I'm a recovering Altoids Gum-aholic. Yep, it's true. And the only reason I'm a "recovering" Altoids Gum-aholic is because about a year ago, they quit making it. :( Rats!
Apparently, I'm not alone. Yesterday, just out of curiosity, (no pun intended) I Googled "Altoids Gum" to see if by some miracle Callard & Bowser had come to their senses and started making this amazing gum again. What I found astounded me! There are folks paying HUGE dollars on eBay for this gum...gum that I'm sure has to be out of expiration by now.
Check out some of the eBay auctions that just recently ended for Altoids Gum. These tins, each containing 20 pieces of gum, sold for $1.99 when it was still being made. In this auction, they sold for $6.00 per tin if you include the cost of shipping.
Here's an auction that is currently in progress. With almost 4 days left, there are already 11 bids and it's up to $51 for 10 containers. Don't you wonder how these sellers just happened to have Altoids Gum when it hasn't been being made in probably close to a year? I wonder if when it became hard to find, they went out a bought a whole stock pile?
Check out these "Buy It Now" auctions currently listed on eBay. This is for chewing gum, folks!
In the FAQ on the Callard & Bowser Altoids website, they state that periodically they have to discontinue making a product if it doesn't sell well. I don't think that's what happened here unless it was a case of very poor marketing. The folks who loved this gum, reallllly loved it. It was and is the only sugarless gum I have ever tasted that totally did not taste like sugarless gum. Plus, it kept its flavor and didn't turn to rubber in your mouth after a while like most sugarless gums do. And, it wasn't overly sweet. It was hands down the best gum I've ever tasted, sugar or sugarless.
I haven't succumbed to buying it on eBay. Yet. I figured, what would be the point? Sooner or later I would just run out again, and then what? If I did buy it on eBay, I'm not even sure I would enjoy chewing it. With each piece I would know I was one step closer to never having it again. ;) Sooner or later the eBay sellers will run out, too. Right?
Callard & Bowser...bring this awesome gum back! I visited their site today and clicked on the "contact us" tab. I politely asked why, oh why, did they quit making this marvelous gum? I'll let you know if I get a response. I'm not holding my breath. ;)
Ummm, do you think there was something wrong with it? The very first time I ever chewed a piece, I immediately sneezed. The second time, I sneezed again. After that, it didn't make me sneeze anymore. About a week or so later I picked a friend up from the airport. While driving back home, I offered him a piece of the Altoids Gum. He accepted and I told him..."It's gonna make you sneeze." He looked at me like I was nuts and took the gum. He started chewing and immediately sneezed. LOL We had a good laugh over that. I think he thought I was suddenly psychic or something. So, I have wondered...did the gum police make them remove it? Maybe someone had a sneezing fit! LOL
Now, I want to know...has this ever happened to you? Have you ever been hopelessly in love with a product to only have it be discontinued? If so, what was it and were you able to find a substitution or do you still miss it as much as I miss Altoids Peppermint Gum?
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