“Unsold Bread”

Discarded rather than reduced the price or given away.

2bebetter
Readers Hope
7 min readNov 26, 2023

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When you see this title, did you kinda get the feeling the boss is either a bit wasteful or a tad tight-fisted? Well, guess what? There’s more to the story.

After checking out his reasons, you might nod along with his way of doing things.

So, imagine this: You’re running a shop, and there’s some unsold grub hanging around. What’s the best way to deal with it?

Some folks might opt to share it with those in need, spreading the good vibes, while others might just toss it out.

No right or wrong here, just different strokes, ya know? And those who lean towards tossing stuff aren’t doing it to be wasteful; they’ve been through some rough patches.

Now, why did our boss decide to give the boot to those unsold buns? Let’s dive into it.

Photo by Siebe Warmoeskerken on Unsplash

What People Are Saying Online

So, on the headlines today, a buddy noticed that bakery staff have this habit of chucking out unsold bread. Got him scratching his head. Why not just put it on sale, you know?

“Why not give a discount? Is there, like, too much food or something?”

He’s feeling a bit baffled by the whole throwing-away thing. Now, before Bai Ying breaks down why the boss does this, let’s check out what regular folks are saying.

Folks Who Get Why the Boss Does It:

“I’m all for ditching the expired bread. If you slap a discount on it, everyone’s just gonna wait for that sale and might forget. That could mean even more bread going to waste. Tossing good bread in the trash? People who need it will go pick it up. It’s like what He Shen said, mixing sand into disaster relief supplies can help more folks in need.”

“If I were the boss, I’d probably fling it a bit farther away, definitely not near my shop’s trash. You never know if someone eats it and then comes back with complaints, right?”

And then there are those with a bit of a business brain:

“Looking at it from a savings angle, what the boss did might seem off. But think about it from a business perspective — if you start discounting, everyone waits for the sales, and bam, no one’s buying full-priced bread anymore.”

“Pitching unsold bread? It’s just another step in making some dough. The waste part is just how outsiders see it. For the businesses, making money isn’t exactly a waste, you know?”

But hey, there are also pals suggesting a different approach, like donating the bread:

“Why not give it away? Wouldn’t it be awesome to donate it to welfare or nursing homes? Another thought is, can we send it over to a welfare home?”

“Sorry, I’m on a budget here. If that bread’s up for grabs free after 9 p.m., you bet I’d be in line every night. No need to buy separately.”

And of course, there’s someone pointing out a different perspective:

“Tossing out bread every day kinda shows the boss might be a bit green, not so savvy. And maybe not willing to try out better ways of handling things. It’s sort of a negative vibe — like, not really into sharing the benefits, you know?”

Photo by Farhad Ibrahimzade on Unsplash

Ever wondered why bakeries toss out bread instead of giving it a discount or donating it?

Well, let’s spill the tea on that. So, imagine you’re the boss. Your main concern is protecting your interests, right? Totally get it. Those leftover loaves have kinda lost their mojo, you know? That’s why lots of owners choose to cut a deal on those bread babies before closing up shop, grabbing back some of that dough (pun intended).

Some sweet bosses might donate those extras to the homeless, which is awesome. But over time, some folks start thinking the bakery should be Santa Claus year-round.

Now, when all the bread is sold out, drama alert! Plus, freshly baked bread doesn’t play nice with preservatives, especially the ones with fancy ingredients like fresh milk. Even chilling in the fridge won’t save them for too long.

And let’s talk taste. Any bread aficionado knows the deal — it’s all about that fresh-out-the-oven vibe. Selling long-stored bread could mess with the bakery’s vibe and might even chase away the regulars, leading to a sad shutdown.

Discounts or freebies might seem like a cool move, but it’s a risky business. Selling those loaves on the cheap could cramp the store’s style and eat into profits. Owners know it’s not the smartest move, but sometimes, tossing out the leftover bread just feels like the right thing to do.

This whole tossing-out-food thing isn’t just a bakery problem. It’s been around for ages. Like, back in the day during the Great Depression, milk producers were pouring out milk like it was going out of style. The food biz loves its freshness, making bakery owners reluctantly toss out bread.

So, yeah, while throwing away bread might seem like a waste, from the boss’s point of view, it’s kinda a savvy move. Cheers to making tough calls in the bakery world! 🍞✨

Photo by Yeh Xintong on Unsplash

Life Stories Shared by Online Friends

Ever wondered if what the boss is doing is right or wrong? Let’s take a peek into some real-life stories shared by online buddies for a more casual chat about it.

“Thinking back two years, our community got a new meat shop that claimed they wouldn’t sell meat from the day before. Prices during the day were one thing, but as night fell, they dropped every hour, getting cheaper. The result? Deserted during the day, but packed at night. However, this meat shop barely lasted six months before closing shop.”

“It’s like helping a fallen elderly person — should you take them to a welfare home or a retirement home? A tiny hiccup, and your store can’t handle it.”

“In my book, less equals fewer headaches. Used to work in a market, and at night, we’d clear the shelves. Some customers waited until closing to shop or showed up right before closing. We used to give leftover veggies to a lady, but when there was nothing left, she started causing trouble, wondering why we stopped giving her veggies, even raising her voice. So, eventually, we stopped giving them away, except to the janitors or the older folks.”

“This year, I planted watermelons in Xinjiang, and dozens of acres couldn’t be sold. A watermelon weighing over ten kilograms had a retail price of only two dollars, not even covering the cost. Some even thought these melons were too expensive, saying the ones in the field were free to pick… If you give one away, the others sell one less. Isn’t that adding insult to injury? Some even claimed on short videos that watermelons were free to pick, but those were all overripe, misleading people into thinking all field melons were free.”

“In the end, they got tons of views, and the melon farmers were left with nothing.”

“In a bind, we had to toss them; otherwise, who would come to buy? Everyone just waits to get them for free at closing time. Why should they? Does the boss not have to pay rent, utilities, raw material costs, employee wages, and national taxes? Who bears these expenses? No need to think; if it doesn’t sell, tossing it is better than giving it away for free! That’s the rule of business. It has nothing to do with waste. Would customers buy everything in the store just to avoid wasting it? Taking it home and not finishing it results in tossing it anyway. Tossing it poses no problem!”

Photo by chang liu on Unsplash

Bet a lot of folks reading this piece might scratch their heads at first, thinking the boss is either being a bit tightfisted or maybe a tad wasteful.

But what if you got the lowdown on why? Would you still be raising an eyebrow? Taking a peek from the boss’s angle, it actually kinda makes sense.

See, bread’s not like your regular food items. While sharing other grub with grateful souls is usually a win-win, bread, being all about that freshness, just doesn’t play along.

Stuff that looks odd often just hides reasons we’re not in the loop on. So, maybe it’s better not to dish out criticism without digging a bit deeper. There’s usually more to the story.

Everyone’s got their reasons, and approaching things we don’t quite get with a bit of understanding makes the world a cozier place.

Even if it’s a head-scratcher, tossing in a bit of respect keeps misunderstandings at bay and stops any negative vibes from cropping up.

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2bebetter
Readers Hope

"Exploring love & relationships. Providing advice, insights, and inspiration to inspire you to find & maintain healthy and fulfilling connections."