This Walmart Reddit Post Proves Why You Should Check Expiration Dates

"Do you have any aged salmon?" said nobody ever. It's apparently inventory time at Walmart, which, aside from being a rather tedious exercise for retail employees everywhere, also requires cleaning out bins and shelves that often reveal some gross discoveries. A recent Reddit post shows an extra special inventory find that should remind us all to always check a product's expiration date before buying it.

Reddit user Laday2727 posted an appetite-killing picture of a package of Atlantic salmon that had expired in May of 2020, with the caption reading, "Amazing what one finds during fresh inventory." As one Redditor commented, "That's not a salmon anymore. Now it's a fine wine." Laday2727 explained that the 18-month-old filet of fish was discovered during the customary fresh food inventory at Walmart. It had somehow made its way under a plastic barrier in the fish section, where it aged to imperfection. One Reddit user, who is clearly a monster, dared the poor employee to cook it in the breakroom, a far worse punishment than having to fish it off of a shelf over a year past its expiration date.

"I don't think I needed to see that date to know not to eat that 'salmon'," said Reddit user masqu-the-turtle when confronted by the photo of the salmon filet turned seafood paté. When your fish has changed color and texture and morphed into an entirely different product, it's a safe bet to trash it. According to Eat By Date, fresh salmon will last in the fridge for one to two days past the printed date or for six to nine months in the freezer. There is also an important distinction between "sell by" and "use by" expiration dates. When your food has a sell-by date, you usually have some more wiggle room before it goes bad, while a use-by date indicates the last day the food can safely be prepared and eaten. And, of course, if your fresh food has celebrated a birthday, it should meet the trash before it ever sees a plate.

Redditor u/Shems08 said of the months-old fish, "That means it made its way through a few inventories." Other users (and retail workers) went on to chronicle the horrors of products found during inventory and the poor cleaning practices of lax co-workers, further reminding us all to check and double-check those dates. U/Odaeyss pretty much sums it up by commenting, "That salmon has gone salmoff."