Grocery stores deal with expired and spoiled produce every day, and Walmart, one of the biggest companies in the United States is no exception. So, what is Walmart’s policy when it comes to expired food and returns?
Most perishable items of food are covered under Walmart’s Fresh Guarantee policy. This means that if you have proof of purchase, you can get a full refund within 90 days of buying the products without returning the physical items to the store. Other unsold expired items found in the store may be discounted, donated, or disposed of.
Keep reading to learn more about how Walmart deals with spoiled foods, what you can return, and how they manage expiry dates.
Walmart’s Fresh Guarantee Policy
Most returns of perishable items to Walmart are covered under the store’s Fresh Guarantee policy.
This gives customers up to 90 days to return perishable produce by presenting a receipt or proof of purchase in-store or online for a full refund.
Although food that has spoiled or gone past its sell-by-date would technically not fall under the Fresh Guarantee policy, Walmart does not require you to bring back any fresh or perishable items when you make the return.
This means that customers requiring a refund have a little bit of flexibility on what they can return, provided it is for a legitimate reason, such as buying an item without realizing it would reach its sell-by-date very quickly compared to other items on the shelf.
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What is Covered Under the Fresh Guarantee Policy?
Foods and other items that are covered under the Fresh Guarantee Policy include the following:
- Produce (such as fruits and vegetables)
- Fresh cut flowers
- Deli items
- Dairy products
- Fresh meat and seafood
- Frozen foods
Anything not included within this list would be subject to the standard 90-day return policy. In terms of food items, these would be things such as:
- Canned items, such as soup, fruit and vegetables, beans, fish or meat
- Dry goods (pasta, beans, oats, etc.)
- Nut butter
- Dried fruits
- Grains
If you are unsure as to whether an item is considered perishable or longer life, check with your local store to find out which policy the items would fall under.
How to Return Food to Walmart
To return perishable items to Walmart, simply bring along the receipt for the item to your local store within 90 days of your initial purchase.
You do not need to bring the item you are returning with you, and if you do, Walmart will not accept it back or will throw it away.
Once you have explained the situation to the cashier, they should be able to issue a full refund for you with no questions asked.
For orders that have been placed online, you still need to go into the store to complete the return, with proof of purchase such as the packing slip.
Do not attempt to mail back the perishable food items and instead throw these away at home.
What if the 90-Day Window has Expired?
If the 90-day returns window has expired, you are not automatically entitled to a full refund on your items.
Instead, this will be down to store management to assess whether they wish to honor a full or partial refund for the product(s).
Is There a Limit on How Much Food can be Returned?
There isn’t any official limit on how much food can be returned to Walmart, so long as it is within their 90-day standard or Fresh Guarantee return policies.
However, excessive amounts of returns are likely to be flagged up within the system and may lead to further scrutiny to check whether the system is being taken advantage of.
At the end of the day, the store management and supervisors still hold the final call on whether a refund will be accepted.
Those suspected of abusing the system may be limited or banned from making any future returns.
For those simply looking to make a genuine return, there should be no issue in claiming a refund for their food or other purchases.
Does Walmart Allow Returns on Spoiled Food?
If an item of food is spoiled due to someone simply forgetting about it for weeks, it is unlikely that a refund will be issued. However, as Walmart requests that perishable items are not brought back into the store, the sell-by or use-by dates of purchased products can be hard to verify.
It is likely that food bought in error, such as purchasing an item that had an unexpectedly short date compared to others on the shelf will be honored.
For example, a customer who buys a milk jug that goes out of date the next day compared to identical products on the same shelf with longer dates may be justified in getting a refund.
However, as with anything being returned, the final say will be with the Walmart store management team.
Can you Return Opened Food to Walmart?
Opened or partially consumed food can’t be returned to Walmart unless a customer is dissatisfied with the product.
If you are not happy with an item that has been opened, don’t bring it to the store, but instead, make sure you have the receipt or proof of purchase.
This can then be used to facilitate a refund without you needing to take it in to show as proof.
What Happens to Expired Food at Walmart?
Depending upon the Walmart store and the type of item that has reached its expiration date, a number of things may happen.
Donating to good causes
Some stores may donate expired items to local charities, homeless shelters, and food banks, depending upon if the item is still safe for consumption.
In this way, millions of pounds of food are given to people that need it through various charitable organizations that Walmart works with.
Discounted produce
Others sell food that is close to, or just past its sell-by-date at a discount in-store, perfect for those who are looking for a cheap deal or intend to eat the items soon after purchase.
These may be found on the same shelf as the other products, or in a special reduced section in the store.
Composting for the environment
Walmart has been working on cutting down on the food waste produced by its stores, and one of the ways in which it has been doing this is by composting expired food that hasn’t been sold.
The company has been doing this since 2008, and in 2015, it introduced in-house composting facilities in 50 of its stores, with this number gradually rising over the years.
Composting food waste helps the environment and cuts down on methane emissions. The end product is then used to help grow new crops and produce, reducing the need for chemical fertilizers.
What about items left over?
For other items, they are simply thrown away. Although this could be seen as a health and safety measure, the approach has brought scrutiny from those who see large amounts of potentially edible food going to landfills as an ecologically damaging decision.
How do Grocery Stores Know When Food is Expired?
One of the primary ways grocery stores monitor their stock and its expiry dates is by stock rotation. This practice involves making sure that new stock is placed at the back of the shelves or displays so that older items that are likely to have a shorter expiry date are located at the front and more likely to be purchased by customers.
Items that may not sell as frequently as others can often be monitored much easier by using a stock management spreadsheet or program.
This allows stores to be able to see when the item was last stocked, and what the sell-by-dates on these products are.
What if I see an Expired Item?
However, keeping track of all of the items in a large store stocking a multitude of different products all with different storage instructions and expiry dates is an impossible task.
As a result, you may see some items that have expired on the shelves, usually hidden at the back or forgotten about.
If you spot an item that is expired, the general protocol is to let an employee know about it. Usually, they will remove the item from the shelf, or in some cases on shorter date items, they may be able to give you a discount based upon manager discretion. It’s then up to you as to whether you take it home!