CREEPY CRAWLER
Summerside man believes black widow spider crawled out of bundle of grapes from local store
Island man believes black widow spider crawled out of bundle of grapes from local store.
Aron Scott has never been afraid of spiders.
“I don’t mind spiders, I’m the guy who scoops them up and takes it outside," Scott said.
But when he discovered a slender black arachnid in a bundle of grapes he was about to eat, the critter wasn’t long for this world.
Scott found what he believes to be a black widow spider on July 14. The grapes had been in his fridge for about a week prior to the discovery.
He has passing knowledge of spiders and noticed the distinct red hourglass marking.
Scott said he killed and disposed of the spider, knowing the danger it could pose to his two young children and pets.
“I’m not the kind to kill something just because it’s a creepy crawly, but something like a black widow, I wouldn’t chance it. Their bite can be lethal to kids and animals, so it went from 3-D to 2-D. That spider made a long trip to just get flattened,” said Scott.
Asked if he had any inclination of the spider’s presence prior to the discovery, Scott said, oddly enough, he’d noticed something peculiar earlier in the week.
“Halfway through the bag, I’d picked out a grape that had this stringy dirt hanging from it, which I'm assuming was spider web. I thought, ‘Oh geez, must have had been a spider on this.’
"Sure enough, there was.” Scott had purchased the grapes from the Atlantic Superstore in Summerside, but said no one is at fault.
“It could happen to anyone at any store. We’re eating fruits and vegetables from the ground, occasionally there’s going to be bugs.”
Mark Boudreau, the director of corporate affairs at Atlantic Loblaws Companies, said Scott’s report isn’t a common occurrence, but it can happen.
“I’m not aware of any other black widows, but it’s important to remember we import food, not just (from) across Canada, but from around the world.”
Superstores and all Loblaws stores ask customers to report any issues or concerns with their products, said Boudreau.
“We only found out about this particular situation through a Facebook post. Typically, what we like to see happen is if a costumer finds something wrong with the product or is unhappy in any way, to speak with the produce or store manager.”
Boudreau said they spoke with Scott and the matter has been dealt with.
“In situations like this, it’s our main objective to make it better with the customer. The customer did contact us, and he knows these things are very rare and was very understanding. We provided a replacement and an apology.”