Happiness and Caffeinated Joy

I'm a Pepsi drinker. Have been for years. If I am at a restaurant where Coke is the only soda, I will drink water. I just don't like the taste of Coke.

Being constantly watchful of losing the baby weight that nursing Brenna has not yet removed from my body I was truly overjoyed when Pepsi Edge was introduced.

Yea! A lower calorie option that tastes so much like my beloved Pepsi! With no weird aftertaste like diet sodas! And no aspartame; too many horror stories about it causing Alzheimer's. EDGE has Splenda which, so far, is safe.

But slowly EDGE bacame more difficult to find. Suddenly I couldn't purchase it at the convenience stores. And then, one day, it was nowhere to be found in the grocery aisle. AAARRRGGGHHH!!! What was I to do?

I did what I always do when I am curious about something, I wrote a letter. I must say that Pepsi was quite quick to answer. (Much quicker than our Senator Harkin who has yet to respond to my inqury about what he plans to do about illegal immigration and the tax dollars the care of said immigrants costs the taxpayers each year. I have yet to hear back from him; it's only been 6 weeks. I'm sure he's much too busy calling the President names to respond to a constituent.)

Anyway, Pepsi responded straight away with this email:

A Message from Consumer Relations 010459737A

Dear Jody,

Thank you so much for taking the time to contact us here at the Pepsi-Cola Company. It's always a pleasure to hear from our loyal consumers.

Here at Pepsi, we work hard to insure that our products reach the highest possible standards of quality, taste and enjoyment. Receiving recognition from friends like you truly makes it all worthwhile.

As you may know, we have stopped producing Pepsi Edge. In the past, Pepsi has distributed this flavor in several markets, however it did not sell as well as we had hoped. At this point, there are no immediate plans to reintroduce this product; however, you can be assured that I will forward your comments to the appropriate individuals at Pepsi.

You may be interested in knowing that we have recently reformulated Pepsi One with a blend of Splenda and Ace-K. This product is one of our popular brands and in response to the overwhelming consumer request for a beverage made with Splenda, Pepsi One continues to deliver Great Cola Taste with only One Calorie. In consumer focus groups, this new formula was preferred.

For further information on Pepsi One, please visit our website at:

www.oneify.com

Again, many thanks for taking the time to contact us. We appreciate your friendship and support.

Suzanne Gooley
Consumer Relations Representative
consumerrelations@cr.pepsi.com
010459737A

OK, OK. I am sure you are wondering just where this post is heading.

"Where is the happiness and joy?" you ask.

Well, here it is. I was in Target today buying a few necessary- and a few not so necessary- items. I turned down the soda aisle to purchase Pepsi One and hope it would not taste like utter crap.

And there they were. Two, yes two, fridge packs of Pepsi Edge! Probably the last Pepsi Edge in the county, in the state, in the entire region! And they are mine! All mine! I'm so happy.

And they were on sale. *sigh* What a lovely day. (Yes, I know I will have to try the other stuff soon. Don't bring me down. No, no, no, no, no. WooHooHoo.)