38th ANNUAL MYSTERY SHOPPER REPORT: Time Crunch

Undercover shoppers search for convenience in value-added produce.

Time-strapped shoppers seek convenience in the produce department, and many are looking to get their veggies and fruits in a quick and easy way. This is where value-added produce, such as pre-cut or fresh-cut fruits and vegetables, comes in.

The average American has less than an hour daily to prepare and eat meals, and a third have less than a half hour, based on the fifth annual U.S. Snack Index by Frito-Lay North America and The Quaker Oats Co., so fresh-cut fruits and veggies can fast-forward food on the table.

This year, Produce Business sent its mystery shoppers to investigate what value-added products are available in the produce department.

For more than 35 years, Produce Business magazine has devoted a cover story to informing supermarket retailers about the perceptions shoppers may experience in their produce departments. This year, we wanted to learn how this category is faring across the country, and explore how stores merchandise value-added produce.

We wanted to know what fresh-cut displays look like. What is the location within the produce department? What types of fruits and vegetables are available as value-added? Is there in-store signage? Does the store offer anything that boosts your meal creativity with value-added items (ex. tie-ins or recipes, QR codes)? What is pricing (ex: per pound)?

What does the overall produce department look like? How long do fresh-cut vegetables and fruits keep? Is there a sell-by date on the packaging? What is the packaging? Does the store do any cross-merchandising to trigger value-added sales?

We unleashed our mystery shoppers, and here’s what we found:

MYSTERY SHOPPER 1: NORTHWESTERN REGION
Produce Employee Didn’t Offer Many Suggestions

I visited a local store of a national chain. I noticed two workers in the produce department as I approached. One was working from a cart that was loaded with cardboard. As I started to approach this young man, he wheeled the cart into the back room, so I steered myself toward the other worker who was standing by the citrus.

As I approached, the man looked up, smiled and said, “Hi, how are you?”

I said, “I am in charge of providing snacks for a company-wide meeting at work. In order to make the work as easy as possible for myself, I am looking for as much pre-cut fruits and vegetables as I can find, anything fresh, as much variety as possible.”

He put the orange down that he was holding and walked a few steps toward the direction of the wall display of fresh-cut fruit. He pointed to the section, which was about 15 feet away, and told me the pre-cut fruit was my “best bet.”

Then he pivoted and pointed to the display along the wall of the produce section, which he said had some prepared trays. I said, “thank you,” and he turned to walk back to his workstation.

The veggie trays were prepared snack trays with baby carrots, grape tomatoes, celery slices and broccoli florets with a cup of ranch dip, priced at $10.99 for 40 ounces. These were the same as the prepared trays I noticed when I first entered the produce section.

As I walked through the produce department before I approached him, I had also noticed a charcuterie fruit tray that contained cubed cheese, apples, grapes, and pretzels priced at $14.99 for 32 ounces. The produce worker didn’t direct me to these charcuterie trays, which would have been nice. If I hadn’t noticed them on my own, I would not have known those were available.

I selected a 24-ounce clamshell of cut strawberries and berries for $8.99.

MYSTERY SHOPPER 2: MIDWESTERN REGION
Produce Employees Friendly, Answered Questions

I visited a national chain on a weeknight a couple of hours prior to closing. It is always buzzing with activity, and this night was no exception. The produce department had a mix of moms with their children, younger women and middle-aged men.

While produce items, such as apples, cantaloupe, oranges and bananas, were merchandised in island displays immediately upon entering the store, the fresh-cut items were less plentiful and more obscure in a refrigerated section along the left side wall.

Among the bagged salads, cut broccoli, mini cucumbers and sliced fruit, I came upon a well-stocked section of carrots. There were the quintessential bagged baby carrots, but alongside these were bags of multi-colored miniature carrots, something that I haven’t come across very often. I was instantly intrigued.

I saw an employee by the refrigerated cases, possibly checking expiration dates on the nearby prepared salads, so I approached him. “Excuse me, I have a couple of questions for you,” I said, and he stopped what he was doing, then was very receptive and friendly.

“I’m wondering if the pre-cut vegetables require washing prior to use.” He quickly answered, “Yes, these should definitely be washed.”

I then inquired whether the mini carrots needed to be cooked differently than the full-size carrots. The staff member didn’t know, so we walked over to another staff member who was not sure about the cooking times, but said the larger the carrot, the longer the cook times.

I asked about the flavor of multi-colored carrots. “They are definitely sweeter, and each type has a different taste,” he explained, while the first employee stood by me and nodded. “The carrots are very flavorful,” he added.

I thanked both gentlemen, as they were friendly, took time to assist and answered my questions.

MYSTERY SHOPPER 3: SOUTHERN REGION
Value-Added Almost an Afterthought

I stopped by a busy, new-to-me supermarket on a Tuesday mid-afternoon, and the store was bustling. Granted, there was an unusual winter weather prediction for the South, which had a lot of shoppers stocking up with essentials in case they were snowed or iced in (which they ultimately were). This store is part of a regional, multi-state chain, and the banner is a wholly owned subsidiary of a national grocery giant.

The number of shoppers, however, added to a chaotic visit to the produce department, as the small-ish area and aisles couldn’t easily accommodate two shopping carts side-by-side, so I was constantly looking ahead for “oncoming traffic,” and had to park my buggy in a random space just so I could more easily check each side of freestanding display cases.

There was no produce employee to be seen, so I made a couple circles of the department, hoping one would appear. No one did. So, I guess I was on my own to explore value-added options.

There were a few lettuce/greens salad kits (many of the slots were empty) and bowls in an upright refrigerated wall, about a half-dozen branded microwaveable small potato options, and I finally found a value-added fruit section on an endcap near the front of the section and the store.

This area had cut fruit in clamshells, such as watermelon, pineapple, mango, mixed fruit, orange sections, and cups of grapes. There were also some cucumber slices (that didn’t look too fresh). It was a small display case, grouped with the fruit and vegetable drinks.

If I was looking for quick meal inspiration, or ideas for convenient school or work lunches, or anything value-added to make my life easier or more produce-centric, I came to the wrong place.

MYSTERY SHOPPER 4: EASTERN REGION
A Wide Variety of Packaged Salads

On a Sunday evening, the independently owned chain I visited was active, although relatively quiet, which was to be expected in this upper middle class suburban neighborhood.

The produce section has cold cases along the perimeter. Short floor fixtures ran perpendicular to the side cases. The short aisles made for lots of mini endcaps. The displays had various products, which included several examples of fresh-cut, value-added and convenience items.

One, for example, included cello packaged mushrooms, wrapped cauliflower and romaine hearts. Another included a wide variety of branded and private label salads, including chopped salads.

The main fresh-cut fruit cases incorporated a range of branded cup, jar and clamshell items, along with tubs of store-branded products, including honeydew melon, cantaloupe, watermelon, mango, pineapple and a variety of mixed fruit tubs.

The store was particularly deep in branded and private label salads. Most of the major brands had representation, both conventional and organic. The salads, both bagged and clamshell, were in cases behind glass doors. Some plant-based, vegetarian and vegan products shared the cold cases that included the salads.

Fresh-cut vegetables also shared the cases, and behind the doors were a few branded items, but mostly private label tubs, with a few own-brand bagged items.

An employee in the produce department, one of two on duty, was very friendly when approached about the product in the fresh-cut fruit case. When asked about the preparation of the store-brand fresh cuts, she responded that the store does its own prep and packaging.

She said that some pineapple stocked in the produce section might be selected on a given day, then taken to the processing area to be chunked into fresh cuts, which then return to the produce department, just to a different case. She said fresh cuts go fast. “Every day I work here, it’s gone and redone once a day at least,” she said.

The employee made an interesting point. By way of linear feet, the store-branded fresh-cut presentation was small, in the range of 24 linear feet, but that’s not an accident. Rather, the produce department employees keep an eye on the display and send fruit for processing regularly, ensuring that what’s on the shelf is always freshly processed. And, she added, there are no “disasters” regarding people being disappointed or getting sick from bad product.

Overall, the store in general and the produce department in particular, delivered a nice shopping experience. The produce department offered clear sightlines, so it was easy to pick out product, and cold case doors were clear with well-arranged displays that made it easy to see what was stocked.

The store was clean, well merchandised and holes in the displays were few and far between. If the department deserves any criticism, it’s due to narrow aisles and upfront block displays that made it tough for two shoppers to pass at a time.

MYSTERY SHOPPER 5: WESTERN REGION
This Produce Department is All Business

On a Sunday afternoon, we rolled into the spacious parking lot, which is best measured in acres, not spaces. There are no trees or shrubs in this expanse of asphalt. This lot is all business — the business of getting hands off steering wheels, on shopping carts, and then on wallets.

This giant market is on the busiest street in an upscale coastal town. Across the street is the border of a multi-ethnic working-class town that is also served by this supermarket. The store is large, even by corporate supermarket standards, and the produce department alone is at least 10,000 square feet.

An abundant supply of both conventional and organic fruits and vegetables is reasonably priced, as the department is run as economically as possible. We found only one worker in the department, a young man who was stocking a produce bin.

When we told him we were looking for fresh-cut fruits and vegetables for healthy snacks and meals for a heart-healthy diet, we quickly learned that he was amiable, but too new and untrained to be of much help. He suggested we could look at packages of mixed nuts and raisins.

After he said he had no idea how long the fresh-cut fruit was good after the package was opened, we spared this nice young fellow the embarrassment of asking how to tell if the fresh-cut cantaloupe is soft enough and if the watermelon is too soft.

He directed us toward the display of fresh-cuts, which was more than ample.

This store is less than an hour from the headquarters of the largest fresh-cut vegetable producer in the country and there was an admirable selection of fresh-cut squashes and mini salad kits small enough for one. We settled on two packages of fresh-cut pineapples and three salad kits of different varieties.

Even though the store, including the produce department, serves a diverse demographic, there was no educational or promotional material to encourage consumers thinking of crossing over to learn how other ethnicities eat.

I thought there were promotional opportunities lost, but then, we came away with two packages of pineapples, one of mixed berries, three salads, and change from our $20 bill.

MYSTERY SHOPPER 6: MIDWESTERN REGION
Overall, This Produce Department is a Disappointment

I started this year’s journey at a local grocery store, but, upon arrival, quickly realized it was a bust. They had a very small (two short shelves) section with a couple of fruits. They were swimming in liquid, which, to me, signaled they had been sitting there awhile, and might not be fresh.

I headed down the street to another retailer. Immediately inside the door, I spotted signage above an oval cooler that read “Prepared Fresh Fruit,” “Prepared Fresh Vegetables,” “Party Trays & Dips,” and “Grab and Go.” Many of the items in that cooler were far too ripe, sitting in juices, and had “reduced for clearance” stickers.

I began looking for a produce employee. At that time, only one man was working a rather large produce section. I explained that I had recently had shoulder surgery, making it difficult to cut and prep meals. With working a full-time job and no budget for home meal delivery services, I was looking for some pre-cut produce.

I asked the employee when the fresh-cut items were packed. Just how fresh is fresh? He bluntly (and rather rudely) replied, “Well, we don’t pack them here; they come in that way. They have dates right on them.”

I then asked him if they had any preservatives on them, to which he replied, “How would I know? I just told you I don’t pack them.”

With that, I went to shopping the “fresh” section. The fruit side had mostly melons, but also pineapple and fruit mixes. The pineapple was either unripe or overripe, and had two sizes, a $3.99 small, and the $5.99 medium.

The dip end had salsa and not much else. The party tray end had only one that wasn’t marked clearance due to the date. The vegetable side was an even bigger disappointment. Most items were also marked with a red clearance sticker.

I looked for the employee to ask if by chance they had a fresher assortment in the back, but I could not locate the man. A couple I picked up to purchase were marked with reduced clearance stickers, and I had to pass on them. The matchstick carrots and the celery in the party trays, for example, had dried and browning ends.

I purchased a container of pre-cut sweet potatoes and pre-cut squash. When I got home and went to roast them, they were slimy.

Overall, I was disappointed with the selection, freshness, employee assistance, the price for the product, and the sheer amount of plastic that came home with me to save me a minimal amount of time in the kitchen.

MYSTERY SHOPPER 7: SOUTHERN REGION
Employee Saves My Dinner Party

While visiting friends in another state, I explored a local supermarket, focusing on its value-added produce offerings. The store is part of a large supermarket chain, with more than 1,000 locations in seven states. I visited midmorning on a Thursday.

As you enter the store, the produce department follows the bakery and deli departments, and commands a large space. It is clean with unobscured sight lines, with refrigerated cases and wet racks along the walls, and slant tables of various configurations commanding the center.

I browsed for a bit, but there was an employee working, so I went up to him and said, “I need you to be a mind reader. I’m hosting a vegetarian at a dinner party tonight, and I’m not a very good cook. What do you recommend that is pre-prepped and easy to put together?”

He thought for a little bit, and then took me over to an area where a lot of the tofu and plant-based meat items, including some made primarily from mushrooms, and said, “I’ve tried them. They’re surprisingly good. We sell a lot of these.”

Then, he took me over to the potato section and pointed to the Tasteful Selections, branded microwaveable small potatoes with a seasoning packet. He also asked me what protein I would be eating.

All of a sudden, he looked up, like he had an epiphany, and quickly headed over to one section where the chain’s chefs have created air fryer- or sheet pan-ready groupings of pre-seasoned vegetables. “You could use these, and do a second pan with your shrimp.” There were several vegetable blend and seasoning options, all of which looked good.

The employee asked if he could help me with anything else, before returning to his stocking duties.
The traditional value-added, cut fruit and vegetable section (think clamshells) was very large, very clean and well stocked, but it was great to have an employee help me think out-of-the-box for menu options. Pricing was a little on the higher side, but all the produce looked fresh and high quality. I was happy to make a purchase at this location.

MYSTERY SHOPPER 8: NORTHEASTERN REGION
Plenty of Fresh Cuts and Organics For Store Size

On a Sunday afternoon visit to a local chain, a feature of the produce department that became immediately apparent was the abundance of fresh cuts and other convenience food.

The store has a grab-and-go section right in front, which includes various salads. A lot of the convenience products were labeled with the chain’s brand name and offered items beyond produce, including chicken, soups, quiche, quesadillas and a spaghetti dinner. The produce department follows the initial convenience food section and a deli case.

The store belongs to a small local chain. The stores themselves are somewhat on the smaller side compared with the bigger regional banners, although they are full supermarkets, and they are immaculate and carefully stocked. The prices are somewhat above average, but the well-stocked and fairly diverse selection in the produce department is a clear draw.

The stores offered fresh cuts in multiple displays. One, near the head of the section, featured fresh-cut vegetables. On the top shelf of the cold case were diced vegetables, including onions, celery, carrots and peeled garlic in tubs, as well as a variety of salsas. Below were larger clamshells that offered cut vegetables, including carrots, celery, cauliflower, peppers and broccoli. On the bottom shelf, were even bigger clamshells featuring the same vegetables in tubs large enough for a feast or party.

The cold case offered a shelf of cut, chunked and “spaghettified” carrots, zucchini and other vegetables, then cubed butternut squash and halved Brussels sprouts, clamshell salads, cello-wrapped mushrooms, romaine hearts, including some organics.

The next case offered bagged and clamshell salads, with the clamshells all offering organic greens.

At the top, were branded single-serve cups, but below were three shelves of ever larger fresh cuts in tubs. The first shelf held tubs that could be single-sized or serve two, with watermelon, pineapple, kiwi, mango and mixed fruit among them. A few parfait cups ended the run.

The next shelf held larger containers with pretty much the same fruits, with the addition of single mixed grapes and strawberries. More of the same on the next shelf, but in family-sized tubs. Below were juices and platters of cut mixed fruit and watermelon.

The single produce department employee was working diligently attending to the section throughout the visit, leaving and returning multiple times as he replaced a few tired items with fresher-looking fruits and vegetables, and otherwise remerchandised the section to good effect. On approach, I commented on the section and said it looked nice, to which he smiled and said, “Thank you.”

I began to ask him about the fresh cuts and how the store approached offering them. The overwhelming majority are labeled with the store name. And I asked him if the cut fruits and vegetables were all processed by the chain itself. Although the few branded items were noteworthy, he said that the chain did cut everything under the store brand, but not on-site. He said the processing did take place at a central location, with products delivered regularly to the store.

When I asked about shelf life, he said the fresh-cut products could last up to a week if properly refrigerated, in part because they sold through quickly.

I asked if they had problems with wastage, but he said that it wasn’t usually the case because of the quick sell-through. He added that the workers in the department are careful to check the fresh-cut products and will immediately pull any product “if it’s no good.”