Ask a produce expert anything. Going on four years working at a local grocery store

Ask a produce expert anything. Going on four years working at a local grocery store.

Only thing I won't answer is where exactly I work, for obvious reasons.

Grossest thing you've ever witnessed with produce, that the store still sold?

What are the best obscure fruits And veggies, in terms of taste? The other day I saw something calle a mamey

What did it take to become a produce expert, when did you start calling yourself a produce expert, and what kind of questions were you expecting?

Well we switch out our main tables on a weekly basis, and store the unsold product in back. Depending on how odd the product is, it can sit in the back room for weeks, or even months... citrus is a good example.

Is organic better?

Is non gmo better?

Have you ever stuck something in your butt and put it back on the shelf?

Carrot in pooper or GTFO.

Ever have a dragonfruit? They are ok, not amazing. Cool looking tho.

Doing the same shit every day, getting asked the same questions, etc etc

do you really put "produce expert" on your resume?

OP is, as usual, a faggot

Personally, organic is a waste of time. We don't tend to that shelf nearly as often, the produce doesn't last nearly as long, and it comes from oddball companies. But a lot of our non organic produce is also non gmo.

What's the best solution for removing the wax the produce is coated with to extend shelf life?
Do you do any gassing in store or do you fuss with any of that?

What's the best meal one can make only using produce?

Is the pic your work or is it just a random pick of very well stocked produce?

And I wasn't coming into this expecting anything I'm just bored as fuck

how can i tell for real if a melon is ripe?

No

Do you work at the Smart & Final in Pasadena?

75% of that severely overstocked produce is going to rot before it's sold. How many people eat fucking beets?

Most of the time, the wax on many fruits, like apples, is actually fine to eat, and you shouldn't be concerned. It keeps your fruit fresher for longer. It's why we can keep certain apples in back for weeks. But if you don't like it, just dip it in really hot water

Most melons I try have a faint melon taste but are mostly flavourless. Is there something wrong with me or is this what melons really taste like?

Salad ez

random pic but i can post one of my work if ya like

...

no sorry

>Ask a produce expert anything.

damn kids, stay in fcking school or you can end up being a produce "expert" too!!

>Going on four years working at a local grocery store

you could have studied your fucking masters of produce in 4 years!
I guess you'll only be an expert now..

Are you and your coworkers a bunch of illegal mexicans locked in the basement handling the produce?

What does your manager think when he catches you taking pictures of vegetables?

The hollow sound is actually a good tell. Otherwise 99% percent of the time it's a total guess, but we get our melons in quite fresh so I always tell guests to wait a day or so before cutting one open.

Mameys are the shit and so are Zapotes
>lookem up

Knowing what you know about the business, are you inspired in any way to farm or become a grocery owner, or a purveyor some kind of artisanal item? I actually am jealous of people who are able to do that kind of thing.....and often, it's just immigrants actually running the farm.

Again, stock photo, but you make a good point user. Luckily my produce department donates all produce that is no longer good enough to sell.

honestly I'm only a fan of watermelons so I somewhat agree with you.

Ayyy that rotate & stock job looks clean fam.. I worked produce for almost 5 years, loved it.

I assume having an encyclopedic knowledge of the finished product is far different from actually producing said product

Is it true that 60 percent of fruit has been in someone's orifice before it reaches the store?

I still go to school lol

hahaha. no. I'm sure some places are tho

I don't care for the wax because it tends to attract off favors especially if it's been refrigerated. I don't care to submerge it in hot water because it damages the flesh of the fruit.

We all do it actually it's a good way to let other new employees know how a display should look

Cut the melon and let it sit for a few hours or over night. You will get a much deeper flavor. Using a ripe product will also aide in greater flavor. Same goes with pineapple.

Why does produce in grocery stores these days always look like shit compared to what you can get in a restaurant?

I've thought about working up the chain of my store, but I can't see myself doing this for much longer, only because customers are stupid as fuck

I don't care for your autism.

lol sorry its a stock photo bud

I don't care

>nigger detected

They also make a fruit & vegetable cleaner but I'm sure dawn soap works about the same too

I think what you need to do is check out a high end fancy store and the rich MILF clientele......then you might be inspired to get rich serving them

also why we still watermelon cuts

Thanks for the tip, fam. Will try it next time. I also tried putting salt on it like I saw in an anime, but in the end I only liked the salt taste, the melon remained bland.

Got any tips for coconuts? I want to like them too but they taste nothing like the dried coconut you sprinkle on cakes.

You work at a real canadian superstore?

On average, what percentage of all the produce that is put out on display gets sold before it needs to be donated/thrown out/whatever?

nope

That's how I ran my set up I took pride in my produce..

You can often buy organic unsweetened coconut shreds....I love them. Good fats with lots of fiber.

HAHHHAH way too much. Depends on what tho. Most fruits, like apples, get sold. Tomatoes tho. Just today I donated over 100 pounds of tomatoes easily. So if I had to take a guess like 10-15% gets thrown or donated

Produce worker since 2005 here

lol im white as they come

What's the craziest shit that has happened at the store you work in?

Even rotted, it has some value as future compost, right?

Hey lime & watermelon is bomb give it a chance surprised me

Try lime or any citrus juice and cayenne pepper on melons. Toss them shits and enjoy.

Shave as much of the coconut flesh out as possible and toast it in the oven with a little sunflower oil.

You suck at picking them out. What melons are you trying for here?

Also a produce dept worker. Im an assistant manager though so fuck you.

You should piggyback and answer the best questions ITT yourself.....you probably have a more interesting perspective.

We have had a robbery at our store's bank while I was working and I wasn't even aware of it until the police showed up

lol I'm also a manager I thought i mentioned that

Which items have the highest/lowest profit margins? Are you supposed to direct customers to higher margin items?

If I wanted to purchase old product on the super cheap whom would I need to speak with? A store manager or produce worker? Would they just give it to me?

Oh you might have, I dident read everything.

Well we dont throw away food, we turn it into compost yes. We have a separate place for food waste

Produce isn't like a fucking IPAD. It changes day to day. One day we might be able to get a case of grapes for $1 and then next they could cost $10. There's no simple answer to that question.

Kind of? It depends on what's on sale that week and what we are able to get from our suppliers for super cheap. Bananas are obviously our biggest seller, but if we are selling new or unique product on sale, hell ya we will talk the shit up like it's no one's business

THIS. for example, green grapes from south america are done as of now. so for like two weeks we haven't had them. Now we do, from mexico, and the price is like almost double.

Not op but i can answer shit. the profit margins change weekly. At my company at least. normally we have one or two bomb items we lose money on for a sale like say strawberries that attract customers then we merchandise high margin shit near it so people pick that up as well. So in a way we kinda lure people into buying stuff thats a high margin.

I figure that produce employees are to direct customers to the most perishable items so they sell while they are at their peak that way they can get the most profit from the item. Instead of donating or composting.

At my store, any produce person could help you out with this. We sell items by the case at a 15% discount. or we sell items that are out of season for dirt cheap.

Bingo BONGO

Fellow produce fag here. From my experience, customers only like food from Mexico if it's avacados. Anything else, we actively try to remove all evidence of Mexico

not really. we do suggestive selling for like a push item for that week but thats about it.

When are the cotton candy grapes coming back?...?.

Like July. And they're gone within weeks. They're also extremely overrated

I had a customer flip shit on me one day because a brand of grape tomatoes we have called santa sweets went from USA to mexico supply. I was just like uhh wtf do you want me to do? lol

hahah I love them but they are super overrated

What about fruit that was bruised or even starting to mold a little? Would they give that away?

And with Trump running for president, my town is pretty conservative and lots of people won't buy shit if its from Mexico. people just don't understand produce

what's the next promotion you'll give yourself from 'produce expert'? General Manager perhaps?

idk about that other guys company, but at my store we are not allowed to give bad stuff to customers even if they ask for fear of being sued or some shit.

At my store, not really, but I've also never been asked, so I guess?

Bruised apples 29 cents/lb

Most people have a very thin grasp on food period. And some an even thinner grasp on reality

produce god

2deep4me dudeeee

The only "bad" stuff we can't reduce and sell is stuff with expired dates

Also here a picture of my potato section. Nothing crazy but this isn't a stock photo. I know someone asked for it earlier.

what's the code for leeks?

So from me as a produce guy to the others, just curious, what are you bananas priced at? mine are .59 a lb.

55 cents a pound. sale price is usually 28