Is it just me? ---

Inishowen, I'm sure if you had phoned Customer Services, they would have given you a refund on your next visit. You could also take a picture on your phone as proof. Our Tesco have been very good like this, although I didn't have a camera phone at the time, just took in the receipt for the purchase in question.

I recently found a very out of date carton of milk in my local Co-op so I quietly told a member of staff. She thanked me profusely and dashed off to remove it. So no complaints there!

The Waitrose that our son uses always has an outofdate section. He goes for the fruit and veg, which he has done since he was an impoverished student.
As for feeding foxes, I don't know about that, but my husband feeds stray dogs, and of course they don't want to leave.
I know foxes can be a real problem in towns. Here they have a day now and again when they shoot them.

I would tell them, I found pre-packed cold meat in Morrisons that had been punctured and was rotten. Someone with limited sight could have picked it up. I did get a thank you.
In M&S I picked up a loaf and could see it was mouldy as were all the others of the same type, well within date. I told a member of staff and the next minute 2 staff with a trolley took it all off the shelves.
In the local co-op a few weeks ago the assistant told me some pancakes were out of date ( I hadn't noticed) I thanked her for telling me and she said she hadn't noticed but the till wouldn't allow out of date food to be put through.

On line shopping would normally give you the longest date in store at the time it was picked as pickers are trained to look for best date available.
There will always be out of date products that have 'slipped through the net' when dates are checked. Unless you employ robots! It is physically impossible to check every item on the shelves everyday. New stock is normally filled at the back, but as we all know, customers rummaging around disturbs products. When you find out of date products it may seem outrageous to you but for staff it is an everyday occurrence. It does make a difference how staff respond though and a thank you doesn't cost a lot.

I'm picking up on the second part of this discussion. The foxes! I hate them with a passion. They live everywhere here in SW London and gardening life is a nightmare. They dig up the lawn and plants, leave revolting, smelly calling cards everywhere, and destroy sleep by screeching , (one can only describe the sound as someone disembowelling small children) and last week one of them bit my neighbour when she intervened in a skirmish between her cat and the fox.

No prizes for guessing that we don't feed them. ?

I found some out of date packs of cooked chicken on the shelf in Tesco. I told a member of staff who thanked me and asked me to show him, he followed me back to the shelf and removed them immediately.

You have foxes coming to your gardens. Word, I would have permanent paranoia to let the kids play outside.

I wouldn't feed a fox as they are quite capable of foraging for themselves. My former neighbour used to keep chickens at the end of the garden and it was no surprise when a fox created mayhem. My DS has had the same experience with his chickens though he has now devised a (hopefully) fox-proof chicken run. I must,however, admit to leaving peanuts for the badger that has a nightly route through my garden.

I accidently bought two bags of tomatoes in Tesco that were really rotten. It was only when they were opened I saw that they were blue and slimy. I should have taken them back but it would have been a car journey and not worth the trouble.The use by date on them was the day I opened them.

Instead of telling the staff at the supermarket, why not ring the Trading Standards/local council food hygiene office people direct and tell them that you have spoken previously to the supermarket who didn't seem to care. Tell them which item it is and ask if they can send someone straight away to check it out.

Personally, I have never found food out of date in a supermarket and my local Tesco sells that day's dated stuff at great reductions and, if their fridges/freezers have a fault, they throw the whole lot out and won't let anyone buy the products inside even if it's still in date!

Re the fox comment - foxes are living creatures and are indigenous to the UK and have as much right to live on this planet in an area of their choice as you and I do.

Please don't feed the foxes........they are getting bigger and braver and attacking pets in gardens.

I love them but we are being terrorised by a large dog fox in the garden attacking our westie...........

They can feed themselves and not become too tame if left to their own devices and probably best as they keep vermin down that way.

I always feed our fox, especially now that he has cubs to look aftet.

I always take the offending article to customer services and tell them they are lucky I am telling them instead of Trading Standards so that they can train staff better instead of being prosecuted. I am sure they think "silly old biddy" but they always say thankyou.
This does not happen at Aldi as they have no customer service desk, one of the drawbacks of shopping there.

not Waitrose! I usually buy 2 litre milks either at Sainsbury or Waitrose and the dates tend to be possibly a week hence, but will make sure to check carefully in future.

One of the drawbacks of shopping on line, is that you are unable to buy the 'newest' stock. Staff are obviously trained to get rid of the old stuff first. (not out of date)

I have found out of date food items in all supermarkets.I rootle about at the back of the shelves for a better date.

I wish my OH would let me feed the fox in our garden.

Chicken's DH feeding a fox??

I am surprised at Waitrose. I usually shop in Sainsbury and M & S and have never found anything out of date.

OH gets me to buy it so that he can feed the visiting fox. I tell him that he's a silly old fool for encouraging vermin but there's no fool like an old fool!

That sounds absolutely disgusting! Another good reason not to have a dog!

grannylyn65---"What is a dog-chub?" It's a large sausage shaped tube of dog food like pate, encased in plastic. Smells revolting at the best of times!

Yes t'other day Home Bargains
out of date cake
So none of MIL favourite dry cake that day.

I did the same a couple of years ago in Tesco when I found a whole shelf of yoghurts was out of date. The assistant did say 'Thanks' but didn't look at all bothered.

I should also add that the same Tesco store had been prosecuted twice before for selling out of date produce. They don't seem to care.