The Pony and I made our weekly trip to The Devil's Playground. Of course he was out of products we've become accustomed to buying each week. No large styrofoam bowls. No small Great Value ones, either. Only brand name. No jeans in the size of the #1 son. It's not like he's some freak of nature, hard to fit. 34 33. Simple as that. Don't be thinkin' The Devil didn't have odd sizes. We were in the Wrangler stacks. Normally, #1 wouldn't be caught dead in Wranglers. He's no cowboy. He's an Old Navy kind of dude. But for cutting wood, his new side business, he needs sturdy work jeans. I might have to hoof it on down to The Family Center, or Tractor Supply, and look for some Carhartts.
But that's not why we're here today, my friends, to discuss the #1 son's sartorial preferences. We're here to rant about The Devil. He had instructed his minions to rearrange all the products. Same shelves. Different order. Wonder Whole Grain Bread was waaaaaay down the aisle. And Pringles Whole Grain Sour Cream and Onion were off, according to The Pony. He takes them in his lunch every day.But the dirtiest trick The Devil had up his sleeve today was the sale of rotten produce. I bought a five-pound bag of Idaho potatoes. Name brand. IDAHO Potatoes. U.S. grade No. 1 fresh Idaho potatoes. I peeled 11 of them to put in my supper of smoked sausage, potatoes, and cabbage. I cut them into chunks. Funny how 4 of the 11 had black spots through and through. Unusable. Only 4 remained in the bag. I'm saving them for baking later in the week. I am not optimistic that all 4 will be edible. I can imagine taking 4 potatoes back for a refund, and being asked, "What did you do with the rest of the five-pound bag?" Hey, Devil! Idaho called. It wants its potatoes back.
I hate The Devil with a passion. With the heat of 10,000 tubes of Icy Hot applied to a sensitive area. And wrapped with an Ace bandage.
I'm sorry about your dud spuds.
ReplyDeleteThe other good news is that you probably paid at least 15-20% more for those potatoes today than you would've 2 years ago. Our grocery bill is out of control and we get the same basic stuff as we always have. And yes, we frequently see bad produce in the store or open a pack of chicken breast well before the printed date only to discover that it's already turned the corner. I don't hesitate to plop a rotten chicken right on the customer service counter and demand my money back. Maybe not for a bag of potatoes that I'd already cut up, but for most things, yes-- plop and demand.
You should take those nasty potatoes back!! And I don't think it's just The Devil's Playground that has nasty produce. Schucks here had some nasty apples, onions and bananas. And I won't even mention the tomatoes. So I went to Dierbergs and almost the same exact thing. I may have to go out to yuppie land and hit Whole Foods for their produce. It may be expensive, but it's not rotten.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what's up with our food. Who do we blame? The drought?
MommyNeeds,
ReplyDeleteI agree on the inflation. My bill is at LEAST 50% more than it was last year at The Devil's Playground. And of course the sizes of the products have changed. They look the same, but you are getting less. Like the mixed nuts. I don't recall exactly, because I quit buying them. But they went from something like 12 1/2 ounces to 9 ounces. Same price.
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Chick,
I blame the grocers. They buy in bulk. But their business is down, because people can't afford to shop the way they used to. So there is less turnover in the product. Which means produce sits on the shelf longer. And gets rotten.
It's all about the almighty dollar.
I thought I was the only one to get rotten produce in the bag! At least I am in good company!
ReplyDeleteThere is a little grocery store here that buys from local farmers and usually has good fresh produce--of course, the growing season is kaput so back to the russian roulet of bagged produce...
PS--yes they will do a refund, which does not help the fact that you were left short for your dinner...
labbie,
ReplyDeleteThe Devil is out to get me.