
Some time ago, I ran into a produce manager that I know, who only has a couple of years’ experience.
“All right, pop quiz,” I said. “When are pomegranates in season?” His smile faded.
“Uh, pomegranates? Hey, I’ll be honest. I don’t know. They (the warehouse) just sends them.” My smile faded too.
I recalled this when picking up some groceries at my neighborhood store. I thought, “That had to be the exception. Surely produce managers and clerks have a better grasp of product knowledge.”
So I detoured through the crowded produce department where several employees were busy stocking.
As I put some bananas in my hand basket, the assistant produce manager was close by, stocking pineapple. “Those look great,” I said. “How do you tell a ripe one?”
“Ripe pineapple will have a lot of gold color like these do,” she answered. “And they’ll have a nice sweet aroma, too.”
“Ah, correct,” I thought and then remembered the pomegranate question. I asked when…