I avoid Whole Foods; I try and shop at the local organic stores. I haven't had a problem with them, produce has even lasted me a week or so which is about all I can hope for -- if I can't eat the food by then, shame on me.

Maple Avenue Market in Vienna went off my list when they kept taking random breaks -- I'd go through a huge hassle to park there (it's next to the Vienna Inn which takes all the parking) only to find a "Be Back in 10" sign on the door. After the second time that happened -- OK, guess you don't want my business. (The break they'd take between 3-4pm was annoying enough, but at least that was pre-announced.)

For Goodness Sake in Leesburg has been great; there's another one which has a similarly wide selection but doesn't have milk.

the only grocery store where I never had a bad item is Harris Teeter. Whole Foods has always been the worst as far as produce. DD and I like berries [blue, rasp, straw, etc ] and they are expensive. Nothing more annoying than getting home and finding mold in the middle.

WF's parking lots are such a hassle. If the WF's is in an area where lots of business people come in at lunch time then it might have more of a freshness problem.

The WF's on 123 in Vienna is one where I never had anything returnable.

Check the date. Is it original from the manufacturer/supplier, or has it be "relabeled" by the store.

If poultry/meat have been properly handled (refrigeration at the store and your home) this meat should be good a few days past the date--chicken as well.

If this is happening they have bad refrigeration (which the dept. of health should catch) or they are redating the food.

In short, if food is past it's date, it should go in the trash. If you redate it, you can still sell it and not take the loss.

A store with a good manager orders the right amount of perishables and moves them through the store in a timely manner and the store makes a profit.

A store with a weak manager ends up with a lot of expired items that didn't sell. Sometimes those items get relabeled with a few more days.

There is no reason a chicken should be bad the way you describe.

Anonymous wrote:Twice I've brought home strawberries from the Old Town WF and the next day they were covered in mold. Now, we buy and eat the berries the same day we buy them. Agree about the fish comment too. Even the frozen fish smelled "off" when we defrosted it. We do almost all of our shopping at WF because it has what we need, but I've learned to be really careful about my purchases and check each item for spoilage. PITA.

Wow! I think you should make an effort NOT to buy there! That's a really bad quality issue!!! If this is happening regularly you need to let someone in the upper management of WF know! Or otherwise - that place needs to be shut down by an outsider: resale (!) of moldy bread, rotten meat and fish, expired yoghurts,... come on! Especially the meat and fish represents a serious food safety issue - why should they get away with that?

Can't you go to Trader Joe's or sth?

Anonymous wrote:We all sound like a bunch of spoiled brats. WF has an abundance of beautiful foods at our fingertips. Be thankful.

You got to be kidding, right???!!! Be thankful for expensive, rotten food that will make you and your family sick? Are you out of your mind?
No, this got to be a joke.

This must be a store issue!!! I would not just go back to get a refund (PITA I know), but write an email to Whole Foods management about that store - clearly the store manager does not have this under control, if it happened several times already.

People have talked about putting perishables in the fridge immediately and going straight home after purchase: I agree! However, unless you're driving for hours in 100 degree weather, the perishables should be fine for the trip home.
We used to live in Manhattan and perishables (esp milk) have a special Manhattan-only expiration date printed on them that's way before the actual exp date. We found out that they are driving things around unrefridgerated all day when they deliver on the island (or they cannot guarantee refridgeration on delivery day)! Many times I had stuff expire even before the "Manhattan-only' exp date - it sucked!!!

Anonymous wrote:We all sound like a bunch of spoiled brats. WF has an abundance of beautiful foods at our fingertips. Be thankful.

Other stores have an abundance of food that is not bad when you bring it home. I think that properly handled meat and fish is a reasonable expectation in this day.

I have purchased yoghurt at SS WF several times only to get home and find it is past the sell-by date. I try to check the date when I am in the aisle and I bring the past-date ones up to customer service to alert them (and hopefully not sell them).

This has happened to me at WF in another part of the country. Once I remember I brought back moldy bread I'd just bought, and while I was doing the rest of my shopping I saw the employee who'd taken the bread from me put it right back on the shelf!

WTF?
For all you know the spoiled food you're buying has been traveling from and back to the store again in recent days...

Twice I've brought home strawberries from the Old Town WF and the next day they were covered in mold. Now, we buy and eat the berries the same day we buy them. Agree about the fish comment too. Even the frozen fish smelled "off" when we defrosted it. We do almost all of our shopping at WF because it has what we need, but I've learned to be really careful about my purchases and check each item for spoilage. PITA.

This is a little off track, but never buy the pre-cut butternut squash at TJs. I swear it has been slimy and gross three times when I bought it. My lazy a$$ will be buying a whole squash from now on.

Anonymous wrote:I never have this problem at River Rd WF!

It happened to me a few times at that Whole Foods on River rd. I unwrapped the chicken the same day I bought it and it really smelled.

Wow, I've never had a problem at any whole foods in any city.

We all sound like a bunch of spoiled brats. WF has an abundance of beautiful foods at our fingertips. Be thankful.

Anonymous wrote:I hate Whole Foods.

Then simply do not shop there. You do have other options.