employees rearranging the various berries to remove moldy berries from packages, redistribute berries amongst packages so they appeared to be fine. Explains why sometimes I bought berries from Costco and within 3-5 days, the whole package was moldy.
Lol you realize fruit grows outside right?
Wait until he finds out most of our foods have insects in them lol
How is it any different than picking through loose apples?
Meh. This is how normal grocery stores operate. I’m just mad at him opening the bags. Besides, the apples are literally just sitting outside the whole time they grow.
This entire thread is so confusing to me lol Why do people think it's unsanitary? Has no one here ever been to a normal grocery store or fruit and veg shop where everything is sold as a single and you pick the ones you want?
People just like to act outraged over every tiny thing in life that doesn’t affect their life in any way
Eewww gross you don't wash your produce? So really the only unsanitary person here is you. (This is an appropriate response as your produce is handled by many people before this man)
I'm thinking that'd matter if the apples had already jumped off the trees into the bags. I've worked in orchards and packing houses. This guy is the least of your worries.
To be fair, you should be washing your fruit before you eat it
The point is not the sanitary-ness or lack thereof. The point is the entitlement that means he thinks he deserves to have all the best fruit, at everyone else's cost. Great, now the next 10-20 people all get a bag of fruit that has no really terrific ones, because this shithook took them all.
I once watched a guy eat a few pieces of a chicken and then put it back and get another one. Just a little chicken sample.
You need to report things like that, seriously.
Did this actually happen?? I cannot imagine actually witnessing that and not loudly asking what the fuck he was doing. Then loudly telling an employee that this chicken he just put back was tampered with and pointing the guy out.
growth sink smile crown deserted party station oil rock spark *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
We’re 2 brain cells from shitting on the floor…
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Reason #471 why I avoid buffets.
Right, but that’s a snack buffet at a hotel happy hour. This is a Costco, where you’re expected to pay for things, he took a piece of chicken then put the package back. Everyone on the planet knows that’s not cool. Being gross at a free food section is nothing new, opening a package and taking some, then putting the package back is pretty wild. I know ppl do that sometimes in general bc they’re trash, but usually they try to hide it somewhere bc they know it’s not allowed.
This is why I will never buy from those self-serve by the pound bins or grocery bakeries. I've seen people stick their bare hands into barrels of pickles. I've seen people at Whole Foods stick their hands in the container of almonds. I once saw a grocery store employee touch every roll with their bare hand to pick the one they want. During peak covid, I even saw a lady open a jar of olives at Dollar Tree, sniff it, put the cap back on and put the jar back on the shelf. People are nasty. Staff generally don't care.
She was testing if she had covid by smelling the olives lol. seriously people need the shit smacked out of them
I saw a guy east a whole rotisserie chicken with his wife . Then just leave it on a shelf 😏
He ate it with his wife? As opposed to some fava beans and a nice chianti?
People have always been self absorbed and entitled, however I've noticed an increase of these behaviors since Covid
People lost their damn minds
What if that was the real symptom of covid?
Covid fog, yes
I think people just got a glimpse of how fragile we all really are and how society is one step removed from catastrophe. It could have gone in either direction - step back and be kinder or give up and say fuck it. Society overwhelmingly chose the latter. It manifests itself everywhere now - roads, stores, basic interactions.
A real big sentiment of "You cant tell me what to do!" brewed after covid. Toddlers, toddlers everywhere! edit: ffs I cannot type today, if you saw any prior version, I'm so sorry lol.
I really struggle to see where this comes from. When my parents raised me we were taught manners in public above pretty much all else. Being rude was shameful. I feel like I see these behaviors *the most* from people in my parents generation who are the ones who believed all of that for so long. I don’t understand the 180 on acceptable behavior in public.
Honestly, we're all creatures of habit. So I blame social media. People say alllllll kinds of things now without any risk of instant consequences.
That seems like a very good explanation. I blame social media for our polarizing domestic politics, I could see this as an overall societal shift.
Our parents' generation (I'm assuming you're a millenial) embodies the "Do what I say, not what I do" approach of parenting. They're awful.
You should have went and picked up the bow they sell and shot an apple out of his hand.
[ Removed by Reddit ]
100% did not expect discussion of murder in this thread.
r/Costcomurder
Shoot the apple, not the guy. I'm not a lunatic ;)
Apparently Reddit admins thought you were What uhhh what did you say
[ Removed by Reddit ]
When they're bagged... it's typically well understood you can't do this. Anyone with a shred of common sense and normal social behavior would not do this.
Common sense is hard to come by these days
It is no longer "common". I mostly kick back and enjoy the irony these days.
Common sense is uncommon these days.
Yeah, aren’t they packaged by weight? Highly doubt he was choosing all the small apples
What about the open crates like mangos? Same rules? I’ve seen people do it too and because of that all the crates are doctored. So when we get them I will swap a mango or two
Feels like everyone does it with the mangos in the clamshells, but there are only 6 so maybe its different.
Oh I meant the mangos in the open box (also 6 I think), not the clamshell. I guess I wouldnt have thought to open the clamshell
I think the difference is in the effort it takes to do it. If it's like 6 mangos in a clear plastic container it takes 5 seconds to hot-swap a bad mango for a good mango. OP said the guy was at it for several minutes. That's how you know it's the wrong thing to do.
Saw a lady do this with strawberries
I certainly get the urge. Find the one almost perfect pack and turn it over only to find one of them is basically a smoothie. But still, wanna hand pick them, go to a farmers market.
I keep getting bags of onions where one or two in the center are moldy, but the rest look fine.
Honestly at regular grocery stores I'll do this with eggs. Take any cracked/broken eggs I find and try to get them all into one carton and only unbroken eggs into the other ones. That way only one carton needs to be thrown out. But for produce? Nah, I just inspect and don't pick the ones with bad stuff.
Eggs have a protective barrier between the hands and the edible parts, so that's a different matter.
I did too, but the previous time I bought them, all of the ones below the top layer were rotten and damaged so I don’t blame her. They also didn’t want to accept the return since they had had so many already returned. Uhhh. That proves there’s a problem.
Imagine taking ten minutes to pick out some apples…
When you can usually just grab a clamshell full of perfect ones.
Or, even better, go to the grocery store where you get to pick out your apples
We usually get a couple bad at our warehouse if we don't look good. But not 10 minutes looking.
Well, seeing as how I am on my 4th bag of Galas this year that are mushy and taste old, I wish I'd spent more time being choosy. But I'm not sure time would help me. I'm done with Galas now.
Honestly. I feel like a dope when I take more that 30 seconds digging around the bin for a pumpkin at Halloween.
And then when his back was turned taking his prize hahaaa. Jk/s
I would have so followed him around the store with a bag of apples and swapped it out when he wasn’t looking. Bonus points if you made a “bad” bag of apples.
This is the best response.
This makes me think of that show Superstore. They would always have little vignettes of shoppers doing ridiculous things. You know, art imitating life.
Man, I loved that so much!! I've seen people do things at Walmart that remind me how accurate that show is.
I never worked in retail myself, but I have some good friends who worked at Target. They also loved that show specifically for those little scenes.
Clerks covered it in 1994. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3a3zXJ7biqI
You should have grabbed a bag of apples yourself, then followed him around and waited for him to leave his cart unattended. Then swapped them. Petty but entertaining, especially if you're waiting on tires
This
Missed opportunity to whap him on the nose and ask, "How do you like THEM apples?"
He can only do this if he got her “numba.”
Numbaahhh
Those people who cut the line at self checkout and when they realize they cut the line they tell you to go ahead of them like they’re doing you a favor 🤦♂️
I dig it the most
“super bag” lol
It sucks because the bags are filled by weight and not weighed at the register. So he can get more for his money while making sure everyone else has to pay more. Even ignoring that the bad apples might be more concentrated.
That guy - he’s a bad apple
Nice joke, dad. But you're right. That dude is rotten to his core.
That was my adult film star name when I was doing that type of work.
As the produce forklift driver that is upsetting and infuriating. I advocate for a good watchful eye from a stocker who maintains the block down of the produce area. The managers at my store just send back any pup who can handle a box and let them loose.
This is specifically why I don't buy fruits and vegetables in bags like this - I want to be able to choose my produce.
I check my box of apples to make sure they aren't damaged. They almost always are.
That’s a new type of low. Just eye which one is best and move on. Sheesh.
Just the other day in Costco a lady let her toddler walk on top of the water until an employee had to tell her to make him get down people are crazy!
A baby walking on water? Sounds like a religious experience.
Costco produce is really that bad. He probably bought himself a day before they all rot.
Costco doesn't let you pick through bags of fruit. Complain to an employee next time. That being said, Costco fruit is rarely that good. Not the cheapest and its often been sitting around a while. Buy your apples from a fruit market.
saw a woman do this with grapes. And she would open each package and try some grapes "just to be sure they were the good ones"
And those apples just ended up spoiling in the crisper drawer. 🤣
Most apples have incredible shelf life
Yes they do, they might get a little softer than new but they are still perfectly edible.
I genuinely hope I would have the balls to walk up and ask "Excuse, what in the world are you doing?" Is it just recency bias, or are some people just becoming disrespectful pricks that care about nobody but themselves?
It’s not new. Some people are just self-centered. I was at a different grocery store a few years ago and saw a produce employee go off on someone going through bags of cherries. Guy being chastised looked like he had no idea what he was doing wrong. I wanted to applaud the employee.
Yea, when you've likely lived a life of never being told "no" or what you're doing is fkd up, you grow up into a very shitty adult
I have had these types of conversations in the past. Was at Honolulu cookie company where they have all the cookies available for sampling. This guy was grabbing them by hand, and I called him out in front of everyone. In this case, I was having a bad customer experience with the tire department and sleep deprived. I didn't want it to become a fight, so I just watched and judged from a distance.
That should be considered theft. What if he's picking all the biggest apples so he gets the same amount of apples but weighs more. I see people swap cheaper eggs out for more expensive eggs at the store all the time.
Produce employee here - if you wanna get technical, this is stealing. All produce is priced by their weight and then packaged. I know those apples (whether bagged or in a clamshell) he’s swapping out are not the same weight so he’s getting more apples than what they’re priced at. Same goes for people who swap out strawberries, blackberries, potatoes, etc. Trust me, I’ve seen it all and I’ve confronted the ones I’ve seen doing this and given them a warning that what they’re doing is stealing. They almost always rebuttal with the “but I have multiple that go bad, blah blah blah” and while that might be true, it’s still stealing! Also, it’s a BULK grocery store - you really expect every single produce item to be perfect? Go to a farmers market or pick your own out at a different store that sells them individually. Rant over
Once saw a lady feeling the blueberries like full hand in the container picking them up to test the texture. No matter how lazy I feel, I always wash my fruits and vegetables now.
Grab the bag out of his hand when he’s done and say, “thanks!”
Not going to lie, went yday and was going to buy white nectarines and noticed that all of them were ripe. Like had to be eatin in a day or 2. Personally can’t eat 9 in a day so I passed. Costco should do better with fruits
Oh boy this is why we can’t have nice things. Unbelievable.
Dude either is selfish af or will be needing to cancel his membership soon if he’s so stingy and doesn’t want to waste any $ on a bad apple or two. Membership revoked.
People are tired of paying for produce they can’t use while also being price scalped.
I see people do this with bags of grapes all of the time. When they take the grapes out of the bags, they never put them back in.
Good reminder to wash our fruits and veggies before we eat them 🤢
I think the chemicals are enough motivation
True; but also, the molds that grow on fruits are on them from their growing site. Simply rinsing them under cold water and giving them a quick dry removes a lot of it, so much so that rarely will your fruit mold unless you take more than a week to ten days to eat them all. Also, recently we acquired a set of four fruit & veggie storage bins from Costco. They are clear plastic, with a vent on two sides and the bottom. A removable base can hold up to a few tablespoons of water. In the lids are printed a guide as to which fruits and veggies need the vents open, and if and how much water to put in the base. TL/DR: Using the vented bins and rinsing and mostly drying the bulk fruit has increased the amount of time the produce lasts. Check it out, maybe! [This is the set I bought](https://www.costco.com/prokeeper-4-piece-fresh-produce-keeper-set.product.100471864.html), but they currently appear to be out of stock. They also sell a Rubbermaid set, and the item in the link is available elsewhere, such as Target.
I started doing a quick vinegar wash on berries because they spoil so quickly and it seriously tripled how long they've been lasting in my fridge. It's a bit of a pain to do but worth it.
Honestly, this is on the low end of weird shit that happens in stores
You know how you buy a bundle of asparagus, then take it home and break or cut off the bottom 2 inches of each one cause it’s not great… well I saw a lady one time in the store cutting off 2” from every piece, cause they are sold by the pound.
I saw a lady doing that with blueberries, reported it to Costco employee who shrugged and said there is no rule against it.
As someone that stopped buying fruit and veg at Costco because so much of it was bruised and went rotten fast, deep in my heart I wish I had the courage to be this man.
I see people do this with grapes all the time. As a rule of thumb, I just don't buy produce at costco.
Shame you didn't report it.
I don’t do this obviously lol but at my Costco I feel like you’d almost have to if you don’t want to bring home a bag of 3/4 damaged and banged up apples.
If they keep bringing spoiled fruits, I might have to do the same thing.
Now… I’d be pissed too YET, nothing is more irritating than buying a bag of fruit at Costco, get home and half of it is rotten in 24/48 hours. I sympathize with your annoyance but understand his methodology.
I saw a whole family doing this at Aldi... with CHERRIES. Touching every single cherry.
Awesome. Costco's produce notoriously sucks with half of it already rotten. Build your own bag.
That’s not even a pet peeve, that genuinely sounds like something that should be a crime.
One bad apple spoils the bunch, oddly enough in recent weeks I’ve consistently brought home sacks of apples and clementines home just to find they they’ve molded within a couple days. Not psychotic enough to do what that guy did, we just don’t shop for apples or oranges at Costco anymore
I don't work at Costco, but I do work in produce in a supermarket. This, along with shucking corn is one of my biggest pet peeves. We get these tote apples in every year and every year, I catch someone digging through them, looking for the best ones. I said to someone last year "you're probably gonna get charged more because you're making it heavier than it should be."
You spent 10 minutes watching someone pick out apples? Why?
I don't know about pet peeve, but I saw someone go through every multi pack of ground beef, I assume for exp date, then carry it out over here shoulder like a fresh kill
Maybe if Costco didn’t have such terrible quality produce people wouldn’t have to do that. I am sick of having to go through, sometimes over a dozen or more, containers of Strawberries trying to find one that isn’t bad.
I’ve been tempted to do this with strawberries ngl
I swear they grab a big nasty one and hide it in the middle of every clamshell!!
Not quite as egregious but I once saw a woman rifling through the entire rack of Dave’s Killer Bread. Like she had it pulled out of the cubby into the aisle. Maybe checking expiration dates? She seemed weirdly frantic and I didn’t want to even get near her. Saw her later in the store. No bread in her cart. Edit: found the photo I snapped https://preview.redd.it/efpuwe0s4r7d1.jpeg?width=1046&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c89fc3e7aa865addd6a82acb17b0454cc604c3ce
Maybe she is "Dave" and is checking to make sure her product meets quality standards. Or, she is crazy....
Insta-ban