Earlier this month while out doing errands, I ran into a discount grocery store that was convenient to pick up Tropicana orange juice. I was hoping to find Pure Valencia, but was in a rush so would take whichever variety they had. I needed it for the mimosas I was planning to serve at brunch.

When I got to the dairy case I stared at it, not recognizing any of the packaging. Then I noticed “Tropicana” printed on one of the cartons in a non-traditional Tropicana juice carton. I thought perhaps Tropicana had packaged it in this generic looking container for this discount store. I thought nothing more of it until I saw the New York Times article on Sunday relating this new carton to the New Coke flop about 24 year ago.

I recall the New Coke fiasco, as it  was the impetus for the start of Supermarket Sampler, my syndicated column about new grocery products. At that time there was no one to tell consumers whether New Coke tested better or worse than the original Coke. Carolyn Wyman and I have been doing so ever since.

Anyway ….. consumers loudly voiced their negative opinions about the newly designed package.

“We heard our consumers and we listened,” explained Jamie Stein, a company spokesperson. “We appreciate their love and passion for Tropicana and when they told us they missed the look of “their Tropicana” that said to them premium, natural and squeezed from fresh oranges — we responded and we’re bringing the original.”

Thanks for listening Tropicana. I just wonder why you ever changed the package in the first place!