I'm so incredibly upset with this location! I recently purchased some spare ribs from here, I was excited because it was a "managers special" so the price wasn't OUTRAGEOUS and I knew it was going to be less than 24 hour before I cooked it and the sell by date was still a day away.
I got up the next morning to throw the ribs in the crock pot and to my surprise there were green moldy spots on the meat and the smell was worse than anything you could imagine. So I packed it up in two (YES TWO) ziplock bags and double bagged it in grocery bags and threw it in my trunk, dragged my 10 month old daughter back out to the store (while I'm 6 months pregnant none the less) and took the spoiled meat to the customer service desk. What happened next sealed my fate with never stepping foot back in this store again.
The girl behind the counter was very sweet, I told her what happened and she asked if I just wanted to exchange the meat. I said yes, I would go back and try and find something comparable in price. Once I got back there I found another "Managers special" that was on the shelf with the green mold spots and a sell by date on the following day. I immediately handed it over to the meat guy who was stocking the fridge. He seemed extremely annoyed that I was giving him back the meat, but the last thing I wanted was someone buying it without really looking and the same thing happening to them. I found a package that was a little more than $1 more in price, but less meat since the initial price of my package was well more than this new cost (it was the only thing on the shelf that was anywhere near what I paid). Before anyone gets out of hand I will mention YES I am WELL aware I purchased a "Managers special" and I KNEW it was on the end of its life, but I DIDN'T think it wouldn't last me under 24 hours.
When I brought the package up to customer service the girl told me I would need to pay the difference in the price of the meat. It's really not about the money it was a $1, but it was the principle of the fact that I had to take time out of my day to drive the 15-20 minutes back to the store, haul my daughter back into the store because they can't even guarantee their meat for 24 hours. AGAIN, yes I am aware it was a "managers special"! Then an older woman comes from behind the girl when I simply asked why I needed to pay the price difference, and began to speak to me like I was a child with a tone my own mother hasn't used with me since I was 2. Explaining that it's not policy to allow even exchanges for spoiled meat and basically treating me like dirt because I had purchased a "Manager's Special". I then calmly explained that it wasn't about the money, it was the principle behind the fact that the meat that was currently stinking up their little enclosure was meat they almost allowed my family to eat. There was no way that meat wasn't already bad prior to me purchasing it. She again talked to me like I wasn't a 28 year old adult, but a 2 year old who knew nothing. I then thanked her for treating me like this, especially when I stood behind them during their strikes because they didn't want to work for anyone but Artie T and put a financial strain on my family because we had to shop elsewhere and pay double the price for the same items at other stores for months. But the fact that Hannafords not only gives you your money back but DOUBLES it when there is an issue with their meats solidifies the choice of paying more for my food, since I know if I brought it back they wouldn't treat me like I'm a child, regardless of the fact that it was a "MANAGER'S SPECIAL".
So Thank you Middleton Market Basket, I will never step foot in your establishment again, I will take my money elsewhere and lesson learned, I will never purchase a "Manager's Special" again. The only thing special about it is the sickness you will get from eating the spoiled food, they clearly don't care to check before placing it out for their "Valued Customers". Be on the lookout fellow shoppers! read more