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M&S 'use by' dates

AlwaysWorking
Posts: 611 Forumite


I just wanted to warn other M&S food shoppers to check the use by dates of products before purchase!
I've just returned from my local M&S in Northern Ireland. Whilst unpacking the groceries I discovered some of the dairy items state the 1st of July as the 'use by date' (it's now after 8pm). I phoned the store to ask if I could return the items tomorrow and exchange them for items with some self life. To be honest I thought the person checking the dates had just missed these. The person who answered the phone just said no, so I asked to be transferred to her line manager. After being on hold for a while I spoke to someone who told me it is M&S policy not to remove items with that day as the use by date until close of business and that my items weren't actually out of date until midnight. I replied that I would have expected an M&S product to have a shelf life of more than four hours. :mad: Had I bought the items in Tescos, they would have been in the half price section and I wouldn't have bought them...to which she quite snootily told me that M&S is 'far superior' to Tescos.
I'm afraid I no longer agree. I didn't even think to check the dates as I knew I wanted to use the food tomorrow. So just check your dates - I'm told that once you leave the store you can't return anything.
I would have thought M&S customer service would be better and I'm disappointed.
I've just returned from my local M&S in Northern Ireland. Whilst unpacking the groceries I discovered some of the dairy items state the 1st of July as the 'use by date' (it's now after 8pm). I phoned the store to ask if I could return the items tomorrow and exchange them for items with some self life. To be honest I thought the person checking the dates had just missed these. The person who answered the phone just said no, so I asked to be transferred to her line manager. After being on hold for a while I spoke to someone who told me it is M&S policy not to remove items with that day as the use by date until close of business and that my items weren't actually out of date until midnight. I replied that I would have expected an M&S product to have a shelf life of more than four hours. :mad: Had I bought the items in Tescos, they would have been in the half price section and I wouldn't have bought them...to which she quite snootily told me that M&S is 'far superior' to Tescos.
I'm afraid I no longer agree. I didn't even think to check the dates as I knew I wanted to use the food tomorrow. So just check your dates - I'm told that once you leave the store you can't return anything.
I would have thought M&S customer service would be better and I'm disappointed.
"I believe that everything happens for a reason. People change so that you can learn to let go, things go wrong so that you appreciate them when they're right, you believe lies so you eventually learn to trust no one but yourself, and sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together." Marilyn Monroe
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Annoying yes, but surely the onus is on the customer to check the dates before purchasing. Now had these been items purchased for home delivery then I think you would have had a much stronger case but I don't think you have grounds for complaint as you purchased the items and didn't check them and they couldn't be deemed as out of date at time of purchase.
As for M&S being superior than Tesco, I actually agree with this statement although you do pay more for that!
I think you'll have to chalk this up to experience and dig nearer the back of the M&S displays next time to get the better dated produce.0 -
http://notalwaysright.com/honesty-against-the-best-policies/2107Me: “Excuse me, it’s only 5 items in the changing rooms.”
Customer: “Well, it’s never been that before.”
Me: “Actually, we’ve been enforcing it for the last 18 months. See, there’s a sign.” *points at sign on wall*
Customer: “I don’t actually read signs.”
Me: “Well, at least you’ll know for next time.”
Customer: “Oh, I won’t read it next time, either.”
:rolleyes:0 -
I have found this to be a problem at our store too, whats the point of buying half a dozen yoghurts if you have to eat them all that day?0
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I have found this to be a problem at our store too, whats the point of buying half a dozen yoghurts if you have to eat them all that day?
Don't buy them in the first place then, buy the ones that have a better use by date...If it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, we have at least to consider the possibility that we have a small aquatic bird of the family anatidae on our hands
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I worked at M&S for a few months and when we did "waste" (taking food off the shelves) we looked for today's date. This was always done a few hours before closing and then the staff had a chance to buy the stuff cheap when the shop actually closed. So to go in at 8pm and find 1st July must be a one off (or that store has a different policy, but the two I've worked in were both the same). The one night our store was open til 8pm we still took the food off the shelves about 5/6pm.
I'm surprised at the customer service you received really.0 -
M&S is not the type of place where you buy a fortnights worth of groceries in one go. It is more of a place for buying as and when required. M&S use by dates are generally less than other places because as far as I know they tend to use less preservatives and additives in their food.0
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I know dairy items you have to be a bit more stringent with but if its eaten a day after its "use by" date it wont harm you.
Most use by dates are a guideline now-a-days rather then strict "eat by".0 -
My local M&S stores reduce the price and put a yellow sticker on refrigerated stuff at it's sell-by date. Don't they do it all stores?0
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I don't pay the slightest bit of attention to use by dates. I'm still alive. If it looks ok, smells ok and tastes ok, just bloody eat it/drink it. We've survived for generations without these little arbitrary dates on packages, I doubt we'll die if we eat something beyond its date.
Case in point, my 4-pint of milk in the fridge (admittedly it's organic) is now 6 days overdue for 'using by', and it's still perfectly fresh and fine. In the winter that may extend to 14 days or more.Starting Debt: ~£20,000 01/01/2009. DFD: 20/11/2009 :j
Do something amazing. GIVE BLOOD.0 -
I bought 2 packs of fresh raw chicken 3 weeks ago on the Saturday @ 5pm (not looking at dates so didn;t spot they went out of date on that day - so my own fault) I opened them Monday night to cook them and they stunk, they had gone off. Like you I called customer service to be told that they where still within date on the Saturday, so they had done nothing wrong. I was annoyed by this so wrote to M&S and got a blanket reply that they where in date. As you said if I was in Tesco etc they would have been reduced so would have froze them or not bought them.
I do ignore "use by" dates, if it looks ok, smells ok then we eat it but these really where rank !Sealed pot challenge 822
Jan - £176.66 :j0
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