Friday, June 4, 2010

Let Them Eat Cake...and Then Return It

This post may contain affiliate or advertiser links. Read my full disclosure policy here.

Company Girl Coffee

Generally I’m not afraid to return an item to the store if I’m having some problems with it ~ it won’t work, it shrinks horribly, etc… but I do have a line of when I won’t return something.

At least I think I do…

I was contemplating making a return of something I’d bought at Costco {agave nectar} after reading a study that showed how absolutely wretched the stuff was ~ essentially the equivalent to ingesting corn syrup. Yummy, no?

I didn’t have the receipt and the bottles were unused and unopened. A friend of mine who works at Costco told me to return them and then told me about a customer who had returned a sheet cake one day ~ HALF EATEN!!

Since my bottles were unopened, I felt much better about making my return, but then I got to wondering…

Where do you draw the line on making a return? Leave a comment today and let me know ~ how far is too far?

{And here’s hoping you weren’t the one who returned the cake!}

 

 

It’s been awhile since I’ve participated in Company Girl Coffee. I still read along…I’ve just been slacking in linking up.

25 comments:

  1. I would return something even if I have opened it if something is wrong. But, I will have to say that even diabetics are allowed to have Agave. It is metabolized differently in the body. Just an FYI. I do however think the half eaten cake it a bit much. Happy Firday! Jenn

    ReplyDelete
  2. My mom is diabetic, so we thought it would be a great alternative.

    Here's a great article about what agave really is: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-jonny-bowden/debunking-the-blue-agave_b_450144.html

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm not a big juice drinker but I hear a lot of juice are actually under the "fats and sweets" portionof the food pyramid because of all the sugar.

    Don't feel guilty about returning it unused and unopened. What's bad is people I know who wear clothes and return them after...not just wearing it once or twice but the whole length of the time before the return date.

    I'm not a "returner" at all. I hate shopping (for anything) to begin with, so there's a slim chance I'll go back to return. If I do need something return, Hubby does it. =p

    ReplyDelete
  4. I draw the line at more than a few bites taken out of the food I suppose. It's one thing to take a few bites find out it's bad, labeled wrong, etc. Mostly though I deal with my regrettable purchases, especially because most of the time when it's closes I've washed it and torn the tags on by the time I have second thoughts.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I don't have a problem returning things that are defective, poor quality, etc. However...a half eaten cake is going a little too far.

    Interesting to know about the Agave Nectar...that is one of the approved sweeteners on my plant based diet...I'll have to look into it. I have mostly used raw honey but have considered trying that. Thanks for the info.!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I hate making returns. It's up there with renewing my driver's license and waiting at the unemployment office.

    But I will make a return if something is wrong with a product I bought, if it was recalled (which reminds me I STILL have to return the recalled Infant's Tylenol I bought at Costco a month ago), or if it's the wrong size, etc.

    I did return a package of ground beef to the grocery store because it turned gray before its "sell by" date. I returned it frozen because I wasn't going to watch it get grosser and grosser until I got the time to take it back.

    But half-eaten cake? I'll have to try that. ;) Just kidding.

    ReplyDelete
  7. so.. the cake wasn't very tasty so we only ate half.. then returned it! ;-)


    P.S. is Kaleb doing VBS at your church? I think we are signing Sammy up for it!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Half eaten cake? LOL! That is too funny!

    I don't think it's a big deal that you want to return the bottles un-opened.

    I hardly ever return anything because I never seem to find the time to make it back to the store.

    The grossest thing I can think of is that I had to return a 2 pound block of cheese once because I didn't notice that it had mold on it until I got home. The expiration date was several months away so the store didn't have any problem swapping it out for a good one.

    Have a great weekend!
    -Melissa

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hi, I'm a "Company Girl", just finishing her CGCoffee (but mine's tea) and just read your hilarious post! I have returned food before... bought some "Great Value triscuits" at Walmart and they were so bad that I returned the box we opened plus all the others that were closed. I've also returned greek yogurt that once opened, revealed a rainbow of blue and green mold growing in it! I've discovered, though, that most places throw the food away if you return it (even if there's nothing wrong with it), so now I really have to think before I buy something new!
    Haven't tried returning a half eaten cake, but I'll mark that for the future - ha ha ha!
    Have a great weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Ooh, I'm shocked at the Agave bit. I just found out that it is a low-glycemic sweetener and it therefore supposed to be better for diabetics. My best friend is a diabetic, so I am always on the lookout for helpful items.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I can't even imagine returning half eaten cake! Wow. I recently had to return rotten chicken (that had not reached it's sell by date yet) and moldy string cheese that was expired SIX MONTHS AGO to Kroger. I hate returning things too but it was about $12 worth of food so I am glad I did! They even had me bring in the rotten chicken to prove it to them. Gross!

    ReplyDelete
  12. About 4 years ago, we ordered a birthday cake from Walmart, when we got it home and showed our daughter she loved it but when we looked closer at it, the colors were wrong from what they told us they would be and what they show pictured. Also the cake tasted gross. We went back to Walmart with pictures of the cake and how lopsided it was and the discoloring, no cake in hand (sorry couldn't tell my 5 year old that she couldn't have her birthday cake) We didn't go intending to return the cake that we didn't even have, we just wanted to let them know how crappy they did. They gave us back all of our money. I was shocked.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Jolanthe,

    WOrking in the retail side of returns, I have seen the worst of stuff people will return and claim the product is defective.

    We live in a high wind city and it never ceases to amaze me at the number of people who will return their broken umbrellas because they failed to take them down during the winds, or the man at Christmas time who returned his tree when it died.

    I have limits but apparently other's do not.

    Love and Hugs ~ Kat

    ReplyDelete
  14. Wow, that's impressive. I never would have thought to even TRY to return a half-eaten cake.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I was not the one who returned the cake, but I was in line behind someone who did - and as far as Costco is concerned, it's just fine. Costco has a VERY liberal return policy. I had a conversation with a manager one day while standing outside waiting for the rain to stop. He said that their return policy of "return anything at anytime if you are not completely satisfied - no questions asked" is actually a marketing technique. People are more likely to try something new if they know they can return it if they are not happy. Now, I'm sure some people abuse the policy, but most do not. We have returned a couple of food items we bought, tried and really didn't care for, but more often than not when we try something new, we enjoy it and buy it again and again.

    PS - Costco did change their electronics return policy a year or so ago, but other than that, it's still "any time, any reason, no questions" and most of the customer service reps are so pleasant - it's one of the main reasons we canceled our Sam's membership (bad, bad service) and have stuck with Costco for about 10 years now.

    Oh, one more thing, if you don't have their Executive membership, you should consider it. You get 2% of every purchase back at the end of the year, and if you don't earn at least $55 (the difference between the regular membership and the executive membership) you still earn $55 - you can't go wrong. We usually earn enough to get our next year's member ship for about $10 or $15. Another marketing strategy that keeps us shopping at Costco week after week!

    ReplyDelete
  16. I return items only if there is something wrong or if they are unopened/unused.

    However, I was once in the customer service line at Wal-Mart, and I watched a lady return a pair of children's shoes. They were pink Disney princess athletic shoes that had clearly been used for months! They were dirty, scuffed, and generally had been very well loved (and abused) to say the least. The crazy thing...the Wal-Mart lady did not blink an eye, but immediately refunded the customer's money.

    I mentioned it to friend who used to work at Wal-Mart. She was not surprised. She said they are instructed to take basically anything a customer returns. The customer is always right.

    I personally think there should be some reasonable limits!

    ReplyDelete
  17. I very, very rarely return anything. Once I returned a gallon of milk that was bad when I opened it the day after I bought it. Once I returned a shirt that ripped out along the arm seam (the company had a 100% return policy any time for defects and it was clearly a defect). That's pretty much been it.

    So you can imagine my angst when I bought a pair of shoes for Kyle (5 yo) at Target a few months ago and the shoelaces on the first shoe broke after 1 day. They broke on the 2nd shoe on day two. On day 3 the fronts of the shoes were peeling off. I kid you not, they looked like they had been worn for months, yet it had been only 3 days of relatively light wear because we don't wear shoes in the house. My husband insisted I take them back, we clearly had to replace them and there just wasn't room in the budget for another pair.

    So yeah, I took them back. The lady looked at me like I was nuts. "You can't return shoes in this condition" she said. "That's my entire POINT!" I said "We have had them a total of 3 days and they look like THIS!" She took them back. The new, non-Target shoes that we bought him have been through soccer games, numerous playground sessions, bike riding, farm playing, etc. and STILL don't look as bad as those did.

    So, um, apparently I have no limits. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  18. My limit is returning something without a valid reason. If something is wrong with the product v- return it! Doesn't matter if it's half consumed, worn, or still brand new. I don't spend $20 on a cake to find out there's a fingernail in it and then not return it. I'd want my $20 back!

    Most often my returns are guilt based though. I change my mind and just bring it back - completely unused and in it's new condition.

    ReplyDelete
  19. I would have to say return it and just ask for store credit instead of going for a refund that way they know you want to shop at their store still, just that you don't want that product.
    We won't use agave necter either. We also do not eat any corn products at all. ( i know i know so very strange) and trust me I miss the summer grilled corn on the cob like crazy right now :) but if you do not want to use it then you shouldn't be out the money. :)

    I am stopping by from Monday Mingle. and I am now following ya. I hope that you have a beautiful week!

    ReplyDelete
  20. haha! Hopefully there was a REAL good reason for returning that cake, lol.

    I was sad to hear about the agave nectar {especially when we went off processed sugar this year} but honey is better anyways.

    So did you return it? :D

    ReplyDelete
  21. Oh my goodness! I don't think I could have returned a half eaten cake! That's hilarious though.

    I'm actually not great about returning anything. Rarely, if ever.

    Thanks so much for joining in on Mingle Monday this week. I hope your week is fantastic!

    ReplyDelete
  22. I can't even imagine returning half eaten cake! Wow. I recently had to return rotten chicken (that had not reached it's sell by date yet) and moldy string cheese that was expired SIX MONTHS AGO to Kroger. I hate returning things too but it was about $12 worth of food so I am glad I did! They even had me bring in the rotten chicken to prove it to them. Gross!

    ReplyDelete
  23. I very, very rarely return anything. Once I returned a gallon of milk that was bad when I opened it the day after I bought it. Once I returned a shirt that ripped out along the arm seam (the company had a 100% return policy any time for defects and it was clearly a defect). That's pretty much been it.

    So you can imagine my angst when I bought a pair of shoes for Kyle (5 yo) at Target a few months ago and the shoelaces on the first shoe broke after 1 day. They broke on the 2nd shoe on day two. On day 3 the fronts of the shoes were peeling off. I kid you not, they looked like they had been worn for months, yet it had been only 3 days of relatively light wear because we don't wear shoes in the house. My husband insisted I take them back, we clearly had to replace them and there just wasn't room in the budget for another pair.

    So yeah, I took them back. The lady looked at me like I was nuts. "You can't return shoes in this condition" she said. "That's my entire POINT!" I said "We have had them a total of 3 days and they look like THIS!" She took them back. The new, non-Target shoes that we bought him have been through soccer games, numerous playground sessions, bike riding, farm playing, etc. and STILL don't look as bad as those did.

    So, um, apparently I have no limits. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  24. My mom is diabetic, so we thought it would be a great alternative.

    Here's a great article about what agave really is: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-jonny-bowden/debunking-the-blue-agave_b_450144.html

    ReplyDelete
  25. About 4 years ago, we ordered a birthday cake from Walmart, when we got it home and showed our daughter she loved it but when we looked closer at it, the colors were wrong from what they told us they would be and what they show pictured. Also the cake tasted gross. We went back to Walmart with pictures of the cake and how lopsided it was and the discoloring, no cake in hand (sorry couldn't tell my 5 year old that she couldn't have her birthday cake) We didn't go intending to return the cake that we didn't even have, we just wanted to let them know how crappy they did. They gave us back all of our money. I was shocked.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks so much for dropping by - I'd love to hear from you! If you'd like a reply, be sure there is an email address linked to your email! :)

Emealz - Easy Meals for Busy People!
 

Blog Design by: Relevant Designs