What's the Fuss over Plum-a-Granate?

Let me just start by saying that, if you're not a fan of obsessive behaviour, save yourself the trouble of reading this blog post.

I like Snapple. More to the point, I like a Snapple flavor called Plum-a-Granate. Not only does it have a purple label, it is freaking delicious.


Snapple is distributed by Dr. Pepper/Seven-Up. It is owned by the Schweppes/Cadbury. There is a Schweppes warehouse in Lake Forest, Illinois that currently contains over 700 cases of the stuff. And yet, this thirsty knitter cannot get any, unless I buy the variety pack, in which case I have to drink 10 bottles I don't like as well to get to the 2 bottles I crave.

You may wonder, how does she know so much about Snapple and distributors and warehouses? Research!

I will only touch on the sordid details, but let's just say that finding Plum-a-Granate Snapple is hard work. I've made no less than 25 phone calls, and visited 13 or 14 stores that the 1-800-SNAPPLE Customer Service line assured me carried that flavor. 1-800-SNAPPLE is one of the most worthless Customer Service number I've ever called. Not only do they lie about where to find their products, they will absolutely NOT transfer you to anybody with more knowledge. Plus, they treat you as if you're a lunatic for caring what flavor you're drinking. I'm not basing this opinion on one call; I've called 7 times.

Darling Heather from the Sow's Ear found it for me online at Dr. Soda, however, the shipping on one case was $43.00, so that didn't seem like a great solution. Snapple is heavy.

Finally, my new BFF Carl Miller, of Miller & Sons Grocery in Verona, Wisconsin (just across the street from the Sow's Ear), heard my pathetic plea and decided he would help. Here is a man who knows customer service. The Seven-Up salesman told him "no". So he went to the Madison distributor who told him "no". Up, and up, and up he went until he reached somebody at the Schweppes/Cadbury corporation with some empathy and who agreed the whole thing was ridiculous. Here's this poor knitter begging them to take her money!

They shipped 3 cases to Dubuque Iowa (because the Wisconsin distributor couldn't be bothered). From there they has been passed from pillar to post, winding their way towards Verona. Carl called me this morning to tell me he had 3 cases in his office. I almost wept.

If you know a knitter who works for Snapple, please send them a link to this post. OK, now that obsession is cured, what next?

Please Help with Decision!

I should get my Ravelry invite in the next 3 days, and I need to pick a user name. Pansy was already taken, that would have been my first choice. So, please take my silly poll and help me decide!

I can't seem to get the colors to behave properly, but if you highlight the box on the right with your cursor, you can see what the scores are so far! Thanks for helping me out, if only all decisions in life were this trivial!