Goodbye, Vanilla Pepsi

Say it Isn't so

Superdork, Yahoo! Contributor Network
Oct 25, 2006 "Share your voice on Yahoo! websites. Start Here."

When Pepsi created Vanilla Pepsi, they had what I believe was carbonated perfection in a can. It was the perfect combination of carbonation and sweetness, smooth and crisp. It literally brought joy to my mouth, thus improving my mood. I consumed what is considered by most standards to be way too much soda each day. I know this, but am really not interested in the nutritional aspects of my relationship with Vanilla Pepsi. Excuse me, former relationship. *sniff*

I am such a creature of habit, that once something fits nicely into my day, it can easily become a necessity. I've had so many habits in my lifetime, some really bad. Once I got all the bad habits out of my life, I still exercised extremely habitual behavior, just in other areas. I basically treated Vanilla Pepsi like I treated cigarettes years ago: several a day, must go with me when I leave the house, nothing else can substitute, a source of great enjoyment and pleasure. This was mirrored also by the fact that when I ran out of Vanilla Pepsi, and couldn't get anymore for a period of time, I would actually feel bad physically, become irritable and make great efforts to obtain more. Could I actually be addicted to a soft drink?
I know that caffeine is a drug, and there's been much talk about its addictive possibilities. But for me, this is not a factor.
It is all about the taste experience. I need that, and it cannot be achieved by any other beverage, caffeinated or not.

When I started noticing that all my local stores were out of it, I started asking when they would get more. I was then informed that there would be no more. Pepsi had discontinued its Pepsi Vanilla, as well as the Pepsi Twist, which I couldn't care less about.
The first of the five stages of grief is denial, and that's where I found myself. This store manager was mistaken, he was speculating, or maybe just plain mean and enjoyed delivering crushing news to random people.
As I investigated further, I found this was in fact true. I believe at that point I went into bargaining mode. What can I do to make Pepsi change their mind? I'll buy it, I promise. I'll buy a lot. How much do you want me to pay? I called the 1-800 number on my can, and the person on the other end of the line was not at all concerned with my Vanilla Pepsi consumption. And how absurd? I mean, this giant corporation needs to plan its financial and business activities around my preferences.

In my city, I hit every grocery store for the last twelve packs left on shelves. As the dark cloud of finality hung over my head, I chose very carefully each soda to be opened and consumed. There could be no waste, and each experience needed to be optimized. I couldn't look back later and regret that even one can wasn't well-spent.
As the moment of the final sip from the final can came to a close, I was left with such heavy sadness, and a dread for future days without my precious drink.

I'm also finding myself angry with the Pepsi-Cola corporation for being so unfair to consumers. What kind of games are they trying to play with us? They create a new product, put it out there on the market, and after getting people all hooked on it, just yank it away because it didn't do as well as they would have liked - all with no regard for the people they hurt. Now that I have been burned by one cola distributor, I will likely have trust issues with other cola distributors, and may never get close to another soda again. Good job playing with people's emotions.

Now in my desperation, I began a fervent search for more Vanilla Pepsi - it's got to still exist somewhere in the world, and I need to get my hands on it. I even looked for it on eBay. I found one site where you can buy these types of products and have them shipped to your door, Vanilla Pepsi included: http://store.drsoda.com/vanillapepsi.html
I wrestled with the idea of paying $29 for 24 cans of Vanilla Pepsi, and if you read one of my other articles, you'll know how absurd that is for me to consider. That's desperation though.

So do I feel any better having spilled out my anguish over the loss of this love in my life? No, not really. But I cannot sit idly by where there is injustice, and that is what this is. Pepsi-Cola, you ought to be ashamed of yourselves.

Published by Superdork

I am a wife, and a mother of two children. These two roles are my favorite parts of being alive. I'm one of the most imperfect humans I know. And I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. View profile

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Goodbye, Vanilla Pepsi

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