Not sure what's up with corporations that are always looking for gimmicks to make their products more desirable, but usually they totally miss the mark.
Sometimes, the formula for the product is changed for the worse. Sometimes, the product is replaced by another product that the company deems is the same, or better. And sometimes, the product simply disappears, seemingly forever.
I present to you, Exhibit A. For years, I used a cosmetic foundation called Moisture Wear, from Cover Girl, I think. It blended perfectly on my skin and made it easy to shop. I knew the product and I knew the tint. Great! And then it was gone. The company had flyers recommending the product that had replaced it. Sorry. Not the same. I ended up buying several other (expensive) foundations before I found one that could be used. The very same thing happened with a "permanent" lipstick that I found. I fixed them! I hardly ever wear makeup any more!
Exhibit B. When I was on a serious diet a number of years ago, I settled on I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, Light as my spread of choice. Out of nowhere, they announced a new and improved product, made with a "simpler" recipe. They took out a lot of salt, and the product would no longer melt. Spreading it was like spreading wax, which was also what it tasted like. Neither my daughter nor I liked it, which launched us into buying alternatives in order to determine which would give us the taste and the fat content we desired. She settled on Country Crock. I settled on Land-o-Lakes Butter Light, with Canola Oil. My daughter came to see things my way and also changed to my brand. And now? Because of the complications from the pandemic, it's nowhere to be found. UGH!
Exhibit C. In my country, one is either a Coke (Coca-Cola) fan or a Pepsi-Cola fan, and never the twain shall meet. The competition between the two brands can be fierce, causing each to provide de-caffeinated varieties, flavored varieties, and (of course) diet varieties. I am a Pepsi fan...and so is my daughter. Many years ago, when sugar substitutes were replaced by aspartame, which tasted MUCH better than what was being used, I started drinking only Diet Pepsi as my soft drink of choice. (I'm not a coffee or tea drinker.) And then...and then...Pepsi decided to change the sweetener in the formula for Diet Pepsi, which made the "new and improved" drink totally unacceptable to faithful Diet Pepsi drinkers. They didn't ask us!
This is ONE time when the reaction from the public made a difference. After a number of months, the company went back to the original formula due to a huge outcry from consumers. "Bring back the old Diet Pepsi!" They actually listened! Amazing! I can now, once again, drink my one can per day in confidence!
I admit that I am somewhat a creature of habit. I find products/brands that I like and stay faithful to them. I have dabbled in off-brand products because they are cheaper. Most, I like. Some, I don't. For example, not all sour creams or cream cheeses are the same in taste. I've checked them all out and determined my favorites. So be it!
Notice that I'm not complaining about "supply chain" glitches. We live with the backlash from the pandemic on a daily basis. I get that. My target, instead, is manufacturers who try to improve on an already-good product in order to pander to the "foodies". I get that, too.
We have an expression here that comes complete with bad grammar and colloquialisms that totally hit the mark, and I agree: If it ain't broke, don't fix it!
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