Just when I thought I was nuts...

...I find someone nuttier. I switch around a lot when buying orange juice. I don't have any great brand loyalty and like to try different kinds from time to time. Keeps life interesting. Lately I've been buying Tropicana (some pulp). I like it but I have to confess I don't give it a lot of thought. I did notice, however, back in January that they changed the design of the carton. I must admit that it threw me a little at first as it looks like quite different. "Is this the same stuff I've been buying?," I asked myself. It must have extended my trip to the grocery store by at least 30 seconds or so as I tried to regain my bearings. I quickly recovered, though, and bought the juice in the new carton and got on with my life. After all, it's just OJ, right? Apparently not everyone else is as easy-going as me. According to an article in yesterday's New York Times business section:

The PepsiCo Americas Beverages division of PepsiCo is bowing to public demand and scrapping the changes made to a flagship product, Tropicana Pure Premium orange juice. Redesigned packaging that was introduced in early January is being discontinued, executives plan to announce on Monday, and the previous version will be brought back in the next month.

Also returning will be the longtime Tropicana brand symbol, an orange from which a straw protrudes. The symbol, meant to evoke fresh taste, had been supplanted on the new packages by a glass of orange juice.

The about-face comes after consumers complained about the makeover in letters, e-mail messages and telephone calls and clamored for a return of the original look.

Some of those commenting described the new packaging as “ugly” or “stupid,” and resembling “a generic bargain brand” or a “store brand.”

“Do any of these package-design people actually shop for orange juice?” the writer of one e-mail message asked rhetorically. “Because I do, and the new cartons stink.”

Others described the redesign as making it more difficult to distinguish among the varieties of Tropicana or differentiate Tropicana from other orange juices.

Now I can imagine complaining when the product changes. After all, I was one of those who were up in arms over New Coke back in the '80s, although I never actually wrote to the company or anything. But can you imagine caring that much about the container your orange juice comes in? Can you imagine caring enough to sit down and write to the company to complain about it? Can you imagine having your life sidetracked like this for even a few minutes? Who are these people?