Alcohol Served To Me At Target

[aranda5823]

Ok, so me and my wife and daughters were at a Target here in Houston, TX. My wife and daughters got hungry so they decided to get something to eat from the little food-court area that Target has located in their store. So, they got some hot dogs and a mango smoothie and went to go and sit down at a table. After a few minutes I joined them and when I went to go sit down, my wife tells me "Taste this mango smoothie it tastes weird, it tastes like it has alcohol in it". At first I didn't believe her and thought she was kidding or something. But after I tasted it and smelled it, it did taste like there was alcohol in the smoothie. Now my daughter, who is only nine years old and my wife (who on occasion drinks an alcoholic beverage) had been drinking it for a few minutes already. Afterwards my wife was complaining about feeling lightheaded (probably due to the fact that she hadn't eaten anything that day) and my daughter was complaining about being very thirsty. So I took the rest of the smoothie home put it in the freezer and I had some of it tested at a lab for alcohol and it came back positive (the smoothie contained alcohol). I thought that this was pretty appalling, being that when me and my family go to a Target and decide to get some food from their food-court the last thing that I expect is to be served an alcoholic drink.

So I guess my question is, what if any recourse do I have against Target? Any input would be appreciated. Thanks and sorry for the long post.

 

[army judge]

Ok, so me and my wife and daughters were at a Target here in Houston, TX. My wife and daughters got hungry so they decided to get something to eat from the little food-court area that Target has located in their store. So, they got some hot dogs and a mango smoothie and went to go and sit down at a table. After a few minutes I joined them and when I went to go sit down, my wife tells me "Taste this mango smoothie it tastes weird, it tastes like it has alcohol in it". At first I didn't believe her and thought she was kidding or something. But after I tasted it and smelled it, it did taste like there was alcohol in the smoothie. Now my daughter, who is only nine years old and my wife (who on occasion drinks an alcoholic beverage) had been drinking it for a few minutes already. Afterwards my wife was complaining about feeling lightheaded (probably due to the fact that she hadn't eaten anything that day) and my daughter was complaining about being very thirsty. So I took the rest of the smoothie home put it in the freezer and I had some of it tested at a lab for alcohol and it came back positive (the smoothie contained alcohol). I thought that this was pretty appalling, being that when me and my family go to a Target and decide to get some food from their food-court the last thing that I expect is to be served an alcoholic drink.

So I guess my question is, what if any recourse do I have against Target? Any input would be appreciated. Thanks and sorry for the long post.

You may have no recourse after failing to file a police report at the scene and failing to notify store management.
Target could claim that you adulterated the drink yourself in order to make some easy money.
Target's legal eagles are also going to want to see what medical care was provided to your wife and child.
Absent any medical treatment, that only serves to weaken your case.
I'm not calling you a liar, just letting you know what position Target's attorneys would take.

You could try taking your test results and a sample of the beverage to the local health department and police agency.
You might also contact a couple local attorneys.
I think the ship sailed on this when you failed to inform them at the time of the incident.
Anyway, good luck and let us know what happens.
I also hope your wife and child don't suffer any long term effects from this unfortunate occurrence.

 

[mightymoose]

Even though there isn't much you can do, you CAN still go to the store and make a formal (written) complaint to explain what happened and why your family will no longer shop there. The powers that be at the store may look into it and find something that needs to be addressed. Just don't waste your time thinking about court.

 

[aranda5823]

Thanks for the input guys. I contacted Target and they said they would inform their Food and Quality people and they would look into it, and that should be the end of that. Thanks for taking the time (@mightymoose & @army judge) to answer my question.

 

[army judge]

Thanks for the input guys. I contacted Target and they said they would inform their Food and Quality people and they would look into it, and that should be the end of that. Thanks for taking the time (@mightymoose & @army judge) to answer my question.

You're welcome.
I am happy that your family suffered no long lasting negative effects from this incident.