According to The New York Times, Tropicana's recent decision to redesign its packaging has resulted in parent company Pepsi Co's "own version of New Coke." The new Tropicana package, which features an image of a glass of orange juice, has been described by customers as "ugly" and "stupid," and has caused a widespread revolt. Bowing to the wisdom of the masses, Tropicana is discontinuing the new package and switching back to its popular "orange with a straw" design.When I first heard about this, I mentioned it to my wife. My family regularly drinks Tropicana, which means that I am familiar with the new package. Like many of the company's critics, I don't really care for the design, but this is the sort of thing that I tend to ignore. Personally, I reserve my consumer rage for really big things like Jar Jar Binks and Claussen's inclusion of HFCS in their Kosher half-sour pickles. In fact, the last time that I got angry about a food package was when Stouffer's decided to portray nachos on the front of their frozen Welsh Rarebit.
Seriously: Welsh Rarebit nachos. The image still fills me with a barely-contained rage.
At any rate, my mention of Tropicana's repackaging inspired an immediate, furious response from my wife. Citing the new "boring, ugly" container, she noted that it is now almost impossible to find Tropicana in the store, as it blends in with the generic brands. When I tried to inject a note of levity by arguing that "it's just an orange juice package," she fixed me with a steely glare and, in a tight, stern voice, told me that the person who designed the Tropicana container "should be taken out and shot."
Ouch. Well, I guess one person's Welsh Rarebit is another person's Tropicana orange juice...
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