Jenn McKinlay: I have a confession to make. It’s embarrassing. I probably should keep it to myself but we’re all friends, right? I know you won’t judge me. So here it is.
*Jenn takes a deep breath*
If you put “Limited Edition” on a food item, I will 100% buy
it. I know, I know, I should have more willpower. I should be stronger and not
so easily manipulated by Madison Avenue and their marketing shenanigans
but…but…what if I miss something truly spectacular? It’s LIMITED EDITION -- what if I
never get to try it and my life spirals into an abyss of sad because I missed
out on the one thing that would make life worth living?
I see you shaking your head. You think I’m being dramatic, well, let me prove you wrong. Snickers came out with a limited edition pecan snickers and it was so good I bought the store out. Completely out.
I texted my candy freak
bestie so that she didn’t miss out, because I’m thoughtful like that. Well, yes,
by the time the limited edition disappeared, I did have to pay my dentist an
exorbitant amount of money for some fillings. No, I’m not saying the pecan
Snickers is the reason I am now looking at an implant but I’m not not saying it
either.
Now there have been some real clunkers and you’d think I’d
learn my lesson but how was I supposed to know that ketchup flavored Doritos
would be terrible. Okay, yes, a person with willpower and common sense would
know but that clearly ain’t me.
As I’m writing this I am noshing a package of Selena Gomez
inspired cinnamon Oreos. Yes, they’re limited edition. And, y’all, they are
next level. See? How sad would my Saturday night have been if I hadn’t grabbed them? Wicked sad!
Maybe . . . it all depends on the flavor. I would so pass on ketchup-flavored anything, but the pecan Snickers sound interesting . . . cinnamon Oreos might be worth trying, too. It needs to be a flavor that attracts me [dark chocolate wins out every time] or the Limited Edition is staying on the store shelf . . . .
ReplyDeleteWell, I got two of the 4 pairs of McDonald’s Grinch socks for Christmas without consuming any of the Adult Happy Meal food. I feel like I cheated, but I read online that some of the restaurants were selling the socks separately as an add-on on the app and I told my husband to check his app. I didn’t ask him if he ate the meals, but I did ask whether he knew if the two pairs would be different ones before I opened them and he did not. I never did get to Wendy’s for the Wednesday Addams meal…no socks to draw me in for that one.
ReplyDelete🎅🏻 left the Grinchmas chocolate kisses in our stockings this year. They are just regular kisses with a Grinch foil wrapper and the little paper says Grinchmas. I think they could have at least made them green.
So yes, I am susceptible to marketing ploys.
Love the idea of Grinch kisses Brenda:)
DeleteEw, no! Grinch cooties! LOL
DeleteNot limited edition for me, but I have to be careful not to fall for two-for-one sales. I sometimes end up with two of something I didn't even need one of!
ReplyDeleteThat is hilarious, Jenn. No, I'm not prone to limited edition anything except people who are by definition limited editions!
ReplyDeleteNah. Pass..
ReplyDeleteFood shopping is already a minefield. Checking ingredients, reading labels.
He's allergic to avocado. I'm allergic to honey. This kid can't eat wheat. Others can't eat...
I rarely look at special edition foods, going so far as to bake my own bread. Enjoy the cookies, Jenn.
Not for food but electronics will have me looking
ReplyDeleteMorning ~ mine is, “Buy one get xx free”. I once boat a boat load of root beer that way even tho I do the math and it is like 25% off or 50% or whatever. Those numbers don’t usually energize me the same way. I had those little bottles for months. Paula B here
ReplyDeleteNot impressed with the Selena Gomez cookies.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter will instinctively buy buy any new flavor of Doritos that comes out, no matter what. (I'm waiting for them to come out with a Brussels sprout-clam flavor myself.)
Several decades ago, they -- maybe Skippy, Jif, maybe Peter Pan, who can remember? -- they came out with peanut butter with bacon bits in it. I truly loved that stuff and hated to see it go.
Wait. Wait. Wait.
ReplyDeleteI confess to having a weakness for special edition chocolate chips. They make very special looking cookies. Nestles makes black and white swirly ones. OMG. Has anyone seen them since the pandemic? And the minty ones that Hershey makes. Seen 'em? No? Me neither. But I do buy those.
What even are Selena Gomez cookies?? I once saw pumpkin cheerios at Halloween but I only took a photo for Instagram:). I do love Edith's idea about limited edition people though...
ReplyDeleteI can't say I've ever bought a limited edition food item, If I can get a discount by buying 3 bags of Bear Naked granola at the same time, I do that. I know I will eat it.
ReplyDeleteNot influenced by “limited edition”. And I’m not sure if my friend Amanda is either. But Amanda will try any sort of snack food and buy in large quantities…like her trip to Japan and the multiple flavors of KitKat Bars. Or her hoarding of Necco wafers as they were discontinued. So, Jenn, you are not alone in being enticed into to buying snacks. Elisabeth
ReplyDeleteI saw some peanut butter cups - maybe Reeses, maybe not. The lady behind me in line (I never say on line) brought them to my attention. They featured chunky peanut butter, which I thought was a great idea. I t also looked like they were a package of two. If that one package hadn't looked so man-handled I might have bought it. Then I forgot all about them until you brought up the subject.
ReplyDeleteI don't buy limited food items. I don't even buy - "buy one get one free" unless it is something I routinely buy all the time.
ReplyDeleteMy problem is the ‘want to get rid of it rack’. That is the one where they take something that is no longer to be stock on the shelves, mark it down, and offer it to you. That means that you know that it will be a one-off or more if you take more than one, but will soon no longer be available – and it is cheap. It means that you either moan because you really liked this product – think oyster sauce, or that if you really like it on this first tasty that there is no more. It also means that if you get suckered and really don’t like it or have a use for it, that you now have something taking up space in your storage pantry that you will probably never use but is too good to throw out – sort of like that collection of clothes that will eventually fit your current body!
ReplyDelete(There is no one here but us. Listen to the sound of silence – well except for the washer, dryer and dishwasher! Left-overs for a month unless I feed stuff to the chickens!)
Enjoy the peace and quiet, Margo!
DeleteFirst, thank you Jenn for being the national treasure that you are! You truly bring joy to the world and I am most grateful to experience it. As far as limited edition, nope. That just screams to me "Marketing Ploy to Take My Money" so I pass on by. I succumb to BOGO if it is something I use, otherwise, nope. I tend to be more like Edith and Roberta in that I collect Limited Edition friends. One of those friends, years ago wanted to throw me a birthday party (I hate them, but what can you do when your friend is so excited about it?). She wisely staggered the party over six hours so there was no overlap with friends who might not get along. I swear that if all my dear friends were in the same room, there would be bloodshed. I love each of them for who they are, not what they believe. -- Victoria
ReplyDeletethat's a good friend to host a SIX HOUR party!!
DeleteEvery year after the rush of the holiday season is over there are boxes of heart-shaped Cheerios on grocery shelves. Does General Mills do this in anticipation of Valentine's Day in February or because February is known as American Heart Month? Either reason is enough for me to buy a box. :) Thankfully, they only change the shape of the cereal and not the flavor.
ReplyDeleteFrom Celia: Jenn, you're just what I need this
ReplyDeletemorning, so funny. I've certainly bought twin for ones but not in the candy or snack line thought you might find me at the sell by rack in WhF eying overpriced cat food or body butter.
But I remember a sad six pack of the "OLD COKE" languishing in our basement as Victor felt the NEW COKE wouldn't sell and he wanted to be ready. As neither of us drank Coke I'm still puzzled by his reasoning but it's a bit late for debate now. N
No limited edition for me, though I have seen things for sale during a limited period. For example, my local ice cream shop offers seasonal flavors for a limited time. I just saw a comment about having to be careful about buying 2 for 1 sales. I made a mistake of doing that just before Christmas. I thought I was getting that and wound up sending THREE of the same thing as a gift! Live and learn, right?
ReplyDeleteRegarding the implant, I needed an implant because I cracked a tooth, which went all the way up behind my cheekbone! it was very painful and I had to have it extracted first before getting an implant. I think I cracked a tooth on ice cubes? Before the extraction, none of the painkillers helped. The only thing that stopped the pain was eating lots of sugary goodies. I had to go to a specialist whose advanced machines discovered the cracked tooth!
My husband showed up with five bags of Cheetos from one of those buy one get a zillion deals. I don't like Cheetos. I did succumb to a special edition can of Spam years ago. It was a Spamalot edition.
ReplyDeleteThat is a very tantalizing question. And such an obvious psychological ploy, that we totally all fall for! Like in a store, when they only have one of each item, not one in every size. And you have to ask for it. Once you ask…
ReplyDeleteAnd I am always getting emails from places saying: that item you were looking at is almost sold out. FOMO!
And I will confess to buying multiple multiple lipsticks in the same color, for fear they would stop making them. And I would love one of those pecan Snickers, But I hear they are limited edition:-)
Jenn, I didn't even know there were limited edition foods, so call me educated! You really are a treasure!
ReplyDeleteDebs and Jenn, I did not know there were limited edition foods either.
DeleteNo ketchup-flavored anything for me. My least favorite condiment, unless fried potatoes of some shape are involved.
ReplyDeleteLike Hank, I have been known to buy my favorite lipsticks in bulk, and thank goodness I did a few years ago. Sadly, Revlon quit making the amazingly long-lasting lipstick with shea butter that I had worn for 20 years, so I am even more grateful for the handful of extras stocked in my bathroom. Except my favorite shade is dwindling. And I can no longer find the mineral face powder I have used for a couple decades. Geez.
Our local pizza place always has a heart-shaped pie in February. We used to always try to get one during the month until I realized it's actually smaller than the round one. And harder to cut in equal pieces. Then there's the "real" Coke, made with cane sugar instead of corn syrup, usually available near Passover. But if you look for it, you can always find kosher Coke, as well as Mexican Coke, which is the same thing. I drink about six Cokes a year, so this is not usually a big deal.
The one limited time purchase I used to watch for was mini Reese Cups in dark chocolate around Halloween. But, wheeee! Now I am seeing them at other times of the year. Yay.
Yesterday, I hosted a ladies' brunch for my own "limited edition" friends, and I mean that from the bottom of my heart. From age 70-82, two with dementia, five with hearing aids (one of whom forgot to put hers in before she left her house), four of us with serious mobility issues. One friend and I have known one another 50 years this coming summer, and my oldest daughter, who turned 55 last month, joined us. We all laughed at our combined list of cranky issues, and I said at least we weren't yet to my mother's level. Twice I have taken her out to dinner only to have her realize as the food was set in front of her that she forgot to put in her false teeth.
DeleteI cannot believe you fell for the ketchup Doritos, Jenn. There's a reason why salsa has overtaken ketchup as America's favorite condiment.
ReplyDeleteI'm the opposite. (Except for pecan Snickers - hoo boy! I'd clear out a store for those as well.) I know what I like and how I like it and I don't want it to change. Regular Oreos. Ranch or Nacho Doritos. (BTW, I found out from Youngest that Ranch-flavored Doritos are called "American-flavored" in Europe.) Plain, old-fashioned Coke, extra points if it's the Mexican-made with real sugar. When it comes to fast food or snacky stuff, I want to know what I'm getting in advance.