Well Heeled Blog > food going bad

Trader Joe’s Milk Spoils Again

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Less than two weeks after the first incident, the Case of the Spoiled Milk is reopened.

Here’s how it went down:

Wouldn’t some milk go nicely with my toast?
Pulls out bottle. Take a sniff. Something’s…off.
Takes a tiny sip. Definitely off!
Runs to find mouthwash.

This time, the milk went bad 4 days before the expiration day.

I guess today or tomorrow I’m going to head back there and get an exchange. As frustrating as this is, I do appreciate TJ’s great customer service. Maybe when the summer’s over this problem will be resolved.

Because Nobody Likes Moldy Bread

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I buy most of my bread at Trader Joe’s. The bread is preservative-free, which is great, until I discover fuzzy green spots growing on the slices three days after I bring the loaf home.

Then I discovered from Mom a wonderful trick that will ward off moldiness and keep the bread good way past expiration date: freezing bread.

All I do is toss the bread up in the freezer. That’s it. No need for special packaging, bags, or enclosures. I don’t freeze my bread for long (a week or two, max), so I’m not worried about freezer burn.

Freezing bread is so easy and convenient, and also saves me money now that I can finish every loaf I buy.

Trader Joe’s and the Mystery of the Spoiled Milk

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A week ago, I purchased a 1/2 gallon of milk from Trader Joe’s for $1.49. The expiration date was for August 26. On Sunday, I used it to make French toast – and everything came out fine. When I poured the milk into the glass, however, I knew it had gone bad. Instead of a fragrant milkiness, there’s a weird aftertaste.

I thought about just dumping out the milk and chalking it up to a fluke, but I had only finished half the bottle. So even though I felt a little strange about it (it’s only $1.50, after all, and I didn’t have my receipt anymore), I decided to head back to Trader Joe’s and ask for a refund.

Just to be safe, I lugged the bottle of milk with me. At Trader Joe’s, I went to the customer service desk and explained the situation to the crew member. The nice gentlemen behind the desk immediately wrote me a refund for $1.49. “You can smell the milk,” I said eagerly. But he made a face and shook his head. Hah! That was probably the smart decision. (I smelled the milk and it was definitely funky!) 

I left the store with a new 1/2 gallon of milk and a further appreciation of Trader Joe’s customer service. I still have no idea what happened – maybe I just got a bad batch, or the date was mislabeled, etc. Anyone with a theory, please feel free to chime in! 

But at least now I have a new bottle of milk. So lessons learned: if the food is bad or spoiled, Trader Joe’s will issue a replacement / refund promptly. It never hurts to ask!