Mainland consumers complain about moldy and rotten cherries at Sam’s Club.

Recently, many mainland Chinese internet users have been complaining online about quality issues with Chilean imported cherries from Sam’s Club. The cherries have been reported to taste bitter and astringent, with some even showing signs of mold. Some individuals have experienced nausea and diarrhea after consuming them. Sam’s Club customer service responded by attributing the presence of some bad fruits to normal occurrences during sea transportation, and suggested that adverse bodily reactions could be due to overconsumption.

One netizen shared their experience of purchasing 5 kilograms of Chilean 2J cherries from Sam’s Club at the Global Harbor in Changzhou, Jiangsu, for 288 Chinese Yuan. Upon inspection, they found a moldy fruit and discovered that about 30% of the cherries had bruises, insect holes, and cracks, with two cherries being moldy. Despite Sam’s Club initially refusing to offer a refund or return on agricultural products, through mediation from the Changzhou Market Supervision Administration, they eventually agreed to a return and compensation of a 150 yuan voucher.

Another consumer from Nanchang, Jiangxi, expressed dissatisfaction after buying 5 kilograms of Ravins cherries for 328 yuan through Sam’s Club’s express delivery service. They found various cherries with cracks and mold upon opening the package, with the cherry paper underneath being damp. The consumer claimed that at least 1.5 kilograms of the box contained bad fruits, but due to splitting the cost with colleagues, they did not return the item.

Furthermore, some users complained about purchasing a whole box of cherries only to find them tasting bitter and astringent. Upon closer inspection, they discovered that the lower layer of cherries was mostly of poor quality, with several cherries being rotten. In extreme cases, individuals reported experiencing symptoms resembling food poisoning, such as vomiting and diarrhea, after consuming cherries bought from Sam’s Club.

According to Sam’s Club’s member store app, the 5-kilogram prices for Chilean imported cherries 2J and 3J are 268 yuan and 328 yuan respectively. The 2.5-kilogram price for 4J cherries is 199 yuan, with these products ranking high in the new and popular product lists.

The Sam’s Club website marks the cherries as “imported,” stating that approximately 8% of the fruits may be damaged due to long-distance transportation, which they deem as a normal occurrence, reassuring customers to be understanding.

In the cherry grading system, the letter “J” is commonly used to indicate the diameter size of cherries. The higher the number of “J”s, the larger the cherries. 1J typically represents cherries with a diameter between 26 to 28 millimeters, 2J between 28 to 30 millimeters, 3J between 30 to 32 millimeters, and 4J for cherries with a diameter greater than 32 millimeters.

Recently, the “Plummeting Prices of Cherries” trend and related discussions have surged in popularity on mainland social media. Cherries are often referred to as the “aristocrats of fruits.” With the increased importation of Chilean cherries to mainland China, the prices of cherries have continued to decline. According to mainland reports, the negative evaluations of cherry quality have rapidly increased since January.

Sam’s Club customer service emphasized that Chilean imported cherries cross the ocean to reach the domestic market, where the transportation and storage process may lead to softened flesh and cracks in the fruits, urging consumers to contact customer service for feedback.

On January 23rd, Sam’s Club customer service reiterated that most orders with bad fruits were for Chilean imported cherries, which may experience moisture loss during sea transportation and storage. They clarified that up to 8% of bad fruits are considered normal, and instances of nausea and diarrhea could be due to excessive consumption or individual physiological factors. Regarding full refunds, customer service mentioned that customers with higher proportions of bad fruits can contact them for post-sales service after verifying the situation.