WARNING - DON’T BUY STORE BRAND DOG FOOD AT SHAW’S

A few days ago, I made the mistake of picking up a 32 pound bag of dog food at a Shaw’s Supermarket in the Boston area.. It’s the store brand, marketed under the name “Shopper’s Value”. Although I was not rough in the handling thereof, as I attempted to take the bag out of the back of my car it split, first from top to bottom and then completely across the bottom of the bag (which has four layers of packaging). Once the bag started to rip, it was like experiencing an old silent comedy film where Laurel & Hardy try to stop the flow of water. Nothing that I did could stop the tear from continuing until it could go no further – again, close to three feet on the side from top to bottom and then completely across the bottom of the bag through four layers of packaging. The contents spilled all over my car and driveway. In examining the bag after the rip, it was clear that Shaw’s packaging of the product was an accident waiting to happen – it was flimsy in the extreme and far inferior to packaging of any and all other bagged dog food that I have purchased over the thirty years that I have owned dogs. I shoveled as much of the dog food as a could cradle into the remains of the ripped bag and immediately returned it to Shaw’s where I was given a refund. I then called Shaw’s home office to complain about the defective packaging of its product and to request a gift certificate to partially make up for the experience and my waste of time in not only having to return the remains of the package for a refund but in having to clean out my car and clean up my driveway. Shaw’s representative responded by saying “You got your money back. What more do you want?”. When I responded to her comment by asking to speak with a supervisor I was disconnected, which only added insult to injury. While obviously not anywhere near as serious as the problems faced by Toyota owners, both corporations share the same lack of concern and contempt for their customers. Consequently, I wonder if Shaw’s should be characterized as “the Toyota of supermarkets”. Whatever, I suggest that everyone avoid purchasing bags of “Shopper’s Value” dog food at Shaw’s Supermarkets.