Even if you don’t want to make it, I’ve never been in a supermarket that doesn’t offer a fresher option. I’ve even been in gas stations that offer what they at least claim is fresh potato salad.
Maybe if you really, really wanted potato salad and you were in a food desert but the corner 7-11 has canned potato salad you might buy it, but I’ve never seen this before in my life.
I don’t get it.
You assume there’s lots of chemicals, but did you check? The process of canning food doesn’t necessarily require a lot of chemicals: a lot of canned food is cooked in the can, after it’s sealed, which kills most of the microbes that might spoil the food and make you sick. And because it’s sealed, no microbes can get in, either.
It’s not about spoiling, it’s about potatoes getting mushy when they’re wet.