Friday Question #57
Has your favorite store ever stopped carrying one of your favorite items? What was the item? What did you do when they stopped carrying it?
I ask, because this seems to happen to us ALL THE TIME. We do the bulk of our grocery and non-grocery shopping at Target, and they seem to be a bit inconsistent with the items they stock. We’ll try something new, fall in love with it, buy it for 6 months or so… then it’s just gone one day.
They’ve gotten a little better, but I think what we have been dreading is true – they are no longer carrying the Nueva Cocina Mexican Rice Mix – something that has become a staple in our “Mexican” dinner nights.
At first, the shelf for the rice was empty, but the tag was still there. So we figured they just needed to stock it. But then, we kept checking for a month or two, and it was never stocked. Then last time, the tag was gone.
We’re pretty upset..
How silly, right? Why don’t we try something else, or even try to make it ourselves? I’m sure we will resort to that if we must. It’s just that when you buy a product, and you really start to love it, you hate to replace it.
For now, we’ll probably search a few other grocery stores, or maybe even buy it on amazon (which seems very, very strange to me).
Update: I just got back from shopping at Target, and guess what? They stopped carrying our favorite stick margarine, Imperial. I wonder what Steven will say about this… Oh, and P.S. I stopped at two other grocery stores and didn’t find our rice mix. Wah!
Themocracy
Thanks for the great comment! I wasn’t sure about the whole posting my actual weight on my blog thing. Women don’t talk about these things. We generally lie. My drivers license certainly doesn’t say that number!
I know that it has happened but I can’t think of any products that disappear. I am only dedicated ro a few items but I know how it can be when you can’t find the product that you want.
Good luck on the search!
Yep, we make our own. Tastes much better too. Everything that has been stopped I just pretty much make myself or let it go. I think my husband’s biggest woe is that Banquet used to make a lemon pepper fried chicken, and he LOVED it. LOVEDLOVED it. Even now, more than a decade since they stopped carrying it, he looks for it in the aisles. Every single shopping trip. Yeesh.
Etta – Hee hee. Mine is still 8 pounds less than now. Before it was 18, but I decided to be “more honest” last time! Ha!
Christina – It sucks doesn’t it? We try to prevent it by stocking up on things, but that seems ridiculous 😉
Kyra – Ha! That will be us in a few years, still looking for it, even if there is no hope of ever finding it!
I was very attached to my face lotion and the one day, the drugstore stopped carrying it. I couldn’t find it anywhere. So I switched (begrudgingly).
Yes! One of the grocery stores near my office used to carry Seeds of Change brands frozen food and I loved their Venetian Penne Marinara, but they took that particular one out and replaced it with something that had tofu (yuck!) and I’ve never been able to find it again.
I guess I have to change my name.. :'(
Is that the rice we had a few times while visiting?? SAD. What will we do?! Whats next? No more Chihuahua cheese?! BUT THE PUPPIES WILL GO HUNGRY?! WHAT IS THIS WORLD COMING TOOOOOO?!
Grrrr! One of my pet peeves about food being discontinued or changed (which I’ve blogged about before). Time to find it somewhere else and stock up. Even a road trip may be needed (well, maybe not for margarine, but at least for the rice mix)
This just happened to me last night!! I was very upset to find that Peapod is no longer carrying Jarlsberg Lite swiss cheese. I’m not surprised, it’s a bit pricey, but as far as low-fat cheeses go it is my favorite! And I’m not going to make a separate trip to the grocery store just for cheese. Bah. I’m trying some lite brie–also expensive, but hopefully just as tasty. Lite cheese and fruit is my favorite snack, so I have limited options for subbing and string cheese just doesn’t cut it. :p
Buying groceries at Target seems as strange to me as getting them from amazon probably seems to you.
But in answer to your question, yes, repeatedly. Hi-C wild berry in cans back in the day, a couple of lotions (discontinued by their companies it seems), face cleaner, just recently the orange-cranberry sauce from Ocean Spray–email response from the company is they don’t make it anymore.
I’ve been known to shop far and wide and consider the internet. Often it’s a matter of stocking up when my parents go south to visit relatives. A lot of products have regional biases, mostly not here, which can be rather frustrating.
I thought your “Mexican” dinner nights consisted of El Famous Burrito. It’s possible to make “Mexican” food at home? Who knew?
There have been many items throughout the years that have been dropped by stores. The only thing is that I try to put them out of my memory so I don’t languish over them too much. Not worth it.
However, on a smaller scale, I hate that Trader Joe’s only carries peppermint Joe-Joes around the holidays. Those should be available year round!
I understand that stores sometimes stop carrying a product or item but if they know this and can allow an empty shelf to sit there for a month or so, then they should simply post a sign saying they will no longer be stocking that item. It keeps people from hoping to see it return and keeps them from having to ask the workers every time they are there. Sheesh – how difficult is that to do? Must be too much work. 😉
sizzle – So, it must be discontinued now? Arg! That is so frustrating!
Jenn – I wonder why grocers/brands do that. I wonder if that particle style wasn’t selling well? But why would they replace it with something that tastes so crappy!
Sister Christina – LOL!!! 😀 😀 😀 That IS the rice we make when you visit! Keep at eye out for it in Cedar Falls and as always PROTECT THE CHIHUAHUAS!!!
martymankins – Yeah, the margarine is not SUCH a big deal, but that rice mix…. 🙁 We finished the last of it last night. I savored every bite 😉
diane – I wonder why peapod would drop that? Do they do that often? It would be interesting to figure out how peapod decides what they will and will not carry. Should I see if I can pick some up for you in the ‘burbs?
claire – Ha ha! I know – not everyone has “Super Target” for groceries. We love it though 😉 I didn’t even think that things might be regionally based. Maybe I should write the company like you did. Or just go to amazon 😉
Andrew – Every once in awhile, we DO cook at home! It is tiring though, so we can only do it about once a week 😉
kapgar – Maybe that is what I should do – just forget. *sniff sniff* NO! I refuse! Do you stock up on the peppermint Joe-Joes?
teeni – I didn’t even think of that. We have asked the Target crew about stuff like this before, but they are not very friendly. 🙁 A sign would have been nice though!
When I came back from Austria, I couldn’t find the Milka I wanted, so I bought some off Amazon once as a treat.
I LOVE this candy called Milkfuls, but I cannot find it ANYWHERE anymore…it makes me so sad. I will check Amazon now…hehe!
Bethany – I guess amazon is the way to go! I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before. I only found it on amazon when I was looking up the rice mix online to write this post! I will have to look up those treats. Even though I am not supposed to have any…