Toy covered in meat.

[OCOC]

AIBU? I ordered a kids toy for my baby from a well known online retailer. Upon opening it, the toy was covered in sticky saucy fingerprints which seem like some kind of Bolognese (plus some lumps!) and I nearly threw up. I am a vegetarian too. Obviously I couldn’t give to DD but I didn’t quite want the sticky packaging and meat in my house. particularly as we don’t eat it.

So I asked online retailer (the item was only £6.99) if I could throw it away because I do not want it smelling overnight in my house and also I just in general do not like meat around. They said no.

AIBU? It’s quite gross that they’d even send something like that. I just don’t want the item overnight and I could wear gloves to pack I guess?

PS please can we not turn this thread into vegetarian bashing?

Was it supposed to be new?
It's usually policy to return for a refund. I've had similar with a broken item of clothing - they had photo evidence it was broken but I still had to return it.

Yes it was sold as new!

Just wrap it up in a plastic carrier bag and leave it in the porch or similar until you can post or have it collected. Anything else is just an overreaction. You’ll all have been in the same room as some meat before in your lives and will be in the future.

Yes but this is my home.

It's only food. Just send it back for a refund. It's not going to kill you.

I am slightly in loss why this is turning to such a problem. Just pack it in a plastic bag and put somewhere outside or garage or wherever u tip you can return it/courier picks it up.

I get the disgust reaction, I'm vegetarian (several decades) too. People who eat meat won't really understand the reaction, as they don't have the same response to it. It will turn into vegetarian bashing because it invariably does! Best bet is to ignore.

I would just double bag it in zip loc bags or similar, and package up to return it.

It's because she's a vegetarian, you doofus!!!

It's a Protected Characteristic, you know!!! 😆

Put it in a plastics bag at your back door or hang out of a window.

Wrap it back up in several layers and return it.
Ask for a full refund and if you have to pay for packaging/postage make sure you get that too.
The disgusting part of this story is that someone else returned a dirty toy to a seller and presumably said it was unused.
That's disgusting whether you are a vegetarian or not.

I don't eat meat and think it's an over reaction. Just wrap it back up and wash your hands after. Put gloves on if it'll help.

Vegetarian for nearly 30 years. I would say "yuk," wrap it up and take it to the post office.

I’m quite surprised that meat eaters would be so blasé about opening a new item covered in days old mince or something. I reckon in real life anyone would retch a bit

I mean, it is disgusting regardless of whether you eat meat or not, that an item bought as new is covered in a sticky food substance. Just from a hygiene point of view. Some vegetarians will also find it additionally disgusting, not all, of course.

I’d be pissed off if it meant a trip to the post office to return it that I wouldn’t otherwise have taken because they sent you something very obviously used and dirty, because time and hassle! If you’d said that rather than the really weird bit about the meat you might have had more luck getting them to let you chuck it out. Just wrap it up in plastic bag, put back in the box and seal it ready to return then put somewhere outside e.g. shed, garage, porch if it bothers you that much and then take it to the post office tomorrow.

I'm another one that doesn't think you're being unreasonable, OP - it's covered in a disgusting substance, vegetarian or not! So gross. I'd be in two minds how to proceed - one hand it's only £6.99 so I'd be tempted to just chuck it. However it's the principle of the thing - they shouldn't just get away with such shitty service!

I hope they give you a goodwill gesture of some sort.

I am a vegetarian and I would be disgusted, and I am sure none vegetarians would be equally disgusted - I would suggest complaining to citizens advice consumer line about it, could be a health hazard. I dont really know what you want us to say around you having it in your house? Put in a garage, shed, under a car? That's the bit that feels like an over reaction. Just work it out.

I'm a vegetarian and would be disgusted at receiving it but would immediately place it in a plastic bag and then place in packaging so it could be returned.

I see no need for the drama.

Sure, I’d open the box and say “eww, somebody’s obviously used this before, I’m gonna need to return it.” I wouldn’t closely inspect said item to the level of being able to determine the precise ingredients of the foody fingerprints, and it’s baffling why anybody who is clearly very squeamish would in the first place. I’d just carefully package it back up, wash my hands, and arrange a return. Life is sometimes gross. I’ve scooped dead cats off the road, broken the necks of injured poultry, and put dying rabbits and rodents out of their misery. I’m pragmatic about the prevalence of dead flesh in the world.

Use rubber gloves to pack it in a ziploc bag or similar and send it back to them.

Hopefully by the time they open it the package will by humming along nicely.

I wouldn't be happy to receive anything that had sticky fingerprints on it, meat sauce or vegetarian. It's just not hygienic.

Yes, it's obviously disgusting, but not dangerous to have in your house wrapped up, or dangerous to post. I'd be complaining about the fact they sent something clearly dirty though!

I'd just give it a good wipe with diluted bleach, dry it and give it to my child.

An absolute overreaction. Yes I’d think it were grim and would send it back but did someone advise the Citizens Advice?! What on earth are they going to do?
Just handle it with a plastic bag over your hand if you can’t even come into contact with the packaging and put it in a bin bag and tie a knot in it. Stick it outside the back door.
This can’t have it on your property thing is nonsense.

How can you be so sure it's actually meat, just from a few sticky fingerprints? I mean it's grim and unacceptable either way, but surely it's not so much food that you can actually identify meat specifically? It sounds like you are catastrophising a bit because of your fear that it might be meat.

Post a photo. Let's see a close up of these 'lumps'.

Might be plant based mince for all you know... ! But yes, gross that they even sent it out (was it just loose in the packing box, or inside other packaging? Just wondering if someone in a warehouse had no idea, or whether someone has either packed it while eating their lunch or not noticed/given a shit that someone else had spilt stuff on it). If its Amazon I'm amazed they're not just refunding you for something that low value, they rarely can be bothered with returns. I'd just use gloves or whatever to package it back up and get them/the post office to collect it.