# Would you return fruit to the store? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 14, 2011, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-return-fruit-to-the-store/578332 "2011-04-14T04:01:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2011, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-return-fruit-to-the-store/578332/1 "2011-04-14T04:01:07Z")
I was talking to someone the other day about some fruit I’d bought that tasted watery, instead of sweet. He said I should take the rest of it back to the store, and get my money back. This sounds ridiculous to me, unless there’s spoilage - you take a chance with fruit, in my opinion, but this person says he does it often, and the store didn’t mind. So, a poll. Have you done this? Would you? Have I wasted hundreds of dollars over the years throwing away something I should have returned to the store? ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2011, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-return-fruit-to-the-store/578332/2 "2011-04-14T04:05:50Z")
I might if I paid what, over 5 bucks for it? Any less than that and it wouldn’t be worth it, really, what with the price of gas and wear and tear on the car. ---
**Author:** ![MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2011, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-return-fruit-to-the-store/578332/3 "2011-04-14T04:18:07Z")
Done it on occasion, though I always asked for a replacement pineapple or melon, as opposed to a refund—The incredibly lax attitude on the part of the store staff (they NEVER ask for a receipt, they don’t care if it’s already half-eaten, they don’t inquire why you want a replacement, they simply always tell me to pick out a new item and have a nice day) about getting a replacement leads me to believe that almost no one else must do this, because they don’t seem to have any formal policy about asking for ID or a receipt. Why the hell not—The store must throw away thousands of dollars worth of produce each and every single week, and if I pay 4 bucks for a pineapple, I expect it to be edible. The store can take the loss easier that any consumer can… ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2011, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-return-fruit-to-the-store/578332/4 "2011-04-14T04:18:37Z")
If someone is returning produce _often_, they’re either a terrible produce shopper or they’re failing to recognize that supermarket varieties are often chosen for yield and portability rather than flavor. ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2011, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-return-fruit-to-the-store/578332/5 "2011-04-14T04:25:24Z")
I wish I could take my bananas back after they turn all brown and nasty. But no, they just go in the trash. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2011, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-return-fruit-to-the-store/578332/6 "2011-04-14T04:38:05Z")
My family has been in the produce business for over a hundred years. The store we have right now has been open for 30 years. We actively encourage people to bring back anything they aren’t happy with. We’ll exchange it, we’ll give you you’re money back, whatever. It’s usually “our fault.” By “our fault” I mean not yours. You can always ask us to cut open the watermelon so you can taste it first, try the apples, peel an orange, whatever. We’d rather have you return some shitty fruit then sit at home pissed off about your crappy produce that you got from Joey’s shitty store. Having said that, no, I probably wouldn’t. I can’t see it being worth my time. Other then boxes of clementines or entire watermelons (or lots of pomegranates or avocados…expensive stuff), it’s usually older people that don’t have anything better to do. Not in a bad way. Just that a soccer mom usually doesn’t have time to return a single rotten apple out of a 3# bag that costs 89¢, but a 70 year old lady will do it on her way to Denny’s tomorrow. And, honestly, we don’t have a problem, because she’s probably been a regular customer for 15 years and we intend to keep her as a regular customer for as long as possible. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2011, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-return-fruit-to-the-store/578332/7 "2011-04-14T04:41:48Z")
Aww. Make banana bread! I wouldn’t occur to me to take fruit back. I always saw it in the same way as the OP, it’s a risk you take with fresh produce, as to the flavor, and if I chose something that went bad quickly it was because I chose a too-ripe item or something. The only item I can recall ever returning was a big bag of shredded cheese. Turned out to have a hole in the bag, and when I got it out of the fridge a couple days later to use some, there were tiny spots of mold all over. The lady at the counter didn’t bat an eye or ask for a receipt, and just told me to go ahead and get another one. ---
**Author:** ![Flutterby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Flutterby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flutterby)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2011, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-return-fruit-to-the-store/578332/8 "2011-04-14T04:44:21Z")
> [@Alice\_The\_Goon](#): > > I wish I could take my bananas back after they turn all brown and nasty. But no, they just go in the trash. You can freeze them at that stage or just before, it’s perfect for banana bread when you thaw them. To the OP, I can’t recall ever returning any. It never occurred to me and I deal with an unflavourful selection by baking with it somehow. ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2011, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-return-fruit-to-the-store/578332/9 "2011-04-14T04:46:12Z")
> [@SeaDragonTattoo](#): > > Aww. Make banana bread! I buy a lot of bananas, and there’s only so much banana bread you can make in your life and I’ve used up my quota. ---
**Author:** ![scootergirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e99b99/32.png) [@scootergirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scootergirl)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2011, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-return-fruit-to-the-store/578332/10 "2011-04-14T04:50:31Z")
Well although it is a hassle I have done it. I’ve been making guacamole for years and know how to pick a good avocado. A couple of years ago however I picked up about 10 to make a big batch to take to work and 8 out of 10 were absolutely not usable. They felt completely Ok when I purchased them and I tried to use them the same day. I took them back and they gave me a refund and told me to pick some out at no cost for my inconvenience. I was impressed with their customer service. The stores name is Market of Choice. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2011, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-return-fruit-to-the-store/578332/11 "2011-04-14T05:58:52Z")
> [@Alice\_The\_Goon](#): > > I buy a lot of bananas, and there’s only so much banana bread you can make in your life and I’ve used up my quota. Will you send your newsletter to my husband, please? Because he hasn’t hit his quota yet. ---
**Author:** ![Desert\_Nomad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desert_nomad/32/177_2.png) [@Desert\_Nomad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desert_Nomad)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2011, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-return-fruit-to-the-store/578332/12 "2011-04-14T06:53:08Z")
I’ve taken berries back that went bad within 24 hours. ---
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2011, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-return-fruit-to-the-store/578332/13 "2011-04-14T06:54:13Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > Will you send your newsletter to my husband, please? Because he hasn’t hit his quota yet. There is no such thing as a quota on banana cake. It’s all a lie made up for I dunno what reason. I will eat bananan cake till the day I day - andd I love cooking it too. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2011, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-return-fruit-to-the-store/578332/14 "2011-04-14T09:25:34Z")
…We interrupt this thread From _Seinfeld_ > [@](#): > > KRAMER: Jerry. This is great cantaloupe. > > JERRY: Alright.. (tastes it) > > KRAMER: Ah, huh. It’s good? > > JERRY: It’s very good. > > KRAMER: Good, huh? > > JERRY: Good. > > KRAMER: I got it at Joe’s. > > JERRY: Uh-Huh. > > KRAMER: Forty-nine cents a pound. That’s practically half than what you’re paying at the supermarket. I don’t know why you don’t go to Joe’s. > > JERRY: It’s too far. > > KRAMER: It’s three blocks further. You can use my shopping cart.. > > JERRY: I’m not pulling a shopping cart. What am I suppose to wear? A kerchief? Put stockings on and roll 'em down below my knee? > > KRAMER: See, the other thing is, if you don’t like anything, he takes it right back. > > JERRY: I don’t return fruit. Fruit is a gamble. I know that going in. …and now back to your regularly scheduled thread ---
**Author:** ![Flutterby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Flutterby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flutterby)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2011, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-return-fruit-to-the-store/578332/15 "2011-04-14T14:31:20Z")
> [@Alice\_The\_Goon](#): > > I buy a lot of bananas, and there’s only so much banana bread you can make in your life and I’ve used up my quota. How about banana cookies then? So yummy! Actually, with my son bananas don’t usually last long enough to make cookies or bread. He eats them like they’re going out of style if they’re in the house. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2011, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-return-fruit-to-the-store/578332/16 "2011-04-14T14:43:39Z")
Heck no. I figure it’s incumbent upon me to inspect the fruit I buy before taking it home. If I want tasty fruit then I also will benefit from having educated myself on exactly how to check the different types for freshness and ripeness. If I don’t like it I either select something else or pass on it altogether. Plus, I shop fairly often so there would never be the volume to make returning something actually worth the bother. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2011, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-return-fruit-to-the-store/578332/17 "2011-04-14T14:48:23Z")
No. Not even if I find an eyeball in it. (Hee hee hee…) ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2011, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-return-fruit-to-the-store/578332/18 "2011-04-14T14:50:40Z")
I’d only return fruit if it were spoiled or otherwise inedible - lackluster flavor is, as Seinfeld rightly noted, the risk you take when purchasing fruit. ---
**Author:** ![Azeotrope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/0ea827/32.png) [@Azeotrope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Azeotrope)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2011, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-return-fruit-to-the-store/578332/19 "2011-04-14T14:55:01Z")
The only time I ever sort of did was when I ordered citrus fruit through mail-order and the cost (plus shipping) was too much just to let it slide. It was a box of 15 and 4 of them were rotten, so I wrote them a complainey e-mail and they refunded 1/4 of my purchase price, plus shipping. Grocery store stuff I wouldn’t return. I figure if I get a rotten fruit it’s my fault for not picking them out carefully, and for stuff where flavor and texture really matters I either grow my own or buy it from the farmer’s market ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2011, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-return-fruit-to-the-store/578332/20 "2011-04-14T20:59:13Z")
I’ve never returned fruit, but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it. I just don’t spend enough on one specific fruit to be worth it to go back to the store. If I happened to be returning something else, maybe, but it’s never come up. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-return-fruit-to-the-store/578332.md?page=2)