{"id":286,"date":"2022-06-05T15:24:16","date_gmt":"2022-06-05T15:24:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lettersforzerrius.com\/?p=286"},"modified":"2022-06-05T15:24:16","modified_gmt":"2022-06-05T15:24:16","slug":"in-search-of","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dynamic.lettersforzerrius.com\/2022\/06\/05\/in-search-of\/","title":{"rendered":"In Search Of\u2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When I was around 18 years old, they decided to stop making soda available in glass bottles[1]<\/sup><\/a>. My favorite drink in the world at that point was a 16-ounce glass bottle of Mountain Dew. Soda had always been a thing in the home I grew up. There was a specialty soda shop in town called, \u201cThe Pop Shop,\u201d and we were allowed to pick our flavors each week[2]<\/sup><\/a> so that each kid got \u2013 I think \u2013 14 sodas. We had a special soda fridge[3]<\/sup><\/a>. I was distraught when PepsiCo said no more glass bottles. It was bad for the environment[4]<\/sup><\/a> and too expensive to let you keep returning bottles for your 10-cent deposit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was my first encounter that even if lots of customers really liked something and kept buying it, the company could decide to go a different direction[5]<\/sup><\/a>. It had an effect on my world in that I realized that I, a consumer, would never be able to control what companies do. Being a loyal customer doesn\u2019t guarantee a vendor wants to keep selling to you[6]<\/sup><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For a few years, I had some fun adventures with Husband searching for the last glass bottles of Mountain Dew. It is a family legend that we would take road trips to buy three or four cases and I would try to make them last for a month[7]<\/sup><\/a>. When NumberOneNiece was little and she would visit, it was a special treat for her to get to drink one of my glass bottles of Mountain Dew. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, I just stopped drinking Mountain Dew. I rarely have a soda. I stopped liking the taste and then the feel of bubbly soft drinks[8]<\/sup><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A few years ago, when LittleOne and then BigOne were diagnosed with ADHD, I was adamant that they each needed to know how to deal with the way their mind worked without the medications. I told them, and I believe, you cannot control companies. The companies could find a better use for the raw materials than making ADHD medications[9]<\/sup><\/a>, so it was good for each of them to have alternatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We have been hearing for the last 2+ years about supply chain problems and how the problem of the supply chain is making it hard to get the goods consumers want to buy. There is another perspective on that statement \u2013 the company is only going to order materials it knows it can use to sell things. Leftovers are waste. The company wants to make the most profit, so they want to maximize price versus cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am obviously complaining about this, but I really shouldn\u2019t because I do the same thing in our little family economy. I do not buy unlimited supplies of raw materials[10]<\/sup><\/a> to guarantee we will always be able to make what we want to eat. I really don\u2019t like leftovers[11]<\/sup><\/a>. I don\u2019t like waste. It always annoys me when I am ordering school pictures and I want 2 4\u201dx6\u201d prints and a few 3\u201dx5\u201d prints. I don\u2019t like having \u201cleft over\u201d pictures because the company gave me 24 wallets because I also wanted to order the digital version. Maybe companies think like me \u2013 use all the resources they have in the way that makes them consumed bringing the company the most value[12]<\/sup><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or, as BigOne would tell us, it could be the company isn\u2019t making trades on value and consumption but instead wants to destroy the individual to guarantee profit and retain control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There will always be things we want that we can\u2019t have. That is just part of how we built our culture. Instead of complaining about the choices someone else has made[13]<\/sup><\/a>, perhaps it would be a better idea to focus on the choices we make and our attitude about them. While I still miss the tall returnable green glass bottles filled with that joyous elixir, the memories of the road trips searching for what I wanted are good. When I found what I was looking for, that was even better. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

[1]<\/sup><\/a> It was a long time ago\u2026 a very long time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2]<\/sup><\/a> Mom LOVED Lime Ricky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3]<\/sup><\/a> I now have a special cider fridge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4]<\/sup><\/a> Because plastic is so much better for the environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5]<\/sup><\/a> Hello Taco Bell Mexican Pizza.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6]<\/sup><\/a> Remember \u2013 No soup for you!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7]<\/sup><\/a> Husband says that it was more about the trip than the Mountain Dew, but that isn\u2019t how I remember it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8]<\/sup><\/a> Bubbly hard drinks, like cider, are still a desire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[9]<\/sup><\/a> This hasn\u2019t happened, but I believe it could. It did during the pandemic for some people with chronic conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[10]<\/sup><\/a> Like cool ranch doritos. They were out at the store again today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[11]<\/sup><\/a> Be it food, paper, or a shirt that sits in a closet with the tags on for two years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[12]<\/sup><\/a> Sadly, I think it is more profit than value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[13]<\/sup><\/a> Because, remember, companies are made up of people.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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