watch what you buy at Sams

[alblancher]

Just got back from my favorite store and I'm pretty angry about some chicken breasts I bought.

Member's Mark  $  1.97lb   I paid for 6.38 lbs of chicken breasts.   I unpacked the breasts and placed them in freezer bags.  When I went to throw away the packaging I noticed just how heavy it was and decided to weigh the breasts before freezing them.  The total weight of the breasts came to 5 bs 1.5 ozs.  This is entirely too much water and packaging waste to have to throw away.  I had the option to pay slightly more for the vacuum packed breasts but thought I would save a couple of pennies, big mistake.  About 20% waste just in the blood bag.

Oh well,  live and learn

Al

 

[dick foster]

Thanks for the heads up.

 

[venture]

Sounds like "enhanced" chicken to me.  The only thing it enhances is their profit margin.

 

[bayouchilehead]

I knew Wally World sold enhanced meats and was suspicious about Sam's. Thanks for the heads up Al.

 

[ryanhoelzer]

I think the guy on the grassy knoll packaged my meat...

Were they in a bag or flat?  Were they frozen or thawed when you bought them?  If thawed, had they been previously frozen?  Was there obvious liquid in the package?  Did you weigh the packaging to see how much of that weight was packaging and how much was liquid?

 

[alblancher]

They where thawed and sold as "implied" fresh.  I do not think you can buy chicken that hasn't been frozen at one time.  The packaging included a foam tray and blood pad.  Minimal additional weight for packaging.  I thought the scales where adjusted for the packaging.

Just an incredible amount of water in the blood pad.  What I am angry about is in the next display case they sell vacuum packed breasts for about the same amount of money,  I would imagine that amount of waste in the vacuum packed chicken will be considerably less.

Al

 

[ryanhoelzer]

That's actually a good question about scale adjustment.  When I buy steaks they don't weigh them until they're wrapped.  Granted, butcher paper is pretty light but you're still paying for it.  The packer briskets I buy aren't weighed until I get them so I'm paying for the cryo, there's a little bit of weight there.  I still had the cryo bag from the one I did the other day in the trash, it was only 3 oz.

My thought is maybe the chicken was frozen or partially frozen when they packaged it and as it thawed that moisture went to the blood pad.  If it was me I'd buy more of the same thing just to see and definitely complain if it was.  I'd also probably tell them about it at least to see if they've got a reasonable explanation.  And, a comparison from any other grocery store would be nice to see..

 

[que-ball]

The weights marked on the packaging are always called net weights, meaning it's the weight of the meat itself.  This does include the weight of "enhancing liquid", but not the weight of the styrofoam tray, blood pad, or saran wrap.  The packaging material is paid for by the per pound price of the meat.

 

[smokingohiobutcher]

As far as where I work, in Ohio, we have to have a tare weight punched in the scale for every package we weigh.

If the foam tray is 1 oz and the pad is .5 oz we have to take the 1.5 ozs of tare weight off on the scale before we start weighing anything.  We are checked 2 times a year for our package accuracy.  A random sampling of the packages from our case are weighed with a separate scale, that the "Weights & Measures Techs" from the state of Ohio bring with them. If they find any discrepancies we are given a warning, and a chance to fix them before the recheck is done within the next 7 days. People are human and we do make mistakes...and things do fall through cracks. But if you want to do as was stated earlier, and buy some more to see if it wasn't just a fluke. I would encourage you to do so, because I try to do my job honestly and wish everyone would do the same... this would be a better country if we all did.

SOB

 

[ryanhoelzer]

That's good information about packaging and weight.  I wonder if it's as simple as someone packaging it wrong?

 

[sumosmoke]

I never would've noticed that, Al. Thanks for bringing it to our attention. Guess you can't trust anyone anymore.

 

[ronp]

I just came home from Sam's and found something interesting. I saw a lady meat dept person working, loading the display with chicken parts. The first thing I noticed was the boxes were marked "Tyson" hmm, I asked her if they repacked them there. She said no that they are pre wrapped, weighed, and labled before they come in.

Also if yur return your your meat they will replace it and give you money back also. That is a 200% guarante.

Hope this helps out.

 

[pops6927]

All meat is to be sold at net weight, removing any weight of the packaging materials and a reasonable accomodation for 'purge' or liquid loss.  If the product was previously frozen and thawed in the package and lost purge, then it should be brought back and re-weighed at it's new net weight, the purge is no longer part of the product.  The same goes for rolled beef roasts that lose a lot of moisture into the soakers; it's the net weight of the meat itself not of the juice that it once contained; state departments nab you silly on those if you don't bring them back, repackage and reweigh at least once if not twice a day.  Ham portions are a big purge loss as well as chicken parts, etc.   What you have to do is take a few extra points tare on these items to allow for this purge loss so there is still positive net weight results on checks.  One fine wipes out any profits gained by improper taring of product; it's best to be safe than sorry and knock off a few extra points of tare to compensate.

If you do find improper weights, bring it to the meat manager's (not a meatcutter, it's no skin off his arm) attention or the store manager's attention if not there.  If that doesn't resolve it, report it to the State Weights and Measures; they will correct it.  Liquid lost into packaging is no excuse for not having the promised net weight when the product is removed from the package, regardless if it's been frozen and thawed, left too long in the case, or any other reason.  You deserve to get what you pay for in wholesome product.

 

[alblancher]

Is it safe to assume that if chicken breasts are vacuum packed there will be less liquid waste in them?  Next time you are at Sam's take a look, the vacuum packed breasts look like all meat. If there is consistently 20% waste on the foam/plastic wrapped chicken you could pay 40cents a pound more for the vacuum packed and still be in the game, price wise.

I say this because I though it was difficult to vacuum pack product with a lot of liquid in it.  Wouldn't the vacuum pull the liquid out of the chicken and it would pool in the packaging where it is visible?  I guess it would be important for the package to be thawed, which they seem to be in the display case.

Al

 

[pandemonium]

I dont get you Ron? your saying that the boxs said tyson so what brand did the chicken say?

and i have had to return fowl meat like two or three time to sams and they dont give me 200% refund so i never heard that before but 100% is all i need so its all good.

 

[pandemonium]

am i a thread killer or what? hhaah im good!!

 

[ronp]

I dont get you Ron? your saying that the boxs said tyson so what brand did the chicken say?

and i have had to return fowl meat like two or three time to sams and they dont give me 200% refund so i never heard that before but 100% is all i need so its all good.

Not sure what the label said,yes they give your money back and replace the product = 200%.

Sorry I missed your post.

 

[pandemonium]

i dont understand why tyson chicken would be strange then? i thought you were gonna say it was members mark brand from a tysons chick box?

 

[ronp]

Maybe that's what the label says?

 

[matts]

Also if yur return your your meat they will replace it and give you money back also. That is a 200% guarantee.

That 200% guarantee is a satisfaction guarantee.  You don't have to return the meat, just bring your receipt and tell them it sucked and you want your money back.