A few months ago, those delicious Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies sold individually everywhere got their first price increase (to my knowledge) in at least 27 years, jumping from 25 cents to 35 cents each.
Isn't it a miracle that such a wonderful product could sustain its low price for so long?
Although I lust after the elusive Chocodile (chocolate-covered Twinkies now sold only in California) mostly just because I can't have it, and still love the almighty Zero bar (partaking about once every six months), I would have to say that the Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pie has been my favourite snack treat pretty consistently since about 1980. That's when my friend John Ukena bought one at the Index 5 & 10 store on Main Street in Fairfield, Illinois, and made me very curious about how they tasted. They are, and have always been, quite yummy.
Now, a few things to note about the Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pie. Buying a normal box of them instead of just one individual unit is no good, because these days the ones in the box are much smaller and don't taste the same... the formula seems a little different... to my buds, they are too sweet. The light version, if they even still make it, is not good either; nor is the Double Decker version. A few years ago, they started selling the correct size in a Big Pack of 12.... Now those are the yummy ones. They may even be bigger than the individually sold units. I haven't been following this as closely as I should be, sorry. Anyway, it's no good to buy a Big Pack of these, because then a person like me would feel Big Guilt for eating 12 in one sitting. No, these must be consumed carefully, just one at a time, with a long break before the next.
Over the years, I've settled into a weekly routine of shopping for groceries at Kroger where I mostly only buy things on sale, and mostly stick to a list. I reward myself for shopping thriftily by grabbing a Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pie on the way out, to eat during the drive home. But yesterday, as I was checking out, I noticed that the package was open and the pie was hard. The cashier offered to let me go get a replacement, but I neglected. So I got shorted out of my Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pie for the week.
I really want one right now, but must wait until the next time we need groceries.
4 comments:
My wife obviously comes nowhere near this blog. Tonight she brought home one of the 12 packs of small-sized Oatmeal Creme Pies, thinking I'd be pleased. All I had asked for from the store was my Kroger brand Diet Citrus Drop! I didn't want these fattening things, but couldn't resist. They are already almost all gone.... groan. Maybe she's trying to sabotage my hopes to lose weight before my upcoming high school class reunion?
I was right, by the way. They are sweeter than the individually sold 35-centers, and don't taste as good.
Sabotage is right. A few days ago, we officially decided that I am going to the reunion and had just three weeks left to lose any weight. So she buys me fast food, makes spaghetti and pancakes and other high carb stuff, and generally does anything but support what I'm trying to do. I'm sure as of July 13, it will be back to fending for my own food again. Sigh...
The individual Oatmeal Creme Pies went up in price again, from 35 cents to 50 cents. So the price doubled in a little over a year, after going over 25 years with no price increase.
Just two months after the price hike from 35 to 50 cents, they went up again, to 75 cents. So from about 1981 or earlier to late 2007, they held steady at 25 cents before changing to 35 cents, but in the space of just 16 months they tripled in price from 25 cents to 75 cents. Amazing! The label does say "New Size!" though. At 3.3 oz., I believe they are thicker than what I've been used to all these years, and do not taste quite the same. It's actually a bit too much to eat in one sitting. Why do things have to change? They were perfect the way they already were. In a few decades, my grandchildren will read this and wonder why I was never locked away in an asylum.
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