When it comes to food packaging, we’re all likely very familiar with the phrase: “actual product may not vary from the images shown on the package.” It goes without saying that ads in general aren’t always exactly what’s shown; that is to say, never overlook the ‘fine print.’ Unfortunately, one grandma wishing to prepare Thanksgiving dinner for her family in Massachusetts might have very well missed the fine print when she ordered a pre-cooked Thanksgiving dinner, only to receive Tupperware of frozen solid food.
Paying $130 for the whole package, the grandma likely imagined she would be picking up a grand hot meal from the grocery store for Thanksgiving. But instead, the family ended up having to bake the turkey for 3-ish hours, while also dealing with the rest of the frozen food. The grandson, in particular, was so upset that he took to Reddit to post about the whole ordeal on r/mildlyinfuriating, claiming that “the advertising in her newspaper and at the store in no way indicated any of this.”
The grandson continued, saying how warming up some of the meal items in 20 minutes would have been fine, but the fact that it took hours seemingly stressed out the family. “Obviously this promotion was geared toward people like my grandma who have a hard time making big meals. So to sell her something that was advertised as cooked, and give her the complete opposite is one of the scummiest things I’ve ever seen a company do,” he complains. The comment section was sympathetic to the grandma, of course, but many also pointed out how this experience was nothing new.
One person who claimed they worked in a grocery store explained how “pre-cooked” meals are always prepackaged in containers and cooled or even frozen for storage before customer pickup. Another person checking on the website that the grandma used also pointed out how the ad says “Heat and Serve,” and a reply also uploaded a photo of the business’s Facebook ad saying “Ready to Reheat.” That said, many assume the grandma likely misread, misunderstood, or simply overlooked the fine print that appeared.
In the end, the family and the grandma got their Thanksgiving meal, but now they’ll know for next year that “pre-cooked” means “ready to be thawed and reheated,” as opposed to being ready to eat.
