[X]
Write ReviewJump to 
9
Helpful
Votes
Votes
Pepsi Cola Complaint - If I buy one more bottle of Pepsi Max........ - Pepsi Packaging
Pepsi Packaging - Complaint
I swear, if I buy one more bottle of Pepsi Max because the labels are so similar to regular Pepsi, I'm going to scream. Brand identity and consistency are a good thing for businesses, I get that, but come on guys and gals in the art department, let's think the way a consumer thinks. Normally, in today's world, we are in somewhat of a hurry. We are distracted by the kids, the dog, the husband, whatever. We have a PTA meeting to buy treats for and a little league game to take the mother in law to so she can see little Bobbie sit on the bench. But first you have to go to the store and get a few things. You rush up and down the aisles looking through your coupon rollodex, talking on your cell phone, running your cart up on the heal of the old lady who was trying to get out of your way but hesitated a second too long trying to figure out which way would be the safest to dive for cover. Ahh, your final destination, the soda aisle. Throw a couple 2 liters in you cart and it's off to the checkout lane. Beep, Beep, coupon, swipe, unload, beep, beep, swipe, unload, coupon, coupon, total, debit or credit, do you need help out, and your off. You get home, unload the bags into the kitchen, put away the frozen items and pop open an ice cold Pepsi because you deserve it. You toss down three or four long swallows of your favorite softdrink when suddenly you realize that it doesn't taste quite right. What? What in the bloody hell is this? You look at the bottle you just opened and there, in little print, close to the word PEPSI, is the word MAX...and then the words 0 calories stare back at you like the frozen lips of a circus clown...
Ok, so I go on a bit, but there really is nothing worse(except for maybe putting on a wet bathing suit)than buying the wrong item and nothing more frustrating than having to schlep back to the store to exchange it, except when you can't exchange it because you have opened it already. I'm sure my little letter won't make a difference in you decision making but if it ever comes up at a board meeting, please vote for changing the labels so they are unmistakenly different.
Thanks for your time, and have a great day.
Dillerboi
Ok, so I go on a bit, but there really is nothing worse(except for maybe putting on a wet bathing suit)than buying the wrong item and nothing more frustrating than having to schlep back to the store to exchange it, except when you can't exchange it because you have opened it already. I'm sure my little letter won't make a difference in you decision making but if it ever comes up at a board meeting, please vote for changing the labels so they are unmistakenly different.
Thanks for your time, and have a great day.
Dillerboi
Comments:
Posted by swtamy on 2011-03-27:
Good review. The same thing happened to me this afternoon. Luckily, I was only about halfway to the checkout when I saw those three tiny letters-max.
Posted by jktshff1 on 2011-03-27:
Good review
Posted by Justice-4-All on 2011-03-27:
Good review! My wife often gets me Diet Mountain Dew instead of regular, since their packaging is so similar as well!
Then again, maybe she's trying to tell me something?
Then again, maybe she's trying to tell me something?
Posted by Wally86 on 2011-03-27:
I can't drink anything Diet the taste is nasty to me.
Posted by GenuineNerd on 2011-03-27:
It can get confusing. Pepsi always used dark blue labels (except for the "Throwback" Pepsi, which reverted to the red, white and blue 1980's packaging), while Diet Pepsi Max (and Pepsi One before it) used black labels. Dimly lit stores or those with darker glasses or poor vision, can esaily confuse dark blue with black.
Posted by Justice-4-All on 2011-03-27:
Wally> The only one that I have found even close is Diet Dr. Pepper. That is pretty darn close to the real thing.
Posted by Wally86 on 2011-03-27:
Diet tastes like flat soda to me.
Posted by bluediamond98 on 2011-03-27:
Diet Dr. Pepper doesn't Wally. It is really VERY tasty! Try one.
Posted by Wally86 on 2011-03-27:
I won't buy it intentionally but my cousin has diet sodas stocked in her fridge I'll try one if she has it.
Posted by Venice09 on 2011-03-28:
I have a similar problem with Sierra Mist. Diet always had a white label and regular had green. Now they both have green, so if you're in a hurry it's easy to pick up the wrong thing. Do companies do this on purpose? Why would they want to confuse their customers?
Good review. Very entertaining.
Good review. Very entertaining.
Posted by throwback on 2011-03-28:
So you want Pepsi to spend tens of millions of dollars (which will be passed on to the consumer) to change the label all because you can't stop for 2 seconds and read it before you buy it? I'll just censor myself here on what needs to be said.
Posted by redmx3racer on 2011-03-28:
I agree with throwback. If it were me, and I made the mistake of buying the wrong soda more than one or two times, then maybe I would take the extra second or 2 to ensure I did not make the same mistake. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. Maybe it's because I am not a pepsi drinker but the labels don't look that similar to me. Just another reason to choose coke-diet is gray, zero is black, and regular is red!
Posted by Prince-Caesar on 2011-03-28:
Ive never ever had a problem telling the difference between regular pepsi and pepsi max. I mean how can you miss the huge "MAX" thats in red and in bold? I think you need to slow down a little bit and take a look at what you are purchasing.
Posted by momsey on 2011-03-28:
I agree with Prince. I even googled the images to make sure I wasn't remembering incorrectly. I really don't think they look so similar.
Posted by trmn8r on 2011-03-28:
If a cell phone distracts someone from picking up their favorite beverage, which should have an instantly recognizable label, think about the effect it has when you are driving a car...
To select the right item, I'd suggest that what is required is to look at the label.
To select the right item, I'd suggest that what is required is to look at the label.
Posted by Prince-Caesar on 2011-03-28:
+100000 TRM
Posted by trmn8r on 2011-03-28:
If the packaging had Braille added to the handle, it would be another tip of which one was selected. But the customer would have to have the presence of mind to think about it as they walked away.
I was surprised to see Braille on my Band-Aid box.
I was surprised to see Braille on my Band-Aid box.
Posted by Lord Rothschild on 2011-03-28:
I don't care what anybody says the new pepsi packaging isn't nearly as distinctive as what it replaced. Like most good hearted people I seldom buy pepsi products because they refuse to put god on their labels but once when I did I accidently picked up a diet cherry pepsi instead of a diet pepsi because the labels were almost identical.
The best all around answer here is to quit buying pepsi products.
The best all around answer here is to quit buying pepsi products.
Posted by Nohandle on 2011-03-28:
I bought not once but twice the wrong Pond's Cold Cream. Just a slight color variation in the lids with a new product line they were carrying. Both products side by side but I double check now. Customers will sometimes move the products around on the shelf so you best have your reading glasses on. It's really hard to tell at first glance the difference what with the lighting in some stores.
Posted by bluediamond98 on 2011-03-28:
Nohandle, I find the lighting in the stores to be as good as it always has been (but my eyes aren't)...lol.
Posted by Nohandle on 2011-03-28:
That's why you need your reading glasses now. I don't go into a store for a *shopping experience* since I have better things to do and I don't leisurely browse because I hate to shop.
Posted by Venice09 on 2011-03-28:
I don't even have a cell phone and am not in a hurry or distracted, but I still pick up the wrong thing. There are so many different varieties of each product that you have to look very carefully to make sure you have the right one. As careful as I think I am, I almost always come home with at least one wrong item.
Posted by justcuz on 2011-03-28:
I will be so thankful when all stores start posting the "No Cellphones Allowed" signs. Nothing irritates me more than someone pushing around a cart with their elbows while they're gabbing away on the phone, running their carts up onto the heels of old ladies, blocking aisles, and holding up the checkout lines.
Posted by GenuineNerd on 2011-03-28:
Another example involves another Pepsi product, Tropicana Orange Juice, in which the packaging for the no-pulp, high-pulp, calcium, Trop 50, etc. only uses slight variation in the packaging. Coca-Cola's Simply Orange and Minute Maid orange juice brands also use slight packaging variations. You have to read the label to get what you are getting exactly. Same with many other products you would typically find in a supermarket...packaging so similar that you need to read the label...hard to do if you're in a hurry.
Posted by Venice09 on 2011-03-28:
Nerd, Trop OJ is a perfect example. There are so many flavors and varieties that it's very easy to pick up the wrong one because the packaging is very similar. Trop 50 is the only one that looks a little different. I think the carton is shaped differently. Tropicana has more flavors and varieties of OJ than any other brand. It's definitely confusing.
Posted by Venice09 on 2011-03-28:
I think it's a pity that stores have to ban cell phones just because people have no regard for their fellow shoppers or the employees. Why do responsible people always have to pay the price for the bad apples?
Posted by Starlord on 2011-03-29:
How does your trying to shop on a dead run translate to a problem for Pepsi? I have my own battle with Pepsi going right now over their discontinuing Pepsi One. The Coke line-up doesn't look too enticing either, and Diet RC is a hard thing to locate. We need more soft drinks (I ain't getting into that pop/soda debacle) sweetened with sucralose (Splenda). I am positive my wife and I are not the only US citizens sensitive to asparatame. I have put Pepsi on notice, they cancel the discontinuing of Pepsi One, or they lose a customer of some 40 years standing.
Posted by Neil Hallare on 2012-08-03:
Many are complaining about the scarcity of Pepsi-One. Why do you think Peopsi is NOT listening? I'm losing my loyalty to this company. Pepsi: bring back your Pepsi One for crying out loud!
Note: All comments are reviewed by a moderator before being published. Please be sure to read our guidelines before commenting.
Company Reps: Post your company response!
