Food safety policies exist for a reason, but explaining them can sometimes anger customers.

One store employee had to repeatedly clarify why a returned yogurt could not go back on the shelf.

But when a customer refused to take their word for it, what should have been a routine return turned into yet another headache.

Read on for the full story!

Guilt never works

I have some variation of this conversation regularly.

A customer returned a large container of yogurt because it was the wrong kind. I told him he could go get the one he needs and I would exchange it.

The employee and the customer didn’t seem to be on the same page about what should happen with the returned yogurt.

He was nice enough to say, “I can put this one back for you.”

I wouldn’t let a customer do this regardless of the item, but when it’s a perishable, I say, “Oh, thanks, but we can’t sell that. We have to throw it out.”

The customer was surprisingly passionate about their belief that the yogurt should be salvaged.

“But I kept it in the fridge!” I’m sure you did, but I can no longer guarantee it’s been at the proper temperature once it has left the store.

So now this customer was annoyed about the waste.

But does he decide not to return the item? Nope!

This isn’t the first time something like this has happened.

In six years of working in customer service, I think that has happened maybe one time.

Some of them just look sad, but this guy tried to argue with me for like five minutes.

I even suggested that maybe he knew someone else who could use it.

Nope, still returned it.

This seems to be the case most of the time.

And if you think I go out of my way to work it into the conversation that the item is going to get thrown out, you are absolutely right.

Still never works.

This employee was right to stand firm.

What did Reddit think?

Some customers are truly an enigma.

It really benefits everyone for grocery stores to have high standards for product safety.

The exact opposite of this story happened to this commenter.

Was this exchange really worth it in the first place?

No amount of arguing could change the fact that perishable items cannot be returned.

Food safety should come before feelings.

If you liked that post, check out this story about a customer who insists that their credit card works, and finds out that isn’t the case.