In the rush and frenzy of shopping, sometimes people become lax and distracted. Some don’t pay attention to the quality of what they’re buying.

It’s always surprising how few people check goods, including food items before putting them in their trolleys. I have to admit, I have done that a couple of times myself and only discovered the damage when I got it home. I do try not to let that happen now by slowing down when I’m shopping.

But food, household items and even medicines can be less than they appear to be. So checking them before leaving the shop can save you from the hassle of having to return them

To start, all food items have an: expiry date. Some dates are short and others longer. Check if they’re in date. Then check for small nicks or tears in the packaging, especially in prepacked bakery items. Check for moulds and for any unusual smells like sulphur dioxide on fruit and vegetables. If they’re there then they’ve gone off. Check that the eggs don’t have hairline cracks. If they do, they may well be contaminated with bacteria. If the shop objects to you opening the egg packet to inspect them before purchasing them, ask them in which universe it is okay for them to sell cracked eggs.

Check for any leaks in milk cartons and containers of cleaners by lightly pressing the sides and see if any liquid seeps out.. Check that tins of tomato, tuna or baked beans are not dented. Not many people are aware of this but if tins of food get dented bacteria begin to grow inside.

Check your toiletries too, and makeup.

Has the handcream been used? You can tell by opening the fliptop lid and seeing if there is a residue at the mouth of the tube. If the cream is in a tub, open the lid and see if the foil seal is fully intact; there should be an airtight seal.

Where your makeup is concerned, check if the clear seal has been broken. Or is it missing altogether. This can happen with eyeliners, lipsticks and eyebrow pencils. Sometimes you might pick it up not noticing that the seal is compromised because the item is small and often the lighting isn’t so great in which to see..

Inspecting household goods is equally important. For example, does the mug or plate have a hairline crack that you can’t see? Does the fan that’s on sale actually work? Often if it runs on a rechargeable battery and that battery is flat, there’s no way to test it in the shop to see if it actually works until you get it home. In that case you might find that the battery has already reached the end of its life and will never recharge no matter how long you leave it plugged in. Does the ‘magical’ chopper chop with ease or is the mechanism dodgy and likely to stick during operation? Is the pen really brown as the colour label and swatch says it is or is it a completely different colour? Ask the shop staff to test it for you. This happened to me. The brush pen package said brown but when I used it it was green!

Medication can also have its problem. If the box of medicine says 30 tablets, get the pharmacist to open it for you to ensure all the strips are there. I once got a pack home and found only 20 tablets in the box because the pharmacist had already sold one strip to another customer and didn’t check the box before selling it to me.

Buying electronics is a gamble, to be honest. You might buy something and it conks out weeks later. Of course this is the one item that comes with a year’s warranty and you can have it sorted via the seller and this is where receipts are crucial.

Never throw away a receipt until a week or two has gone by, in the case of food and household items, just in case you need to return it. Don’t forget that most shops give you a week within which to return an item provided certain conditions are fulfilled. Some shops give three days whilst others give two weeks. But where electronics are concerned, save the receipt until the warranty expires because once it does, the shop who sold it won’t be able to help..

Shop wisely and always check things before buying.