About once a week or so I make my lunchtime walk a short one and head over the supermarket next door - it's a nice big store, part of the Harris Teeter chain (which is big down here in NC). I try to be somewhat cost-conscious when it's convenient for me, and since I bring my lunch from home everyday, I try to buy 'snacks' at the supermarket to complete my balanced lunch. Usually it's a very quick trip since I know exactly where the pretzels are (healthy), and I know where the cookies / chocolate are (the balancing act to my 'eat-at-my-desk' lunch).
Today I was distracted and made my way down the sode aisle. Actually I saw an 'end cap' (that one phrase is the full extent of my supermarket marketing (can I call it "supermarketing"?) lingo) which had Pepsi products on it and had to look - I rubberneck for Pepsi products like drivers do for crashes. I noticed both good and bad things about the soda aisle here. The bad thing was that Coke had about 55% of the aisle (it was more than half), while Pepsi had about 35%, and 'others' had the remaining 10%. That in itself was disheartening. However I was pleasantly surprised by the great selection of the Mountain Dew family of products. Lots of them. Lots of them in different sized bottles. I couldn't keep track of what product was associated with each particular size (12 oz cans in six packs, 12 oz cans in twelve packs, 16 oz bottles in six packs, 20 oz bottles in six packs, and the 2-liter bottles - however now I fear I've missed a size or two or three), but I did notice that my store sold the following:
Mountain Dew (probably every size)
Diet Mountain Dew (probably every size)
Caffeine Free Mountain Dew (2-liter, plus smaller bottles and cans)
Caffeine Free Diet Mountain Dew - what's the point (2-liter, plus smaller bottles and cans)
Code Red - it just won't die ... (2-liter bottles)
Voltage (12 oz twelve packs)
... and then
Diet Mountain Dew Ultra Violet (12 oz twelve packs) - now this is something I've never seen before.
Note - most other twelve packs had expiration dates of Feb 2010, but all the twelve packs for Ultra Violet had expiration dates of Nov 2009. I stood in awe and sadness - awe that I'd never seen this before, and sadness that there was room for 9 twelve packs on the shelf, and they were all there, neatly stacked. With the expiration date quickly approaching and the cardboard containers fading a little, it looked like they'd been there for a while, untouched. Needless to say, I went for it. Scooped up a 12 pack and brought it back here to work. Not sure what to do with it - probably leave it here, put one in the fridge before I leave tonight, and try it tomorrow, most likely mixing it with a regular 12 oz Dew once I realize first hand 'why' it had been sitting there so long. I'll keep you posted.
In my quest for more knowledge, I went to MountainDew.com (and was greatly disappointed in general ...) to see if they mentioned it. Strangely, no. However they don't mention the "World Warcraft Game Fuel" Dew, of which I've had a 12 oz can on my desk for about 2 months now and can't bring myself to open it. They do mention LiveWire, but I didn't find it on the shelves, and they mention "Baja Blast", which to my relief (relief because I was afraid I had missed yet another one) is only sold as a fountain drink at Taco Bell.Thoughts?
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