Saturday, September 22, 2007

The world is flat

A man returned four cases of Pepsi today because he said it tasted flat and was what he called skunky. Skunky? That's a new one.

Then he asked me how I deal with all the crazy customers I get.

I smiled and told him I kept my cool and tried not to talk to crazy people much. Mr. Skunky Cola didn't get it.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've heard of skunky bottled beer, but not skunky soda...in cans. Walmart shoppers have such discerning palates.

Anonymous said...

Most of the time I'm with you on your Walmart craziness, but I worked in the Quality Assurance lab of a major soft drink manufacturer so I know the kind of mistakes that happen in soda manufacturing. Although soda manufacturing is getting more corporate, many bottling plants are franchises, the way that many McDonalds locations are privately owned. Lots of mistakes happen in soda plants-- too much C02, not enough, missed ingredients, soda in the wrong packaging, etc. Sometimes the errors happen in shipping-- leaving pallets out in the sun so the colors are bleached out, etc.

I could explain more, but basically I'd be inclined to think this consumer isn't crazy or a scammer.

Anonymous said...

I have noticed that soda that is on sale for a really good price, like 2 bucks for a 12 pk, doesn't taste very good. It's usually flat, syrupy, and just an odd flavor. Maybe those are the "seconds" that the distributor wants to unload cheaply?

Larry Kollar said...

Yeah, "skunky" is usually a term for beer (most often applied to homebrew) that picked up a stray bacteria or three on the way to the container. With all the preservatives they use in soft drinks, something had to go totally w0rNg for Pepsi to spoil.

Anonymous said...

Did you check the dates? From time to time, we have people return soda that's been sitting around in their house and it's expired and gone flat (I work for a major soda distributor/producer).

Boringscreenname said...

I don't know of any place that would allow a customer to return pop after it's already been open and drank. Seriously just go out and buy new it's not that expensive folks.

clarkins said...

Was it in the new blue cans or the old style red white and blue cans? It could be skunky because he's had it forever.

Beverly said...

well personally i wouldn't know a good pepsi from a bad one cuz i think it all tastes awful.

i drink plain ole coke. not cherry flavored, berries and cream, coke plus - none of that crap just plain ordinary coke in the red can. and there are times when i do get a can or two (never gotten an entire 12 pack tho) that tastes, well, off. usually it's not so bad that i won't still drink it and if it is, i just pour it down the drain. I can't say that i've ever had one that i would classify as "skunky" tho. gross.

Anonymous said...

LOL!

Heidi said...

I agree with Anon at 6:50 PM. I've had some funny incidents with Pepsi.

First, I found a worm in my Pepsi once. That was utterly disgusting. They gave me a bunch of free coupons, but I couldn't bring myself to drink Pepsi for months.

Then I got a case that tasted like mud (or at least how I imagine mud to taste.) I gave the whole case to a co-worker who was grateful and drank it all.

Anonymous said...

Has anyone ever drank a 20oz Pepsi bottle from a gas station or convenience store that tasted smokey? I hate that.