3 ms·

Oh, and don't get me started on flavour or product change. I don't want "new and improved". Stop it! Leave my tasty thing alone. The number of times I've ch

by b112 4y ago

Oh, and don't get me started on flavour or product change. I don't want "new and improved". Stop it! Leave my tasty thing alone. The number of times I've changed brands, and never gone back, because "improved"... And the worst, I buy frozen pizza. Unlike my fellow shoppers, I buy for the best crust flavour, and only meat. Why? Because if you want good frozen pizza, buy great crust, meat only, the put fresh veggies on it! Meat freezes well, not so much veggies. Lately, one brand has added "croissant crust" and also "cheese in crust", and unless a supermarket is the size of all creation, it doesn't have room for one brand with 8 types, by 3 styles. The result? The best crust, without extra calories(cheese), is now impossible to find. I had to switch brands. Just stop it ffs!

pindab0ter 4y ago
I’ve always thought a lot of ‘improvements’ are really cost savings while trying to maintain the quality of the product or change it a little so it isn’t noticed as much; “It’s better, so if you don’t like it that’s on you.”
- tempest_ 4y ago
  "New Look" is usually a synonym for shrinkflation.
- 8bitsrule 4y ago
  I'm thinking 'New Coke' here. What a disaster.
  - b112 4y ago
    Coke literally had a small amount of cocaine in it, as a stimulant, prior to new coke being released. It was grandfathered in, still allowed at that point. New coke was released, because they were being forced to change their formula. Some say they released new coke, knowing they'd have to re-release old coke, but that by that time the average person would not accurately notice the taste change. A friend of mine, a coke fan, kept a case of old coke. He tried the newer-old coke, side by side... It didn't taste the same. Some say new coke was a wild success. Loads of media attention, and they dropped the formula change in without notice...
    - hosteur 4y ago
      I thought it was because they switched to HFCS?
    - Beltalowda 4y ago
      Coca-Cola hasn't contained serious levels of cocaine since 1903, although it did use some coca leaf extracts up to New Coke, but that is not the same as cocaine just as poppy seeds are not the same as heroin. It's not clear that they were "forced" to remove that. The New Coke story is quite interesting, but I don't buy in to most "explanations" of it. I think it's far more likely it's a case of "competitor X is more popular! We need to do something! Let's copy competitor X!" This is a classic business mistake, because customers are choosing you instead of X because it's not X, and if you merely copy X you lose your value.
MongooseMan 4y ago
I agree mostly, although as a counter-example, about a year ago Nutella released a new "extra cocoa" variant which was much tastier, and a bit less unhealthy (lower sugar content). It was so good that I refuse to buy regular Nutella anymore, even though the "extra cocoa" edition seems to be no longer sold.
- pgt 4y ago
  Lisp did this to me for every other programming language.
- mdrzn 4y ago
  I'm mad that as an Italian (where Nutella was created) this is the first time I'm hearing about this +Cocoa version. Apparently it's not even marketed/sold in Italy at all! It's for the US market only.
ectopod 4y ago
Twiglets - crunchy snacks coated in yeast extract - have been ruined. Yeast extract is quite salty so to meet the government's new healthy food guidelines the manufacturer has removed more than half of it. They are pointless now, bland and a bit greasy. They've been my favourite snack for years. I'm gutted.
- jfk13 4y ago
  You could always make your own: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4whf9o https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4whf9o
lozenge 4y ago
Ingredient prices can vary wildly, even outside of inflationary periods. Customers also prefer prices to change rarely, so the only option left is to change the pack size and/or reformulate. Eg cocoa prices varied from 3,300 USD/T to 2,000 USD/T in 18 months. Sugar nearly doubled in the last 3 years. A product released at one point would not be economical at another. Of course, if you are not price conscious then you can mostly avoid these issues by buying the most expensive of everything, but you're talking frozen pizza here...
soupfordummies 4y ago
I’m assuming due to the croissant crust reference that you’re saying the best crust is the digiorno original?
- b112 4y ago
  Here, Canada, it's Delissio. It may be the same thing though. For me, out of the brands I can try locally, its crust seems best.
lkxijlewlf 4y ago
"New and Improved" is corporate speak for we spreadsheeted the flavor out of it.
mrslave 4y ago
We changed our recipe to increase our margins and the testers didn't even notice! You're gonna love it too. That is how I read the subtext of these "new and improved" labels.

by b112 4y ago

pindab0ter 4y ago

I’ve always thought a lot of ‘improvements’ are really cost savings while trying to maintain the quality of the product or change it a little so it isn’t noticed as much; “It’s better, so if you don’t like it that’s on you.”

tempest_ 4y ago
"New Look" is usually a synonym for shrinkflation.
8bitsrule 4y ago
I'm thinking 'New Coke' here. What a disaster.
- b112 4y ago
  Coke literally had a small amount of cocaine in it, as a stimulant, prior to new coke being released. It was grandfathered in, still allowed at that point. New coke was released, because they were being forced to change their formula. Some say they released new coke, knowing they'd have to re-release old coke, but that by that time the average person would not accurately notice the taste change. A friend of mine, a coke fan, kept a case of old coke. He tried the newer-old coke, side by side... It didn't taste the same. Some say new coke was a wild success. Loads of media attention, and they dropped the formula change in without notice...
  - hosteur 4y ago
    I thought it was because they switched to HFCS?
  - Beltalowda 4y ago
    Coca-Cola hasn't contained serious levels of cocaine since 1903, although it did use some coca leaf extracts up to New Coke, but that is not the same as cocaine just as poppy seeds are not the same as heroin. It's not clear that they were "forced" to remove that. The New Coke story is quite interesting, but I don't buy in to most "explanations" of it. I think it's far more likely it's a case of "competitor X is more popular! We need to do something! Let's copy competitor X!" This is a classic business mistake, because customers are choosing you instead of X because it's not X, and if you merely copy X you lose your value.

MongooseMan 4y ago

I agree mostly, although as a counter-example, about a year ago Nutella released a new "extra cocoa" variant which was much tastier, and a bit less unhealthy (lower sugar content). It was so good that I refuse to buy regular Nutella anymore, even though the "extra cocoa" edition seems to be no longer sold.

pgt 4y ago
Lisp did this to me for every other programming language.
mdrzn 4y ago
I'm mad that as an Italian (where Nutella was created) this is the first time I'm hearing about this +Cocoa version. Apparently it's not even marketed/sold in Italy at all! It's for the US market only.

ectopod 4y ago

Twiglets - crunchy snacks coated in yeast extract - have been ruined. Yeast extract is quite salty so to meet the government's new healthy food guidelines the manufacturer has removed more than half of it. They are pointless now, bland and a bit greasy. They've been my favourite snack for years. I'm gutted.

jfk13 4y ago
You could always make your own: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4whf9o https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4whf9o

lozenge 4y ago

Ingredient prices can vary wildly, even outside of inflationary periods. Customers also prefer prices to change rarely, so the only option left is to change the pack size and/or reformulate. Eg cocoa prices varied from 3,300 USD/T to 2,000 USD/T in 18 months. Sugar nearly doubled in the last 3 years. A product released at one point would not be economical at another. Of course, if you are not price conscious then you can mostly avoid these issues by buying the most expensive of everything, but you're talking frozen pizza here...

soupfordummies 4y ago

I’m assuming due to the croissant crust reference that you’re saying the best crust is the digiorno original?

b112 4y ago
Here, Canada, it's Delissio. It may be the same thing though. For me, out of the brands I can try locally, its crust seems best.

lkxijlewlf 4y ago

"New and Improved" is corporate speak for we spreadsheeted the flavor out of it.

mrslave 4y ago

We changed our recipe to increase our margins and the testers didn't even notice! You're gonna love it too. That is how I read the subtext of these "new and improved" labels.