You don’t want to eat it and risk getting sick.
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You’ll often hear that buying groceries at the supermarket is more economical than purchasing prepared meals. And if you tend to shop at affordable grocers like Trader Joe’s, Aldi, and Costco, you might rack up an even lower credit card tab in the process.
But even when you shop at a grocery store with a great reputation, you never know when something you buy might end up subject to a recall. Such is the case right now with frozen organic strawberries sold at Costco, Trader Joe’s, and Aldi, among other stores. So if you have these in your freezer, you absolutely shouldn’t consume them.
A major health risk
The aforementioned frozen strawberries have been linked to cases of hepatitis A in Washington State. Hepatitis A attacks the liver, and symptoms can include nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. To put it another way, it’s not something you want to get. So if you’re sitting on strawberries you think might be contaminated, toss them.
Will you get your money back?
The great thing about shopping at grocery stores that pride themselves on solid customer service is that in situations like this, you don’t have to worry about losing money. Trader Joe’s issued a statement on its website. It noted that while no illnesses have been reported to date in association with the products it sold, “If you purchased any Organic Tropical Fruit Blend, please do not eat it. We urge you to discard the product or return it to any Trader Joe’s for a full refund.”
Meanwhile, Costco will commonly take back any product you’re not satisfied with. It could be something as serious as a spoilage issue or as minor as a taste issue (meaning, you don’t like the taste). So rest assured that you can get refunded in full from Costco (which made a specific point to tell customers that they won’t be out money for potentially contaminated strawberries).
Aldi, too, is taking the matter seriously. And it, too, says that customers will be eligible for a full refund for their frozen strawberry purchases.
It pays to shop at stores with a great reputation
This isn’t the first time a given grocery product has been recalled due to health concerns, and it certainly will not be the last. But this incident highlights the importance of choosing your grocers carefully.
Some grocers are more quick to issue refunds than others. Now in this sort of extreme situation, you can pretty much bank on any supermarket to give you your money back when the product you’ve purchased has the potential to give you hepatitis. But still, consumers who shop at Trader Joe’s, Costco, and Aldi can generally rest assured that these retailers are really good about issuing refunds even in less extreme scenarios.
These days, a lot of people are racking up debt and raiding their savings accounts just to pay for groceries. Shopping at Trader Joe’s, Costco, and Aldi might not only result in great customer service, but also, lower grocery bills as a whole.
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The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.Maurie Backman has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Costco Wholesale. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
