Shoppers Seeking 'Best-Before Date' Bargains

Doesn't this remind you of the 1980s when senior citizens were eating dog food because they couldn't afford human food? I'm all for waste reduction, but this strikes me less like bargain hunting and more a sad commentary on our times.

Dr. Stephen Needel, Managing Partner, Advanced Simulations

To me, the various ways that products are dated here in the U.S. is so confusing ("best buy," "purchase by," etc.) that making sense of it all would be compelling in and of itself. In a health food store a few weeks ago, I called out to the manager that an entire wall of products had expired. The cashier's face lit up and later, she told me that she hated to admit it but she was glad...all of it was going home with her.

I definitely see a market; just a matter of getting the word out to the right people.

Carol Spieckerman, President, newmarketbuilders

The sale of short coded merchandise also occurs here in the U.S. Retailers/diverters have access to "hot sheets" listing short coded merchandise.

There are even a few retailers whose business is built around selling short coded items. The good news is assuming it sells, and is consumed before its "use by" date, then the retailer has low cost goods to sell and the consumer is able to afford items that they might not have be able to do so otherwise.

Interestingly, I was in a meeting the other day where a distributor stated that it is common for wholesalers to sell shorter coded items to high volume retailers because they are the ones that will move it faster.

Steve Montgomery, President, b2b Solutions, LLC

I've got to agree with Stephen--this all seems rather pitiful to me.

Nobody wants to waste food, but even in donating it to food banks and homeless shelters I would think there are liability issues if something goes bad or someone gets sick from expired product. The legal ramifications of selling "old" product would seem to be huge--what happens the first time a product really IS bad when it's beyond code?

And, whatever happened to "just-in-time delivery" "efficient supply chain," "consumer demand management," etc.? Weren't these tools supposed to eliminate or at least drastically reduce OOS and all this waste as well?

Al McClain, CEO, Founder, RetailWire.com

Selling "out-of-date" merchandise is, quite simply, BAD BUSINESS. The individual companies that make this a practice set themselves up for the crackdown that they will inevitably face. Hopefully, the manufacturers take the action of insisting that these goods be pulled from the market, prior to some government agency stepping in.

Roger Saunders, Managing Director, PROSPER BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT / BIGinsight

Most nonrefrigerated and frozen food products and even some refrigerated food products can be safely consumed long beyond their "expiration date." The cereal and crackers may get a little stale, and foods made with oils a little rancid tasting, but that's about it. I even find that unopened packages of yogurt and sour cream are perfectly fine weeks after their use-by date. The USDA says that refrigerated eggs are good for perhaps a month after their labeled date. Finding a package of expired cheddar cheese (or any hard or process cheese for that matter) at half price is a true gift so long as the package integrity has been maintained and mold is not visible. Any white specs on the surface are merely some of the natural components crystallizing out. Also, refrigerating unopened packages of foods (such as salad dressings) that are labeled "refrigerate after opening" will greatly extend their quality.

The FDA requires that all drugs (including over the counter drugs) be labeled with an expiration date. But the potency of that multivitamin does not magically evaporate at that stated date, and your dandruff shampoo (legally a "drug") is probably no less effective.

We throw far too much perfectly good food and other items away by strictly adhering to those dates.

Jerome Schindler, Counsel, Imported Foods

Of course this will go over well with Americans. Short-coded or 'past-prime' food items are the cornerstone of the successful retail chains like "Grocery Outlet" and all of the "99 cent" stores.

'tkluger'

While I agree this is (or at least might be) a sad commentary, I think it is a comment on individual dispositions rather than our times. Whatever. I agree with Al; this is a scheme that has "liability problem" written all over it. However much the operators may tell us of their safeguards, specializing in product that is--by definition--already old when acquired seems to be asking for trouble.

'notcom'