My friend Truman laughs at me because I investigate the expiration date of every food product I look at. Dirty Don's rans the gamut here. Last week I found Little Debbie Snack Cakes for a buck (a 40-cent savings) that were set to expire at the end of May and others that had April 2010 expiration dates. Truman says the fact that he's alive after eating food with a May 2007 expiration date proves that I'm just too picky. So I asked two nice church ladies, both wheeling carts through the maze of cardboard boxes and mismatched shelving, about buying food past the suggested expiration dates.
"Oh I do it all the time, child," said one. "You just have to be careful not to go too far back."
I picked up a bottle of Paul Newman salad dressing with a July 2009 expiration date. "What about this?" I asked.
"It's a little far off," she said, "but it's mostly vinegar, you know. It should be OK."
She told me that she usually won't buy anything that's a year old. We both looked at jars of jam that had 2008 expiration dates. "It's probably good," the other lady said." And it's only 75 cents."
Translation: If it's not still fresh, you're only out three quarters.
I decided I'd risk going 60 days past an expiration date, but no further. But most of the products I bought were due to expire in May or much later, such as the jugs of organic lemonade or the hunk of Jarlsberg cheese that was several bucks less than at Costco (which is, in turn, much less expensive than most traditional supermarkets). I passed on the $7 cheesecakes, although they looked delicious, because I knew if I bought one, I'd probably eat the whole thing.
The cat treats stamped "Best Before 12/2009" seem to be fine: My cat loved them and after three days appears to be perfectly healthy.
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Dirty Don's is not for the weak at heart, but you can certainly find some good buys in there. I'd advise bringing in your own shopping bag, since pushing a cart in those narrow aisles is murder. And yes, you have to check all expiration dates. I've seen things in there that were years expired, and things not set to expire for years (and everything in between). Unlike some of the braver folks noted above, I won't buy expired stuff, although I will by soon-to-expire stuff (beef jerky is a great example) just knowing that it needs to be consumed quickly. I've also never seen any hobos or cops in there, but if they were at some point, who cares?
I must update my previous post. I just went yesterday and had a great experience. First off, I don't know what I was thinking with the whole "homeless" comment. When I pulled up, there were actually luxury vehicles parked out front. I suppose the drivers of these vehicles didn't get rich by chance! Just as on my first trip, there was a police officer on site to keep the peace. However, it was definitely not as scary as I remembered. I found some great deals on cold cereal, chewing gum and almond butter. Dirty Dons is awesome!
I've shopped there every week for the last couple years.
I watch the dates, but have discovered that things don't magically go bad on their dates. Besides, even if you would buy something that you don't think is good, they are happy to take it back.
The customers are treated like the management appreciates your business. I've never seen any bums or police there, just a lot of people glad to feed their families for less.
I'm sure there are plenty of people who would turn their noses up at shopping that way, but that's fine with me, leaves more for the rest of us.
Dirty D's is simply Fabu! There is no other way to say it.
From fromage to pate', it is always a movable feast at D D's.
I love the staff and the friendly souls who know a bargain when they see one.
Expiration dates be damned. I have found that a little aging on everything adds so much to the pleasures of life. I myself am a prime example.
I'm with PRJ: I've never seen anyone who "looks" homeless at Dirty Don's although I usually look pretty disheveled when I go there so for all I know, he's talking about me. Yes, I've seen a cop on premises: just like Cosentino's Market in Brookside. And the funny thing is that I have one snotty rich friend who adores Dirty Don's and serves all kinds of stuff from there -- even past-the-expiration-date foods -- at her swanky parties. She brags about how cheap everything was.
Contrary to James' statement....the several times I've been there hunting for bargains I have never seen police, never encountered supposed "homeless" people and never found anything scary nor to be afraid of.
Perhaps James is a touch paranoid or suffers from a societal anxiety disorder.
Just saying.
We miss having Dirty Don's in KCK. But you do have to be very careful about what you buy there.
Sounds like a great place James. Highlights include: "often there are homeless people", "scary", "cops on site waiting for trouble" & "not for snotty rich people".
A+ will shop there now.
Dirty Dons is amazing. You have to search for good finds, but boy are they worth it! The atmosphere is sometimes scary, often there are homeless people who appear to be living on the street. Also, when I have visited in the past there have been cops on site just waiting for trouble. Not for snotty rich people (obviously), but a great place for the rest of us!
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