So is it out of season and is that why the other stores did not have it?

I don't return bad produce but there were times that I should have.

I have taken fruit back to Walmart a couple of times - they cheerfully refunded my money.

No, I never have. For the stuff I typically buy, I always figure it's my fault for not knowing what to look for, or not checking carefully.

That being said, sometimes it's impossible to know if something is good until you cut into it, so I can definitely see your side, jasdip. I guess if it were something expensive, I would return it but otherwise I wouldn't bother for a couple of dollars.

I do get annoyed when I buy expired items. It's partly my fault for not checking each and every date, but I also think the store has responsibility to remove clearly stated, expired items.

I never have. Like Chi93, I figure it's my own fault. Although I've bought hard, healthy looking avocados that ripened into a black, icky mess, and I know it wasn't the result of something I did.

SheilaJoyce, I never thought of the jicama being out of season. That being said, it's not grown in Canada at all. I have no idea where it comes from! LOL.

All I know is that it's supposed to be white when it's peeled and it has a mild, sweet, taste, similar to a pear, or water chestnut and is crunchy.

Returning food products is a no-fault matter. Your fault, the store's fault, it doesn't make a difference. If you're dissatisfied with something for whatever the reason, take it back. Most stores gladly issue a refund rather than risk your unhappiness.

Y'all should have a bit more self confidence.

Nope. It's not like they can control the quality of it. I don't think it's anyone's fault. Not even mine. I would take back other food items, if I was dissatisfied. But stuff grown outside, not in our control. If I picked it off the tree in my own backyard and it wasn't good, I'd throw it out, not try to put it back on the tree. What's done is done, and aint no way to fix it.

I have, but not often. Mostly I'm just disappointed and suffer in silence ;)

I was annoyed enough at bad head lettuce that it went back to the store, but DH took it for me. He's out early, no lines, no crowds. I'm not happy paying $1.50+ for a simple head lettuce, two I'd purchased a while back had brown lines running throughout the layers of leafs.

Jasdip, a good jicama should look and feel much like a perfect restaurant quality baking potato (like Idaho russet). Firm and no blemishes, scars or marks. Best purchasing time is Fall through Spring, this is a little late in the season and the last one I bought a few weeks ago was kind of woody, not great.
Friend of ours who is here a lot has become interested in them for dips instead of chips, julienned for salads. I need my sharpest knife to work with them, not quite as intrigued as he is.

Self-confidence? More like value of my time. If I cut into a bad cucumber, I am not going to dig out my receipt, drive to the store , park, go inside, wait for customer service to give me my dollar back and then drive home. I will say "gross" and make a mental note to check them more carefully next time, and if it's a recurring problem I will stop buying produce at that store. I know that the store would be happy to refund it but my time is valuable to me and a cucumber is not worth the 20 minutes of my life that I will never get back.

That being said, I have taken back expensive products that I didn't like but wanted to try from places like Trader Joe's where it's encouraged to do exactly that. But I think produce or anything I pick myself is my responsibility.

Morz, you explained it to me quite well. I'll wait a few months before looking for them again.

Like your friend, I like it julienned, along with pineapple and sweet red or orange pepper in a slaw. Delicious. Right now the pineapples are a good price, hopefully they will still be reasonable when the jicama is at its prime.

Self-confidence? More like value of my time.

Absolutely. And the price of gas, etc., as I live a minimum of 10 miles from any supermarket. It would be simply stupid for me to put my avocado in the car and set out for town. I'm laughing at the image.

The only products I've ever returned were those involved in a recall so the store didn't care if the item was spoiled once it was returned so I could return it at my convenience. Otherwise, it's too expensive to drive back to the market to return something that costs under $5. The gasoline I would use would cost more than that. On the other hand, if the timing was such that I would be passing by the market when I had a bad item, I would certainly return it.

I would call the manger, get his/her name and say that the next time you are in you would like a refund. I wouldn't rush back for a few dollars.

But is is disheartening, even if you think you are diligent. Same thing happened to me with an avocado.

chi83 said "I always figure it's my fault for not knowing what to look for, or not checking carefully"

alisande said "I figure it's my own fault."

morz8 said "Mostly I'm just disappointed and suffer in silence"

rob said "aint no way to fix it."

Which is why I suggested there's no reason to "suffer". If your comments don't reflect your feelings, then I'm not sure what to say when. I was only making a suggestion that any unsatisfactory situation is easily fixed. If you want to fix it.

If you're not returning to the store, or you're happy to toss it, or to let the matter pass, these comments wouldn't have been made. Because there's no guilt or bad feelings about something that doesn't matter. Is there?

I've taken produce back a few times.....always for problems that were hidden from me and the grocer. Problems with production and/or storage can cause all manner of problems.

If I cut into several onions in a bag and they are rotten inside, or ugly the russeted head of lettuce, or blackheart of potatoes is revealed after I make a slice......back it goes. I will take the time to speak to the manager, too, because those are all problems attributed to the grower, the packager, or the shipper. The grocer needs to know.

No, your suggestion was that people who take personal responsibility for choosing their own produce should have more self confidence. I feel it's my obligation to educate myself. I don't expect stores to have perfect avocados because some people need guacamole that day and some need it in 3 days so it's my duty to pick the right one for me and if I mess up, it's on me. Same with sales - we have all seen the early half ripe strawberries on sale. I know they are on sale for a reason so I am not going to return them because they taste like water because I knew that before I bought it. There are some exceptions for things that you can't always tell by sight or feel.

I also don't think it's wrong to return things you aren't happy with. Everyone gets a finite amount of time here and can choose how to spend it. I just think equating it to self confidence is absurd.

Often I don't because it's not worth the bother. that being said, I recently returned a watermelon because it was rotten inside. I had never seen that before. I had to get another one because I was serving a fruit platter to my Mexican train ladies the next night so I really needed to go back to the store. I had my receipt showing I had just bought it and yes, I should have noticed the one end was rather soft. I thought if I could cut it in half and salvage the other end, I would forget about it but it was rotten all the way through. The store was very nice about it. No questions asked, just get another one. I did bring the rotten melon back and they disposed of it for me.

I've never returned produce but have certainly purchased enough items that I wasn't pleased with. It's just too much time and gas.

I think there are certain items that are prone to being past their prime because they are not commonly purchased, and jicama might be one of these. Ditto for parsnips which are often not good. Like carrots, they can look ok even tho' they are past their prime. Rutabegas and turnips are often bad too.

"your suggestion was that people who take personal responsibility for choosing their own produce should have more self confidence. "

No, that's not what I said. I said that there's no need to put blame on yourself when something so trivial (and variable) happens, you should have the confidence to step forward and get it resolved.

Here's the difference - if I bought sale strawberries and found them tasteless, I'd return them on my next visit to the store. You, on the other hand, would figure that you didn't deserve to expect they would be adequate and you would accept the problem as being your fault.

Absolutely! If *anything* isn't up to par when I get it home, I call the store to report a problem. (In some cases eating the stuff could be harmful to another customer.) I tell Customer Service I will return the item the next time I'm in the store. This rarely happens, but I've never had any store resistance.

(I read the 'neverminds' the same way as Snidely.)

I am done arguing this. If you want to use your Psych 101 diagnosis on my personal confidence over produce selection, I can't really stop you, but I can disengage as I find your assumptions to be offensive.

Chisue, you made a very valid point. As others mentioned, I'm not going to drive 15 minutes or more to return $3 of jicama. However, I did call the store to tell them. I explained what it should look and taste like, and that mine were brown and musty smelling.

He is going to cut one in half, and told me to bring my receipt in anytime. I should be out that way again on Monday, so that's what I'm going to do.

How many times have we bought a bag of potatoes that were black when we peeled and cut into them? That's from a lack of storing properly. Again, I just use what I can, and don't bother getting my money back. The last time this happened, I swore I was going to tell them, but all of the potatoes in the stores now are all "new" potatoes so it's a non-issue.

I usually toss bad produce, but save my receipt. I always get a refund. I don't do it for things like tasteless strawberries, but when I buy a spaghetti squash that is 6 pounds at .99/lb and it's rotten inside, I return it. Or rather, bring my receipt in and get my money back. I don't go out of my way, but I do it when I am in the area. (I must have a lot of self-confidence or I'm just really cheap!)

There's another point here. A store needs the negative feedback if they are to stop buying from a supplier who sends them inferior produce -- or anything.

I've told my local grocer that I will no longer buy ground beef or pork products there. I've had too many batches of tasteless beef. I won't buy Hormel's mushy, 'doctored' pork, and that's all they sell. Now I go -- literally -- *next door* for these things, where the meat is consistently good. I buy my steaks and lamb chops at Costco.

Returned a bad watermelon once. If you're skeptical, all stores here will cut in in half prior to your purchase. Correct, save your receipt and complain next trip.

I wasn't sure how to go about proving that the produce was bad.
By the time I saved it to return it, it could have gotten bad, in my home.

I'm surprised, but pleased that showing the receipt might be all that's needed. Of course the man that I spoke to, was going to cut into one himself.

Recently I was greatly disappointed in a tub of potato salad purchased from Costco. It was my offering to a pot-luck, and NO one would eat it, including me. So I dumped it and thought I owed it to Costco to return the tub and let them know everyone thought it was terrible. I really was not looking for money back, but got it. Next camp out with a different group, same thing and she had bought 3 tubs of it for 3 different organizations, and folks just passed it by.... took one back and Costco gave her money back too. Three tubs worth... she had the receipt.Anyway...retailers need to know if you are not satisfied.

I bought a pkg. of lettuce yesterday and made a salad tonight, took a bite and ugh...tastes like skunk so it will be returned tomorrow.

Yes, unfortunately it's usually from Walmart, so I try to stop by Safeway for produce....

I was going to suggest calling now, then taking the goods back later, not about to spend half the value in gas to make the special trip, apart from the time. ... and see that was what you did.

I thought at Snidely's suggestion was that some folks who don't think well of themselves may lack the push, or self-confidence, to stare down a store person and tell them of their inadequate produce. That if such applied to some of the people here, that it'd be a good idea to get a bit more backbone, to stand up for one's self when getting a bad deal, rather than just taking it and saying nothing (but feeling grumpy inside) ... in that case, maybe grumpy should be shared?

If it doesn't apply to you ... do as Dad used to suggest: let it roll off, like water from a duck's back ... a sign of feeling comfortable in one's own skin, perhaps?

ole joyful

No because I live so far from stores. I'm very leery of buying produce at grocery stores because of getting things I wouldn't/couldn't eat. Farmer's market or roadside stands have the freshest quality.