CVS and expired products on local news...

[MrsPinecone]

Something that us couponers have always known!

Group Claims CVS Sells Expired Products - Consumer Alert News Story - WBAL Baltimore (http://www.wbaltv.com/consumeralert/19529936/detail.html)

BALTIMORE -- A consumer group claims that many CVS pharmacy stores in the Baltimore area are selling expired products, but the chain is disputing the claim.


The nationwide organization Cure CVS Now (http://www.wbaltv.com/consumeralert/19529936/%20http://www.curecvsnow.org/), a group put forth by the organization Change to Win, is made up of various unions and civil rights groups trying to reform the drugstore industry.


According to a recent survey conducted by the group involving 310 stores in nine states, data showed that 57 percent of CVS stores in the Baltimore area were selling expired products, including milk, baby formula and over-the-counter medications.


"CVS is selling expired products in what appears to be a systematic process across the country," said Shaun Martinez of the group United Students Against Sweatshops. "Surveyers purchased medications for infants that were more than three years past their expiration date."

According to the survey, 10 stores in Baltimore, three in Baltimore County and four in Anne Arundel County were cited. The stores are listed below:

2509 Pennsylvania Avenue
3300 Belair Avenue
5200 York Road
1000 South Charles Street
500 Eastern Avenue, Essex
7400 Ritchie Highway, Glen Burnie
6910 Harford Road
9613 Harford Road
123 Main Street, Annapolis
9591 Philadelphia Avenue, Rosedale
1519 Rock Spring Road, Forest Hill
3025 Solomons Island Road, Edgewater
8501 Fort Smallwood Road, Pasadena
6635 Belair Road
2560 West Franklin Street
8302 Liberty Road
6828 Reisterstown Road

"When you're talking about things for infants -- formula, medicines on the shelves -- that are out of date, that's unacceptable," said Gary Gatewood of the United Food Commercial Workers Union.


But officials with CVS are calling the attacks unfair, saying the movement is made up mostly of former disgruntled employees.


"This is the latest in a series of misleading attacks by Change to Win against CVS Caremark. This consortium of labor unions began as a campaign to disparage our company in 2007 after we refused to waive our employees' right to vote confidentially in union elections," the company said in a statement.


"We have a clear product removal policy in place at all of our stores. While no process this labor-intensive is immune from error, we strive to achieve 100 percent compliance and move quickly to rectify any unintentional deviation from our policies and procedures," the statement continued.

Cure CVS Now said that to its knowledge, no one has become sick from ingesting any of the expired products.
Copyright 2009 by wbaltv.com (balnews@theWBALchannel.com).

[AmyAlex74]

When the Kelloggs cereal was on sale at my Cvs, I found several that had dust all over the box and were less than 1 week from being expired......but they were still within the date. I dont think I have ever found anything ACTUALLY expired.

[kktl32]

I have just bought some starbucks chocolate 2 months old,yuck

[MrsPinecone]

Oh, I have found plenty. Incuding stuff like Pedialyte and other baby items. At least keep the baby section up to date!!!

[Weinergirl]

Yep, I found some baby snacks (Gerber Graduate stuff) on the shelf that was a couple months expired. It was marked clearance so it seemed like they noticed and were trying to get rid of it.

[cheesecake]

Lots of expired stuff in my TX stores!

[tacobella]

Wow. I just came home from CVS last night. I bought 3 benefiber items, and when I got home noticed they all expired in 2007!! They were clearenced in my store, and I had coupons, so I thought I had just gotten lucky... guess not...

[anaj06]

The baby food at my store was expired the whole time my first child was in that food stage. I told them 3 different times b/c I wanted to use it in the ECB sale and it was never fixed.

I have noticed though with my second son that it has been in date; however I haven't seen it included in the ECB deals this go around:(

[maree_strawberry]

"But officials with CVS are calling the attacks unfair, saying the movement is made up mostly of former disgruntled employees. "

What a crock!! :rolleyes24:

Stick it to 'em!!

[couponcrazy5950]

I found Stacy's Bagel Chips on clearance a few months ago (maybe Jan. or Feb.) & they had all expired in the summer of 2008. I used to work in food service so I always check dates when I buy things--I can't help it!

[mxmom99]

i will be checking dates from now on!!!

[lmg]

I brought the kellogs cereal during the ecb deal 2 weeks ago and came home and saw that it already expired in feb 09. yuck.

[janatberry]

http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/images/smilies/girl%20wave%20hi.gif I have found expired stuff at the CVS stores that I shop at and I take it right up to the cashier or tell them about it. They are really bad about having expired stuff in the food section....check your dates ......I always look at dates on everything I buy. If the products expired before I think I will use it I won't get it. Cereal is one of the worst things that has almost or has already expired.:sad: I have also found the Nabisco small packs of cookies that were on the shelf still.....expired and I asked them did they know that they had expired things on the shelves? Of course they said.. no ,but did go a get it off the shelf. I am so glad that this has been posted here. I I check at every store that I shop at I look for dates. (DH looks now) to. I worked with senior citizens for years and we had a food program that gave out food once a month. I would take them to the pick-up site or pick it up for them and I saw a lot of expired items.http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/images/smilies/ROLL%20EYES%2024.gif I told the Area on Aging in my county and they stopped that from happening anymore. It just made me sick... Who wants expired goods. Thanks... sorry so long ....just got me to thinking about how some stores think that no one looks at these things. http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/images/smilies/thanks%207.gif:smile77:

[sportzcam6]

Watch COKE Products....i hear it is cvs policy to put all the "older" stuff out during coke deals. I hear coke sents cvs more closer to date stuff for the deals...as part of the cheap coke deals.... i always make sure i go after the late date stuff!

[disabledvetswife]

I have found plenty of expired stuff in CVS from medicine to food. The True North that were on clearanced a month or so back, out of 14 bags, 12 of them had expired in Sept 2008. I have to say that Wags is just as bad. I had bought Chex Mix in 2009, that expired in 2007.

I check everything now.

[judeshoney]

During last year's Coppertone deal, I found mostly expired sunscreen on the shelves. I would not have thought to look, except that my kids had gotten horrible sunburn from using the prior year's sunscreen (my fault - trying to save money by not buying new stuff). When I started doing research on it, I found it's one of the things that you definitely cannot use when it's expired.

I told the cashier about it when I checked out. When I went back a couple of weeks later, it was still on the shelf. I moved it myself to the back of the shelf so that at least if others were buying Coppertone, they'd buy the non-expired stuff first. I also told the manager I'd done that.

He did remove it then so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt that the first cashier never said anything to him.

Maybe this negative attention will force them to check their stock more often.

[rcbrad]

"But officials with CVS are calling the attacks unfair, saying the movement is made up mostly of former disgruntled employees. "

What a crock!! :rolleyes24:

Stick it to 'em!!
When has it ever been unfair to call someone/something on the carpet for doing something wrong. It has been on the Philadelphia news twice now.
There were reports about six months ago about this and just recently they went back in and found just as many expired products. How hard is this to monitor? It is simply a must!

[Almond73]

This is scary. I absolutely love CVS! I will certainly be checking from now on.

[milkdonormama]

I got David sunflower seeds that had expired dates. Also Apple Jacks last week or the week before with the cereal deal-- expired. I breastfeed so I don't have to worry about the formula, but that is nasty.

Now, I work in public health (I have a masters of public health degree)-- eating expired cereal is not going to make you sick. It might be stale but it won't give you food poisoning. However, with medications there is a real danger there. Likewise dairy, meats and so forth. But chips or cereal would just taste stale.

[shecrab7]

today i went for the coppertone sunscreen for babies, and some were exp. 6/08. had them in several locations thru the store, so i was able to find some 2011 ones thank goodness. so much for watching out for the babies! thanks to op, i made sure to check.

[girlsgalore]

I found an expired box of Trail Mix Crunch on the shelf just this week, it was almost a week over the date.

I also found an expired bag of Poppycock last week.

This is a good reminder to everyone to check dates on everything you buy no matter where you go.

[couponaa]

WOW~ I check dates sometimes. After reading this, I am going to check everything! Thanks for the heads up.

[shecrab7]

when i was getting the maxwell house coffee last week, an entire row of one kind expired 10/08. i told the gal at the front desk (i always tell them when i find something expired, which thankfully isn't often) and she claimed she just unloaded them from a shipment the day before. she assumed the warehouse (?) would not send them expired product so she did not look at the dates. i guess mistakes happen, so it's ultimately up to us to be very watchful end consumers! and if you pick up something expired accidentally, do take it back for a refund or fresh item!!! i don't hesitate a return, at any store.

[houstonmom]

that is scary but what is worse is there are a lot of items like shampoo ,lotions, shaving cream and right guard deodorant that don't have expiration dates on them. they have codes which you could only tell if the product is good or not buy calling the company and asking which takes time that's why i stay away from clearance items for perishables unless they have expiration dates on them.this isn't just at cvs ,targets clearance items are almost always expired or very close to expiring in my area so i only buy things on clearance from them that can't go bad.

[IsaveUsave]

I didn't get a chance to read when this will start, but in California they are to give a customer a $2 coupon if they find an expired coupon. I wonder if this will be per product?? I wouldn't even have to do the deals to make money :giggle2:

News & Alerts - California Dept. of Justice - Office of the Attorney General (http://ag.ca.gov/newsalerts/release.php?id=1752)

[seedlady]

I didn't get a chance to read when this will start, but in California they are to give a customer a $2 coupon if they find an expired coupon. I wonder if this will be per product?? I wouldn't even have to do the deals to make money :giggle2:

News & Alerts - California Dept. of Justice - Office of the Attorney General (http://ag.ca.gov/newsalerts/release.php?id=1752)

i figured it was in the LA Times today, so it started today. i have my first coupon.

the store had not heard about it, but they forced a 2 dollar ecb for me when i brought expired cough drops to the register.

[Smee]

It's kind of funny when I think about it... how (at least my store) has such stock problems that anything would ever have a chance to expire.

[allison1954]

Unfortunately, we get items in on the trucks that are expired. It is getting very bad. We check the required categories every time they come out, but then the truck comes in and it happens again.It takes many man hours to do the required checks. Small stores who only have one cashier and a manager on have no chance of getting it done. The DC makes it impossible to keep up when it happens again every week.

That is the phone call or letter you need to write, to get the DC to pull stock before it gets distributed to the stores.

SO many items are close coded and we don't have the key. We have asked Mars for the key to the code and can't get it. The companies need to get away from that. On so much of it, we haven't a clue.

And beer has a " born on date ". What is that all about ?

[cheesecake]

Before when CVS was Eckerd Drugs, we got a $5 giftcard every time we found something expired. The sign was actually glued to the counter where you check out. If CVS did that, they'd go broke!

[vannfamily5]

I once helped get our commissary at Parris Island shut down for 3 days with dozens of U.S. Army Inspectors (from DECA) going over every shelf. I had found multiple expired baby food, lunch meat, cereal, bread over a couple month period.

One day I (with DECA's permission) marked 5 jars of baby food with a sharpie (on the bottom, not noticable really). The commissary is small, so not too many shoppers utilize it (better deals out in town half of the time). I reported the expired products to the store manager, and brought him 3 out of the 5 jars I'd marked and told him they were expired.

DECA went back a few days later and reviewd security tapes, showing me bringing him the expired jars. Then watched as he put the jars back on the shelf shortly after I left.

2 days later, the commissary shut down for 3 days, with every single item in the stores being checked for dates and the manager being fired.

[cintinative]

wow, this is sort of scary. I just bought some sunscreen at CVS for the kids. I am off now to check. Thanks for the post!!

[vannfamily5]

crap, I just bought some CVS brand sunscreen last weekend.....

will go check....and I'm wondering about the facewash I bought Dh last night....and the Mylicon (ok, that's in front of me and doesn't expire until 02/10)

[wildnutcase]

I did not know that this was such a wide spread problem with CVS. Glad I read this post; almost skipped it.

I just recently started :shopping2:-and saving-at CVS and so far haven't bought any items that an expiration date would be a problem/or no expiration date necessary. But, after reading this post will definitely be sure to check the dates when the items have one.

:thanks7:to all who have posted their experience with this issue so that the rest of us can know how wide spread the problem is and can be aware and informed.

[seedlady]

i'm 2 for 2- today i found a candy bar that expired new year's eve in 08.

[rcbrad]

I work at CVS and am definitely very aware of expired things. Our manager isn't the best and has told us that we can't pull any dairy products off the shelf unless it's the day of. Every week we are e-mailed a list of 3/4 sections that need to be checked and every week it is done. If you want something done right, you've got to do it yourself, right?? I wish I could say the same about every store, though.

As a sidenote... if you ever buy premium chocolate... check the date. That stuff never sells and there's always a lot when it comes time to check the expiration dates!
Based on some of these posts, it seems the companies make an effort to do the right thing, it's just the managers who are not doing their jobs properly and ethically.

[whatsfree4me]

Also forgot to mention a couple weeks ago the registers are doing something new... every time we scan a dairy product or children's medicine (well, most meds) we have to answer to a pop-up saying "today's date is 09-xx-09, is this item expired?" so they definitely are trying to make an effort!

This is a great idea. Unfortunatley, this too is only going to be as good as the employee. You will still have the lazy ones who just answer no!!

[bama chick]

Thanks for this thread . and all your post. I`ve never checked the dates at cvs. But I will for now on.

[shecrab7]

you know those welch's drinks that are buy 2 get 1 ecb? i bought 2 the other day in a hurry for a snack in the car, and they are both over a month expired. my dd drank one before i noticed and i was so mad at myself for not checking the dates in the store! i can't believe they were so expired, on a product they are promoting with ecbs.

[politico234]

I finally stopped buying milk at CVS because it routinely went bad well before the expiration date -- sometimes up to a week before. And it wasn't just barely starting to sour (I can handle that) -- it would be absolutely undrinkable. I have tons of CVS stores around me, and it was a recurring problem no matter which store I bought the milk from.

[rrpate]

I WILL probably get eaten alive here.... but a date on an item is a sell by date..and that item is good well beyond that date... i do personally look at such dates when purchasing items.. i do however buy such items at sale prices when dates are near or expired because i can freeze or they will be consumed soon... these dates do not mean the item automatically just is bad...... it is a sell by date... and some get missed..and yes it is the manager or the vendors responsibility to catch this... but no one will die or get sick if you eat these items unless they are refrigerated items and they have not been treated correctly.. i am a picky person..but i have worked retail and know its hard to keep up on it. but i look at the dates and buy accordingly..and i am alive to tell ya ... the dates are there but really c'mon now........on dried items..(non refrigerated). a few weeks sheesh? as long as its not years past.. it should be fine..but really should not be on their shelves...

[carisal]

I finally stopped buying milk at CVS because it routinely went bad well before the expiration date -- sometimes up to a week before. And it wasn't just barely starting to sour (I can handle that) -- it would be absolutely undrinkable. I have tons of CVS stores around me, and it was a recurring problem no matter which store I bought the milk from.

I've bought milk from CVS once and only once.

:sad:it was the day I decided to start my DD on whole milk.
I gave it to her for a day or two before I drank any myself.
... I had given it the good ole sniff test (even though it was far from expiration, I always sniff my milk:giggle2: -so, giving it to her, of course I did.....LOL!) didnt smell funny.... but when I drank some it was most definitely sour(tasting).

luckily she didnt get sick from it.

:shrug7:

[rrpate]

oh milk! now that one is something i learned the hard way.... always smell it first!!!! cuz if it smells ok usually it is..but sometimes it will have that i am starting to sour taste and thats it for me! down the drain... i guess my cvs is a good store..their coolers are always very cold and the milk has a long xp. date on them and i have never had any go bad early... i love the cheap milk and get ecb back!!! and use ecb to pay for them.. unlinke the other guys rrs can't use on milk....


I've bought milk from CVS once and only once.

:sad:it was the day I decided to start my DD on whole milk.
I gave it to her for a day or two before I drank any myself.
... I had given it the good ole sniff test (even though it was far from expiration, I always sniff my milk:giggle2: -so, giving it to her, of course I did.....LOL!) didnt smell funny.... but when I drank some it was most definitely sour(tasting).

luckily she didnt get sick from it.

:shrug7:

[impetuous7]

I didn't know hair relaxer kits had expiration dates until I bought one from CVS a few months ago. I had always got them at Walmart before but they were having extra bucks on the kits that day. When I got home and open it, the creme activator was hard as a rock. That's when I checked the box for an expiration date and sure enough it had expired the year before!! I have never bought another one from CVS and I will be sure to check for a date if I do. I could have burned all my hair off!

[idobiradio]

I didn't know hair relaxer kits had expiration dates until I bought one from CVS a few months ago. I had always got them at Walmart before but they were having extra bucks on the kits that day. When I got home and open it, the creme activator was hard as a rock. That's when I checked the box for an expiration date and sure enough it had expired the year before!! I have never bought another one from CVS and I will be sure to check for a date if I do. I could have burned all my hair off!

What's the brand name or UPC of this, I'll check it at my store.

[notablanda2000]

I definitely learned the hard way about CVS and dates. I picked up a couple of packs of diet Pepsi when they run the ECB deals. It usually takes me a good while to drink 4 cases, but imagine my shock when a "month-old" case tastes like dirt. I check the box, and lo and behold - it was 6 months expired!

Some things never go bad. Soda isn't one of them. The longer it sits in that can the worse it tastes- like seltzer with a sock in it. I'm keeping my receipts from there for now on with perishables.

[rcbrad]

I WILL probably get eaten alive here.... but a date on an item is a sell by date..and that item is good well beyond that date... i do personally look at such dates when purchasing items.. i do however buy such items at sale prices when dates are near or expired because i can freeze or they will be consumed soon... these dates do not mean the item automatically just is bad...... it is a sell by date... and some get missed..and yes it is the manager or the vendors responsibility to catch this... but no one will die or get sick if you eat these items unless they are refrigerated items and they have not been treated correctly.. i am a picky person..but i have worked retail and know its hard to keep up on it. but i look at the dates and buy accordingly..and i am alive to tell ya ... the dates are there but really c'mon now........on dried items..(non refrigerated). a few weeks sheesh? as long as its not years past.. it should be fine..but really should not be on their shelves...

I agree, that many things can be consumed within weeks or months after the expiration or sell by date. Many stores could do a better job though. For most items you will not get sick, it just may not taste as good or as fresh after awhile. I also have decided to slow down a bit on some of my food shopping at various stores, until we use up some stuff. There is no point in struggling to use products before or around the end date. I am not just buying more and more because it is a bargain anymore, until our supply is depleted. I have tried to donate some food, but they will not take it if the sell by date or best if used by date has already passed.

[collect15coins]

I have found that many CVS stores on the west side in the Orlando area often continues to sell expired products in particular medicines. I was surprised to see many expired medications at so many stores. The pharmacist told me that you could have bad reactions including various side effects and even seizers. I think it is reprehensible that a large drugstore chain would sell over the counter drugs that are outdated. After all, this is supposed to be their specialty.