Just got back from what was to be a quick trip to Costco for gas. While in the gas line, I decided I’d run into the store and surprise my husband with a shrimp cocktail before dinner. Of course, I found other wonderful things, as usual. There was my third 3-pack of reading glasses (they’re in almost every room, in my purse, in my pottery and jewelry class tool boxes and in the car). Then there was the large hard-cover version of “The Runaway Bunny” for our granddaughter and a couple of audio books for all the time I spend driving.
And then, as I walked toward the check-outs at the front of the store, I passed the aisle that I’ve been avoiding for weeks now, the home of the Shearer potato chips. Now between the two of us, I’m not the chipaholic – my husband is. In fact, Shearer’s are the only chips I like. I crave pasta, chocolate and Diet Coke, not necessarily in that order. But I like a handful of chips once in a while. My husband, on the other hand, loves chips and has a much tougher time resisting them. But because we’re trying to eliminate unhealthy stuff from our diets, we decided the Shearers would no longer be welcome in our home. And I’ve successfully resisted that aisle on my last four Costco trips.
But today, I wanted to simply visit them. So imagine my shock and horror when I went down the Shearer aisle, and they weren’t there. I thought, “This is definitely a message from the Universe.” Devastated, I went to the self check-out and, after paying for everything, I asked an employee if they’d moved the Shearer chips. (Take that, Universe!) Well, she checked the system and told me they weren’t “carrying them right now,” and that she didn’t know when they’d be back. This was sounding more like a divorce than a separation, and I was getting worried.
So, as I walked toward the exit, I stopped at the desk to ask them why they’d stop carrying such a popular product. This time, when the woman checked the system, it showed that they had over 300 bags in stock and 400 on order. A quick call to someone in the stock area resulted in a promise to bring some chips to the floor. I was asked to have a seat, because “It’ll take a few minutes.” And that’s what I did, berating myself nonstop for actually planning to buy the chips, while feeling triumphant at the same time.
Well, I waited and waited. After about 20 minutes had passed, I checked and saw that the chips still weren’t out. So I asked another assistant how much longer it would take. She made a call and was told that they’d been “dropped and stocked.” So I went back there just as a guy was taking them off a pallet. Finally, I had the chips I never intended to buy! And the Universe had thought it was so clever – HA!
Flash forward about 20 minutes to when I got home. I opened one of the bags and took a few chips, as did my husband. We both kind of looked at each other and tried a few more. Then I asked, “Do these taste any different to you?” He agreed that they did. While they never tasted very salty, now they tasted like they needed salt. And the flavor just wasn’t as rich. In fact, after two or three chips, I didn’t want any more. And neither did the chip maniac.
How could this be?! What did the brain trusts at Shearer do? I noticed something on the bag that may or may not have been there before – I don’t remember. (I’m obviously grasping at straws.) It said “0 grams trans fat.” Maybe they eliminated trans fats and replaced them with other, more boring fats. I don’t know. What I do know is that we’re cured. We’re giving these away and won’t be tempted again. How ridiculous of me to think I could win that one! Hey, Universe, could you maybe do the same with my addiction to pasta?
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