I buy the number that I need/want and if I don't want the whole bunch as it's banded together I break it up. They are sold by the Kilogram (in my case) and not by the bunch. If they are sold by the bunch I won't break them up as sometimes carrots with the leaves are sold by the bunch. And I sometimes wish that Romaine lettuce was sold by the leaf and not by the bunch. :) And I like it that celery is sold by the stalk rather than by the bunch.

But I also won't take a spear of asparagus from various bunches to make up a good bunch.

I might be tempted to tear a bruised banana off of a bunch, but otherwise, I buy the entire grouping.

I do buy a head of garlic, even if I only need a clove. Some places sell it by the head others by the pound. But celery is sold by the pound,here. I break off two ribs, it's ALL I need to make crab salad for instance and it costs more per pound if I don't buy the whole stalk...that's ok.

Today I found broccoli bunched together, but I found a single stalk that had already been separated by someone else, and so I bought that one. I will only buy one stalk, if that is all I want.

I always want an entire bunch of celery, as I use a lot of it. I will separate bananas and buy just the ones I want, and that seems to be common practice. I do not separate asparagus, once it has been bunched, as I usually want an entire bunch anyway. I never thought to remove a bad asparagus spear - I just buy the bunch that looks the best. Generally, I do not cook the entire bunch at the same time. There are a lot of different ways that I like to prepare and serve asparagus, such as soups, omelets, crêpes, quiche, wraps, quesadillas, etc.

I do not separate bunches of onions - not sure what I would do with leeks. Green onions seems somewhat like herbs, which are generally sold by the bunch, even in the farmers' markets. I do think it is obligatory to buy green onions by the bunch - I don't remember seeing leeks bundled together, however. I would have no interest in buying lettuce by the leaf, since I use a lot of that also - and I would never buy only half a cabbage. Sometimes I buy two cabbages, if I am making a large batch of sauerkraut or kimchi.

I do not buy potatoes or onions by the bag, but I do buy small cartons of cherry tomatoes. Normally, I only buy tomatoes that I select myself.

Maybe I'd split a bunch of bananas to get a smaller quantity, but other than that, I'll buy the unit. I can always make use of the whole unit's worth of whatever.

I seldom buy grapes because they're way too many in a bag for me. I was always temped to take out the amount I wanted but didn't feel quite right doing that. Then one night I saw an employee doing exactly what I wanted to do and she said sure, you can do that. Of course I would never pick individual grapes off the stems.

Bananas, I've never felt bad breaking off a couple, or how ever many I wanted. Most of the time there's a few individuals so I don't have to. I would feel bad selectively breaking one or two off each of several different hands though, so would not do that.

I see people shucking corn. I suppose that's okay if sold by the ear and not weight. Personally, I want the shucks for my compost bin so would never shuck it in the store. Unless it looked iffy and I wanted to pull it back a little to make sure it was fresh. Pulling the shucks back, rejecting it and putting it back for someone else is not cool though.

There are items like the grapes and cherries you mentioned that are bagged in pretty large quantities. I just feel funny "editing" the bags myself. Not sure why they can't just put a little less in those bags. Leeks are always sold separately at my market so no problem there. Just recently I noticed they started selling individual celery stalks so I grabbed some. However, when I got to the cashier she asked if I was sure that's what I wanted. She told me the stalks were 69 cents each. No thanks...!'ll stick with buying the bunch! I always buy the entire bunch of asparagus since most are about a pound each. DH and I can easily finish off the entire bunch, especially after I trim the ends off.

Richard mentioned the corn shucking. They used to put trash cans by the corn at my market for that purpose. However, they stopped doing it since people made such a mess. I agree regarding people who put corn back after pulling back the husk.

Like Lars, I never buy potatoes or onions by the bag. I have to check them over.

Never ever felt guilty about pulling off a few bananas.

If by the pound, I buy what I need. Otherwise as packaged. Two different things here. At the farmers market, they almost always sell per pound.

If priced by the pound, I see no problem with breaking up a bunch or getting a smaller quantity of grapes or cherries than is already sorted into bags (I have always done that.) Often though, when I've seen several leeks banded together (for example) the price is for the bunch, not by the pound, and that I don't separate. I have no problem with using leeks - roasted with other veggies, or used to make soup.

I don't think that we have any obligation to pay for items in a bunch that are going bad. Either I would find a different bunch, or I would be completely comfortable removing the bad spear or whatever and substituting a good one. But, be aware that if you have removed a good spear from a bunch sold by the bunch, you will be shorting the next person. Perhaps find a produce clerk and ask to have a fresh bunch from the back brought to you.

Things like onions and potatoes I buy individually, as a bag would go waste. I usually buy one potato and one onion at a time. For other stuff I try to get the smallest quantity I can. The smallest cabbage or lettuce because I don't want to waste. I never thought about rebagging grapes and cherries. For grapes I just get the bag with the smallest amount in it. For cherries I will get the biggest one, as long as the are big fat and dark. Fresh cherries never go to waste around here. For something like broccoli, rather than buy a bunch, I tend to buy the bags of florets already cut up, because I won't eat the stem. I have bought a single banana for a recipe. I dont remember the last time i just straight up ate a banana. If something sold by the bunch rather than the pound I figure I might as well buy the bunch as packaged.

I don't think its obligatory to buy any more than you want to. The grocers probably bunch things to sell by the pound because most people feel obligated to buy the whole bunch rather than just the quantity they want.

We're a household of two, and our appetites are smaller as we have aged. I always buy loose fruits and vegetables because bags of potatoes, onions, apples, oranges are difficult for us to use before they go bad. I never compose my own bunch of asparagus but I don't always buy a whole bunch. I don't think I should have to pay for spears that have slimy heads, though. Bananas go without saying. I'm always happy to buy one or two that are loose and already ripe because I don't like the taste of green bananas in my cereal.

We like to buy produce according to what we feel like eating and also what's in season. I'm always able to keep celery (wrapped in foil for long storage) and carrots, loose onions, and garlic. But otherwise I don't have a large amount of fresh produce around in these times. That's why we discontinued our CSA and why we don't subscribe to Misfits. We just don't like being compelled to cook what comes through the door.

Yesterday both of us got our 2nd shot of the Pfizer vaccine. I'm hoping to be able to get out to shop more.

seagrass

I always re-bag grapes. In one of our local stores they re-package them by putting the older soft grapes on the bottom of the bag and a fresh bunch on the top. So you would end up with mushy grapes on the bottom within days.

I always try to peel back at least a little of the corn ear because not all ears of corn fill out completely. After ending up with sometimes an ear with only 1/2 or 3/4 of the kernels being there I do it. This is especially true at the place that sells organic corn often with corn earworms still on them. I noticed last year that they had removed the trash can from beside the corn and I wish they would return it. Removing the husks and snapping off the stem end they will actually fit into a regular produce bag. With the stem still on the bag will have ears sticking out of it. I could of course just toss them into my cart if they would not fit the bag. There are longer stronger corn bags available but not at most of the stores in this area.

Well I learned something new. I do buy some things loose because I am a one human household. It would never occur to me to break open a bunch of asparagus, broccoli or a head of celery. I have broken a large bunch of bananas into two. I am not sure what the difference is though. I think these days people handling produce would be frowned on...

I agree about taking what you need from the grape and cherry bags. I always only buy the amount of bananas I need, never a bunch.

I only buy asparagus that looks good, but maybe I should look closer as I have gotten a bad one here or there.

Now, a confession. One day while shopping at my local grocery store, I wanted one small onion. I didn’t need the bag. I asked the produce guy if they were going to put out loose small onions. He took a net bag, ripped it open and gave me one.

I have since done this once on my own. When I did it another women was watching, gave me a questionable look, smiled and was then happy to buy the amount she needed as well.

Not my fault if the bins are not properly filled.

ETA Richard, I always rip a corner of the corn. If it’s rotten, then no one will want it.

I certainly don’t want to buy all the rotten corn, that doesn’t seem fair.

At my usual grocery, some things are priced by pound, some by unit or bunch. So, I can buy just a “thumb” of ginger, but when I was breaking into a bundle of cilantro, the produce person let me know that it was sold by the bunch, not by weight. So, now I pay attention. I think other stores around vary.

I was dismayed by the BIG sets, bagged or bundled, at the big chain store a couple of years ago. Their produce is good, but who wants that much who doesn't have four teenage boys in the house?

I complained to one of the green apron men. He said that the bags and bundles were for safety, and to feel free to open them and take what I wanted.

I don't "peek" at corn, but always buy from places that get fresh deliveries and always buy solid ears with fresh leaves and long brown silk. Did you know that each piece of silk corresponds to one kernel of corn? I visited my nephew in Ohio a few summers ago and he told me he really liked buying corn that was partially peeled and wrapped on plastic trays - then he didn't have to bother with much of the work. I told him those were the old ears that people peeled back and discarded, so the grocery stores cut the ends off of them to sell again.

seagrass

HU I love your telling him that story even though it is not true it gave me a laugh. Here those partially peeled ears appear way before the corn in the husks even start appearing. If they were partially peeled they were not done in the store. Here they arrive like that in a box from the warehouse as I have seen them open the box.

Oh, well.....I see them much more frequently in the summer in our grocery store displayed right next to the unpeeled corn.

Check the listing on the shelf: sometimes it's a charge per bunch, often less per kg./lb. than the same product in another section priced by the kg./lb.

ole joyful

It never occurred to me to unbunch stuff when it's by weight but I have always pulled out bad asparagus spears. However, recently, they have switched to selling asparagus by the bunch and not the pound but I will still not pay for rotten asparagus and will replace with good ones.

I will break up a bundle except for things like spinach or radishes, celery. When asparagus is expensive I just take what I need from the bundle, same for bags of cherries, grapes.

Of course I 'peek' at the corn! Who wants dried out, dimpled kernals or 'free protein' (worms)? I repackage grapes, taking what I want of firm ones on their stems, leaving loose grapes behind. During pandemic, stores started pre-packing green beens; I repackage, but don't closely inspect every individual bean, as I have seen shoppers do when beans were sold loose in a bin!

I don't buy anything eaten raw that some unknown person has 'pre-cut'.

I've never before heard of 'peeling' CORN. It's *shucked*.

WOW people have a whole lot more time than I for grocery shopping than I imagined! What does one estimate one bad asparagus costs? Celery is prepackaged...never ever would I unwrap one take a rib and repackage. The idea that someone else did that to a stalk I buy unbeknownst to me I find unsanitary. My grocery always has bags of grapes and cherries in varying amounts. Hasn't been a problem finding one that fits me needs. No one mentioned strawberries. How much time does one feel it appropriate to invest opening several cartons of strawberries and refiling through them to get a prefect quart?

I must be severely lacking in imagination. The only bunched produce I mess with is bananas. Otherwise I buy what is offered, how it is offered- back in the days I actually went into a grocery store, produce market or farmers market. Plus even if just cooking for my husband and myself, I cannot imagine needing less than one bunch of anything.

Depends on the pricing. Priced by the bunch, bag, box, whatever, NO! Breaking it up is a big no-no. Priced by the pound, take the amount you want. Celery here is always packaged, and priced 'per each', so opening it, taking a rib or two and repackaging is cheating the next customer. I've noticed lately that berries and other things sold in clamshell packaging, priced per container, are now taped shut. Apparently people were opening and adding more berries from other containers, leaving underfilled containers. And replacing bad berries, asparagus spears, whatever, with good ones form another bunch, when priced by the bunch, is also bordering on dishonesty, you're cheating the customer that buys the bunch you took from.

Rusty

One should not feel guilty about buying what you want if it is priced per pound. Grapes, cherries, bananas...if produce is priced per bunch it should not be broken up. You are cheating yourself as well as the person purchasing behind you.

If I'm making a fruit salad for the week, I just need a dozen or two of grapes, a grapefruit, an apple, etc. Grapes are open bags for a reason. Easy to stock and they are easy to grab and go. Sure a large family will go through them but no law in place we need to purchase an entire big bag. Same with bananas.

You need to pay attention to the pricing. Per item or per pound. Our local favorite grocery has bagged and a-la-cart offered in many items. Sometimes a small 3lb bag of red onions on sale and very fresh will be half the price of singles per pound. They last 6-8 weeks in the pantry so we will go through them no problem. It is one set price per bag so if you open it you are cheating your fellow shopper. If your veg attendant opens a 10lb bag he should move the product to the open empty singlet bin.

Our leeks are sold in a set price in a bunch of two medium or three smaller ones. If you just want one you will be cheated at check-out and the shopper later buying the bunch is cheated. If priced per pound, just take the one you want.

This is AmazonWholeFoods. You cannot put the leeks in your cart until choosing a quantity. Per pound. If you just want one you are charged by weight at checkout. Scallions are per bunch. If you just want half you will cheat yourself and be charged 1.29. The full bunch price. Not per pound but per bunch.

We use a lot of leeks and the green tops are chopped and go in stocks.

A dozen years ago when DH took over the 12 item or less weekly shopping, (I do the bi-monthly full stock-up shopping)...we went together and I did the full 'how to shop' lesson. It is wasteful and expensive if we end up with too much produce that we cannot use. For years he had a grocery moral code to follow directions, 😂. Hot peppers of any kind are per pound. My list would say 3 or 4 and he would come home with dozens. I'm never specific about greens..."get what looks good". He is a great shopper now and does it swiftly but does check if per pound or per bunch. A big laugh on my list I send him is '12 grapes'

I'm sure at one time he just felt silly to check dates, etc.

Especially things like grape and cherries in those bags usually have a sign over them $3.99 in really big letters and then way down in the corner in fine print it is per lb. I've fallen for that numerous times and got a surprise at check out when my bag of $3.99 grapes rings up $8! And I only bought that many because it was only $3.99! So yes, I edit anything that is not completely cello wrapped and is so much per pound. Asparagus, broccoli, fruit in sacks, bananas, leeks. I buy what we can use not what the store wants to sell us! If they didn't want us to do that, they would entire wrap the produce and instead of per pound would put per package pricing.

Celery is sold by the bunch and in the bin beside it they sell single celery stalks.

For bananas I will pick the less ripe ones but I try to get a bunch. I figure some people will want super ripe ones for banana loaf so they will pick the ripe ones and some want regular ripe ones. In the banana bin there is also a row of loose bananas of varying ripeness. I don't know if the store does that or if shoppers have done that.

Good point about the grapes being more ripe on the bottom and I notice that as well. So I will rebag the grapes. I figure some people like riper grapes than we do so I will leave them for those people.

Exactly Martha. I watch the check-out like a hawk just incase I've missed something. Costs are often hidden and sneaky. Pre-covid we have a favorite Italian market...single family owned. Good true butcher. I would often see a grandmother, daughter, grand-daughter shopping together. GM is teaching. She will shake her fist, joking, at the butchers..."these soup bones used to be free!.". then explained to the grand baby...."lots of good flavor in these bones for your broth". This market keeps the bone costs low to please the elders. I had an excellent home-ex teacher in junior high. Did not learn from my mother.

I've had an issue for the past few years with the low carb cauliflower ricing and products similar fad. Not a bad issue for health. A head of cauliflower here was 6 and sometimes 7 bucks a head no mater the size. Total blando when broccoli is just as good. I passed. Comparing pound for pound and ounce for ounce so many other options exist.

I've been getting cauliflower in my veg boxes during covid. We are late bloomer in the carb replacement. We love it and prices are down.

Amazon again only as example. Still price is per head, not weight. Tiny head, big head...same price. Buy the biggest head in the bin. Can always be blanched and froze what is not consumed before deteriorated. The clam shell is insane by the price.

Celery, carrot, onions, peppers...miropoix, sofritto, ...freeze it in half quart zip-locks. With chopped cauliflower. Side dish or soup starter.

We are fortunate to not have a small necessary food budget. Just avoid home wasted food. Pups, worm bin, compost, get their fill if I miss the mark.

Holidays for family and friends I rarely consider cost...buy what I want for the event. For just the two of us I pay more attention.

I don't like to waste food either, which is why our supply of fresh veggies has been leaner than normal because we have not been food shopping as often as we did before the pandemic. I also have health issues that leave me with unreliable energy from one day to the next, so I try to keep things simple. We do like frozen peas, certain green beans and corn but I do miss the luxury of fresh.

seagrass

When buying bananas, I do break up bunches. I like to get the riper ones for now and the really green ones for later in the week. I also take fresh green beans and grapes out of the huge open bag and just get the amount we need. I was surprised to read that people undo broccoli and celery. I usually buy celery hearts and they are always bagged. I keep it in heavy duty aluminum foil and rarely have to throw any away. I'm curious. How much do you pay for a stalk of celery? I also peel the husk of the corn back to see if it is malformed (missing lots of kernels) smutty, wormy or just old. If I leave it peeled back the next person should be able to see the reason I didn't buy and decide accordingly. I am selective with my asparagus, but have never taken a stalk out of the bunch-would just pass on by. Now I will look at things a bit differently on my next grocery run. This has been an interesting post!

I did have a thought seeing the people whose stores apparently will sell a stalk. I have seen individual stalks of what appears to be celery but it is not. They are cardoons and much larger than celery. Celery is also one of the things that is sold by the stalk and if you want some, in normal times, for a recipe the stores have it chopped in a plastic container.

I think most things like celery or asparagus or whatever are grouped together with rubber bands, packaging or some sort of plastic cording even if being sold by the pound. Bananas are sold by the bunch although I've noticed that organic banana sometimes have tape or something wrapped around them.

I have noticed that some of the celery in the store has been missing outer stalks lately. I avoid those as I consider it damaged goods. I want my full bundle. I don't think I've ever seen celery sold by the stalk or weight. It is by bundle. I rarely buy pre-cut anything so I haven't noticed it there. I learned the earlier mentioned trick on here of wrapping celery in aluminum foil. That preserves it for weeks. I've also seen where people open up the strawberry or blueberry containers and there is stuff missing. The containers have a weight on them like 8 oz or 1 lb. IMO, the containers should be left closed and you just select the best one.

Maybe how things are sold is regional. Even pre-Covid, I didn't see a lot of in-store salad bars or easy to grab the amount you wanted on prepared fruits and veggies.

I buy by full bundle/bunch. And get my pounds worth :) If it's loose bin, then I pick and choose. I use it by the fulls.

A back end to breaking bundles is that the stockers then have to deal with broken bundles, or celery missing ribs, or berry tubs missing weight, or the loose rubber band that means that bundle is missing something instead of full. Sometimes a second consumer will come along and want that other part of the broken bundle. But often folks don't want to, viewing them as missing or damaged goods- or at least previously handled goods by who knows who? Consumers are sometimes like that.

Corn shucking at the store is just a no. Not just my preference, but signs up at the store asking that folks don't do that. Even peel to see is frowned upon. Not everywhere is like this, but in my area it is a thing.

OTOH, since the pandemic, I haven't been grocery shopping. I've had good luck with quality by ordering, both from grocery stores and a weekly farm box service. Some things have a choice of by the count or by the pound, others are by the bunch or pre-measured boxes/bags or pounds. Meat is also pre-portioned. Frozen from the farm (fabulous quality, however). Most are one pound cuts, though things like tritip are a bit bigger. I can call the butcher with a custom order for pickup by the shopping service, but it's too big a bother to do regularly.

I've learned to adapt. Sometimes a bundle of chard is ginormous. Recently, the romanesco is chiqitito. Not long ago, there was a cauliflower bigger than my head. Sometimes, I get in a panic, but CF friends give suggestions which help me cope, and I'm getting better at planning with what I have, rather than shopping to fit my plan. The unfortunate consequence is more food waste than I'm used to. The set size of the box or bundle just doesn't get used up fast enough, I can't buy half, and I don't have freezer space for it. I still try, however, to use everything up. It just fries me when something besides trimmings has to go in the compost.

If they're bundled, I buy the bundle. Unless they're bananas. If I only want one, I'll take one. But normally buy the bunch.

Like most others, I will buy a full package/bundle if the price is per package, but if it's per pound, like grapes and cherries, I'll take what I want. Leeks are sold by the pound here, not the bundle. Onions, apples and potatoes are nearly always sold by the bag, not by the pound.

Corn seems to be a common thread. Our stores don't want you to shuck it because then they have to get rid of the leaves and stalks. I never did shuck it at the store because my cows think they are candy, LOL. On the other hand, nearly everyone peels down the shuck just a little to see if the kernels are plump and juicy, but not too big and not dented, which is a sign of old tough starchy corn. An earworm hardly causes a blink here, nearly every one will just flick it off, knowing the tip of a paring knife will remove the damage, much like removing the eye of a potato and you'll lose only two or three kernels of corn. And, as noted, each individual silk corresponds to an individual kernel, but corn in the store seems to have gotten a "haircut", they cut the silks off so you can't tell if they are sparse.

Annie

I've never heard of taking some vegetable out of its bundle to buy, apart from bananas. I guess I never thought of it before. I bought a six-pack of beer recently and when I got home, I realized one bottle was missing; presumably, someone had bought a single bottle. I don't sound very observant, do I?

I have never seen celery here SOLD other than by the bunch. Berries come by pound, but in a prepackaged container. I look for the container without mold, but have never exchanged any. I have weighed the packages before, and usually they are slightly over, so may make up for slight spoilage. Potatoes, onions, and fruit like apples are in bag, or you can get them by the pound. Sometimes it is cheaper by the pound than the bag, so you have to compare. The ones by the pound are bigger and nicer.

It would never, ever, occur to me to "edit" any produce. And it grosses me out that so many people think this is OK! *shudders*

I may never eat another fresh fruit or vegetable again!

Angela, that confuses me. Why is it any more "gross" to add or remove grapes or cherries or whatever to a bag or container on the display than it is to just pick up produce on display and place it into the bags that are provided there by the store? Much of the produce here is in displays where you pick what you want and place it into one of those produce bags, it gets weighed at checkout.

There are exceptions to that, of course, like bags of onions, apples or potatoes, sleeves of celery or those plastic clam shells of salad mix or berries, and I don't open those. Most are already sealed and cannot be easily opened at the store anyway.

But if I go to the store and there is a bin of "loose" beets or leeks or whatever, I choose what I want. I don't see how that is different than placing or removing a piece of produce from the bags on display which are usually left open. My understanding is that the "pre-bagged" produce is for convenience to the consumer.

That's one of the reasons that all produce should be washed before it's eaten. You don't know who has touched it, how many times, how it was handled before it was packaged. And, of course, most produce is grown outdoors in dirt which tends to be....well....dirty. Wind, rain, soil, animals, there are lots of contaminants before those apples/potatoes/cucumbers even get touched by a human.

My only question is what would I do with that slimy piece of asparagus or mushy potato? I wouldn't want to leave it sit there mixed with the good produce and there are seldom bins for discard in the produce section. I wouldn't carry it though the store for the cashier to discard, so where do I put it? It's inevitable that some produce will go bad before purchase, do stores in other areas provide some way to to isolate compromised items?

Annie

I was in the grocery yesterday and needed ONE turnip for soup. They were packaged in the pack of the store in sealed cello and were 3 in a package. I got the produce manager, who packaged one for me. Since it was sealed, I would never open it and just take a turnip out and go to the check out. Not sure why they did that except perhaps they sell more turnips, I suppose because not everyone does like I did and will buy 3 and throw away 2 because they weren't eaten.

It would appear that some people have never seen the back rooms of a grocery store, where 'other hands' touch everything before it's displayed at the front. (This, after still *other* hands have planted, weeded, fertilized, harvested, crated, loaded, and unloaded the products before they get to the stores.) Back-of-the-store is unavoidably messy!

Anecdote: A HS friend was a checker at the local A&P. Her mother insisted she bring home *fresh* lemons for tea *no earlier* than the day before she hosted her bridge group. There was no use telling her that thousands of lemons arrived in bulk a few times a year.

I shop at two small neighbourhood grocers and they are quite OK with breaking bunches, taking grapes out of bags and so on. Yesterday, in another neighbourhood grocery, I saw a sign at the bananas that said the price was such and such if you bought the bunch, ten cents more if you broke the bunch.

I'm with angela to a point. Pre-bagged produce is for the convenience of the store, not the customers. Less handling is required. It cuts down on customers having a free lunch by "sampling" what's there. Also, there's less of a mess on the display stand, nothing to fall on the ground or need to be cleaned up. As far as removing spoiled items, that's the job of the people who work at the store. Any store that isn't careful about that would be one I wouldn't return to.

A sealed package is not intended to be open, as far as I'm concerned. It's an all or nothing choice. Except for bananas, which I've found sometimes can be put out with plastic tightly wrapped around the top stem which whether for that purpose or not makes it more difficult to break a bunch. It may delay ripening too, I'm not sure.

Wow, I have never seen turnips sold in a sealed package of multiple turnips. I have seen smaller turnips with the greens attached sold in bunches, but there is always a bin of loose turnips, just like rutabagas, sweet potatoes, and similar.

One of my favorite ways to make a vegetable soup is to walk down the produce aisle and get at least one of everything (except tomatillos, I need several of those!) So much prepackaging would put an end to that.

Indeed, the plastic on the banana stem is to delay ripening. It traps the ethylene gas, apparently. The people who recommend this, suggest breaking apart your bunch and wrapping each stem. The stores or distributors around here wrap them with a bit of paper and then a thicker stretchier plastic than regular cling wrap, but I don't think the discount stores pay for the extra labor to do so. The ones I get from the farm (sold in 2 lb. bunches...or bundles of loose ones if they have to do that to get the weights right) are wrapped if an intact bunch, so I don't know if Dole does that for them.