Wednesday, January 17, 2024

Coffee and disappearing products

I have a knack for liking products that apparently aren't all that popular with the rest of the world. I can't tell you how many times I've thrown myself into going "all in" with a product, only to have it disappear off the shelves. It's happened with cereal it’s happened with deodorant. It's happened with hair products. It's happened with perfume. I get it. Trends change. Products change. There's always something "new and better," except when it ISN'T new and better. It's just different. 


The latest product I have to now give up is my coffee.

I've never been a big coffee drinker. That is, until I found one I actually liked. Yes, I was a casual coffee drinker, and I occasionally tried a cup of tea when it was cold outside to help me warm up. Most of my life, I was a Coca-Cola drinker. That was my caffeine fix. Then I stopped drinking carbonated beverages for a number of reasons. It's only been the last maybe ten years that I actually drink coffee every day. That's coming to an end.

When I got a Keurig type brewer--actually, the Big Guy got it as an anniversary gift at work--I bought some of the flavored coffees that I like, and I discovered a new one. Gloria Jean's Mudslide. Medium roast. Hints of chocolate and vanilla without being all cafe mocha. I was a convert! Drank it for years, but then they stopped making it in K-cups. So I bought it in bags - ground or beans to grind. Somewhere in the back of my head, I knew this was going to be another one of those "it's going to disappear" things. Here's the thing. In my quest to lose poundage, I've been told coffee is a good thing to give up. I don't know why, but okay. Also in the back of my mind, I told myself when I can't buy my Mudslide anymore, I'll quit the coffee. Then they raised the price and lowered the volume (no longer a pound) you get for that price. Maybe time to rethink the "when."

About a month ago, I got a coupon in my email for coffee, so I went to order more. I'm on my last not-a-pound. Guess what? Mudslide wasn't available. I checked my order history, and the picture of the product that goes with the order is a placeholder box. Part of me mourned the loss of my favorite coffee, and part of me said "ok, the time has come." Then a funny thing happened. I got a survey about my "recent purchase" of Mudslide. "How did you like your order?" HAHAHA. What timing. Yes, I told them it was my favorite coffee but why were they tormenting me when I can't buy it anymore? Needless to say, they haven't followed up to my comment.

So now I'm working my way through the last of my coffee. I have some other flavors to tide me over, also, but I'm not planning to replenish the supply once it's gone. All those authors and coffee memes will poke me with a sense of sadness that I can no longer drink my beverage of choice. I guess we'll see how it affects my weight loss journey!

Do you have a product that you loved that is no longer available?


Update on the weight journey: the Big Guy bought me a treat. He likes to do that, even when I tell him not to. The result was some backsliding, but a minor hiccup. Still tracking calories. Holding the line and determined to move the needle down. “Just say no.”


2 comments:

  1. I don't do caffeine, but I like the taste of coffee. Black. Dark. Other than that, I'm not fussy. Finding dark roast decaf is a challenge, but I have a few choices. I've been a victim of the 'discontinued' game many times.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm not a coffee aficionado, so switching to decaf isn't worth the effort for me. Aside from the fact they don't make all the fun flavors I actually like in decaf. For me, I switch from my morning Coca-Cola caffeine fix to coffee FOR the caffeine. It's sort of like cutting back on sugar. I'm not interested in sugar-free stuff. If I want the treat, I want it fully loaded. Coffee. Sugar. Happier to do without altogether.

      Delete