there is a lot of discussion these days about when something, such as a medicine, really looses potency. In the US, everything has a date, whether that date is based on fact and research or just put on there so you toss it away and buy more.
On any given item you can likely google how long it is really good for and get a lot of opinions and maybe some factoids.
@user03854282 I have read that the expiration date of a medicine means that its effectiveness has dropped. (Makes sense to me that it wouldn’t mean the medicine itself has become dangerous or it wouldn’t have been allowed to be available at all.) The other issue is the potential growth of bacteria if the preservatives have become less effective. (Source: Cleveland Clinic)
Be sure you are seeing an ‘expiration date’ or ‘best by’ date, not a use by date. Pharmacies routinely put a use by date on there that is often exactly one year from when it was dispensed. Doesn’t matter what the medication is if it is shelf stable. Rarely is this related to half-life or potential preservation issues.
If a medication needs refrigeration, this does not apply. That has a real date that is impacted both by potential degradation of product and spoilage.
This is also true of custom mixed medications, made by compounding pharmacies. These might have an impact on what is mixed together.
But trust me, if you buy a bottle of Advil it is still good on that best by date.
Thanks @Cerridwyn! I knew the thing about pharmacies (mine is Walgreens) doing the one-year-after-dispensed for its use-before date, but you got me to run to my fridge to check my Trulicity which must (generally) be refrigerated. The pharmacy’s use-before date on their label says “Mfg. Labeled Date” and on the box it’s about 13 months from when I got it.
@blaineg That is, in fact, why we are able to buy them for so cheap. They are generally at least one of:
food (or other perishable) which is “too close” the labeled date, making full-price stores unwilling to stock it (because full-price shoppers are unwilling to pay full price for “old” goods)
a bad idea which somehow got over-produced, so the only way it sells at all is for super cheap
anything that has outlived it’s mainstream appeal
refurbished stuff, which never sells for full price
(I’m surely missing a few situations.)
In any case, it is expected that all of us go into these deals aware of the “lowered desirability” of the products, and that we consider it a fair trade for the discount passed along to us.
Otherwise we don’t buy.
@pmarin
Oh gawd… My guy goes through those stages when he does the whole expired, expired, expired thing until the cupboards are almost bare. My heart is usually in the pit of my stomach since it’s MY pocketbook that is the one to replenish it.
And, I learned to keep my mouth shut about my B.I.L being an ass, only because it’s his last remaining sibling, and he already knows it’s a fact. Lol
@Kyeh it really depends on if you trust your supplier. McDonald’s is pretty standardized when it comes to packaging and freshness; when they say use by xx/yy/zzzz, they really mean it. Because they store things expecting them to expire during transport and to be sold immediately at the restaurant. I’ve had milk from the place that was perfectly within the sell-by date that was warm and solid because it was probably stored under the counter all day because the minifridge was full and no one thought of using the basement freezer.
@pakopako@PhysAssist I’ve said this here before, but I once found half a tube of Girl Scouts Thin Mints in my desk drawer at work. It was probably 2 years old. They tasted exactly like “fresh” ones.
@Kyeh@pakopako@PhysAssist I’ve heard the Twinkies thing all my life, but it’s not true. In grade school someone offered to trade me something in my lunch for his Twinkie.
It was putrid! It scarred me so badly I didn’t touch another Twinkie for years.
@blaineg@pakopako@PhysAssist Euw. Probably good for your health, though, avoiding them. My mother was strict about food so we never got Twinkies or Hostess snacks as kids. When I finally got to try them I thought they were gross, too greasy.
That’s not unusual. Do remember that there is a difference in a Best Buy date and a used by date.
Also, if you look at the specs on the sales page for that product, the “best by” date is always clearly stated.
Fresh products with distant expiration dates are for those fancy Amazon shoppers…
When it comes to a Medicines, expiration date is an important thing.
@user03854282 again
it depends.
there is a lot of discussion these days about when something, such as a medicine, really looses potency. In the US, everything has a date, whether that date is based on fact and research or just put on there so you toss it away and buy more.
On any given item you can likely google how long it is really good for and get a lot of opinions and maybe some factoids.
@user03854282 I have read that the expiration date of a medicine means that its effectiveness has dropped. (Makes sense to me that it wouldn’t mean the medicine itself has become dangerous or it wouldn’t have been allowed to be available at all.) The other issue is the potential growth of bacteria if the preservatives have become less effective. (Source: Cleveland Clinic)
@ItalianScallion @user03854282
Again, yes and no
Be sure you are seeing an ‘expiration date’ or ‘best by’ date, not a use by date. Pharmacies routinely put a use by date on there that is often exactly one year from when it was dispensed. Doesn’t matter what the medication is if it is shelf stable. Rarely is this related to half-life or potential preservation issues.
If a medication needs refrigeration, this does not apply. That has a real date that is impacted both by potential degradation of product and spoilage.
This is also true of custom mixed medications, made by compounding pharmacies. These might have an impact on what is mixed together.
But trust me, if you buy a bottle of Advil it is still good on that best by date.
Thanks @Cerridwyn! I knew the thing about pharmacies (mine is Walgreens) doing the one-year-after-dispensed for its use-before date, but you got me to run to my fridge to check my Trulicity which must (generally) be refrigerated. The pharmacy’s use-before date on their label says “Mfg. Labeled Date” and on the box it’s about 13 months from when I got it.
@ItalianScallion
/showme a smiling cerridwyn
@Cerridwyn You are quite a lovely enchantress!
@ItalianScallion I wish. That’s a very interesting one that the bot did this time
Everyone. This IS Meh.
@blaineg Best. Answer. Yet.
@blaineg That is, in fact, why we are able to buy them for so cheap. They are generally at least one of:
(I’m surely missing a few situations.)
In any case, it is expected that all of us go into these deals aware of the “lowered desirability” of the products, and that we consider it a fair trade for the discount passed along to us.
Otherwise we don’t buy.
Supply …of milk?
My sister-in-law visited last year and basically did the whole “Expired… Expired… Expired” thing from the TV ad.
Then fell into some other conflict where I basically said her husband (my brother-in-law) was an asshole. we are still in an uneasy détente.
@pmarin
My heart is usually in the pit of my stomach since it’s MY pocketbook that is the one to replenish it. 
Oh gawd… My guy goes through those stages when he does the whole expired, expired, expired thing until the cupboards are almost bare.
And, I learned to keep my mouth shut about my B.I.L being an ass, only because it’s his last remaining sibling, and he already knows it’s a fact. Lol
/image Casablanca shocked shocked
Near expired products being sold here??
@pmarin “I’m shocked, shocked that expired goods are being sold here!”
“Sir, here is your IRK.”
“Oh, thank you.”
@ItalianScallion We’ll always have Carrolton, TX.
@pmarin “IRK, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship…”
@ItalianScallion @pmarin That image really works well! @f00l, look at this …
Speaking of sell-by dates:
@Kyeh it really depends on if you trust your supplier. McDonald’s is pretty standardized when it comes to packaging and freshness; when they say use by xx/yy/zzzz, they really mean it. Because they store things expecting them to expire during transport and to be sold immediately at the restaurant. I’ve had milk from the place that was perfectly within the sell-by date that was warm and solid because it was probably stored under the counter all day because the minifridge was full and no one thought of using the basement freezer.
@pakopako
Well, these pastries “expire” on a date that doesn’t exist …
@Kyeh @pakopako
EWWWWWW! [to the milk].
The pastries are probably related to Twinkies…
@pakopako @PhysAssist I’ve said this here before, but I once found half a tube of Girl Scouts Thin Mints in my desk drawer at work. It was probably 2 years old. They tasted exactly like “fresh” ones.
@Kyeh @pakopako @PhysAssist I’ve heard the Twinkies thing all my life, but it’s not true. In grade school someone offered to trade me something in my lunch for his Twinkie.
It was putrid! It scarred me so badly I didn’t touch another Twinkie for years.
@blaineg @pakopako @PhysAssist Euw. Probably good for your health, though, avoiding them. My mother was strict about food so we never got Twinkies or Hostess snacks as kids. When I finally got to try them I thought they were gross, too greasy.
@blaineg @Kyeh @pakopako @PhysAssist Zingers were way better than Twinkies until Hostess bought them and ruined them.
@blaineg @pakopako @PhysAssist @yakkoTDI I agree
! The raspberry ones!