10 disgusting things in the supermarket that customers don’t want to know about

The supermarket turns out to be a real jungle. I couldn’t believe my ears when our anonymous sources—supermarket employees and customers—started talking about the things they experience while doing their grocery shopping. Read on and remember: these things might also happen in your favorite supermarket. 

Lots of annoyances while grocery shopping 

Notably, the supermarket really does seem to be a source of annoyance. Supermarket employees previously let loose about things supermarket customers say that are just really weird. There are customers who are annoyed by cashiers, and vice versa, cashiers are annoyed by customers. There are customers who get incredibly irritated by people at self-checkouts, by annoying supermarket packaging—what isn’t annoying, really?

Disgusting things in the supermarket

Well, supermarket hygiene turns out to be pretty appalling too. You almost wonder how we ever make it out of the supermarket unscathed. Have you ever experienced any of these disgusting things in the supermarket?

1. Mice on the shelves

Yep, mice—supermarkets can have a lot of trouble with them. Do you remember—ew!—the dead mouse in Albert Heijn bread? This one is pretty gross too: imagine picking up your favorite candy from the shelf and finding a dead mouse on top of it. Dis-gus-ting. When my anonymous source told me about it, I almost threw up.

2. Moldy products

Of course, this one can’t be missing from the list. Spoiled goods such as moldy bread and cheese gone blue—and no, I’m not talking about edible blue cheese. As a customer, you simply don’t want to see this. Recently, I came home with bake-at-home cheese rolls and, sure enough, they were past their expiration date. My taste for this delicacy is ruined forever, because those blue rolls are still etched sharply on my retina. Yuck.

3. Disgusting customers

Especially in the bread section, a lot of things happen that you really don’t want to know about as a customer. Customers reaching into the bread bin with their hands to fish out that one particular bread roll—very hygienic… And seriously now: how often is that pair of tongs actually cleaned?

4. Filthy bread tongs

Not often, as it turns out. You really don’t want to know how dirty those tongs are. They fall on the floor, are used by hundreds of people and are barely cleaned. Do you still get it? No, picking up bread rolls with your hands doesn’t seem like such a crazy idea after all…

5. Fallen bread rolls put back in the bin

Oops, a bread roll falls—that happens. Did you think it would be thrown away? Unfortunately, I have to disappoint you: three-second rule or not, the bread roll is simply put back in the bin. A case of what happens in the store stays in the store.

6. Fruit flies in the juice machines

Juicing your own orange juice is totally hot and happening. But my anonymous source told me that in summer, the machine is full of fruit flies and is hardly ever cleaned. From now on, I’ll squeeze my oranges at home.

7. Everything cleaned with the same vacuum cleaner

Naturally, someone also runs a vacuum cleaner through the supermarket. But the vacuum cleaner that sucks up dirt from the entire floor is also used to clean the bread bins. Try not to think about it too much.

8. Limescale in the coffee machine

Many supermarkets have a coffee machine. My tip: don’t use it. The machine is barely cleaned, and descaling isn’t in the vocabulary of many supermarkets. So you’re better off buying coffee and drinking it at home.

9. Dusty stockroom

We previously wrote about things supermarket cashiers really find incredibly annoying about customers. But they aren’t exactly impressed by their supermarket’s stockroom either; it’s rather dirty and dusty. Fortunately, most of the stock is well packaged, such as cookies, candy and chips.

10. Revolting toilets

I hope with all my heart that you have a strong bladder and never need to use the toilet in the supermarket. But if you really have to go, let me prepare you. The toilet smells roughly like the urinal at Lowlands on the third day of the festival, and someone has also peed over the seat (aiming is difficult!). And this beloved bowl is barely cleaned, ulgh!

Also read:

• The unsettling truth about vegan cheese
• 8 remarkable food facts that are useful to know for your own safety
• 11 remarkable facts about bananas you didn’t know yet