Monday, January 14, 2008

Tower of Power

Today I had to run to Trader Joe's for 3 things:

-milk
-green tea latte mix
-decaf chai tea latte mix

When I got to the coffee/tea aisle they were out of green tea latte mix. I asked a TJ lady to check and see when the next shipment would arrive and after she returns from the secret room she informs me that they are no longer going to carry the green tea latte mix. I try not to fall to my knees and weep like a child but I'm a bit shell shocked. (KBL I can totally feel your pain when you found out your greens with envy were discontinued.) So I try and keep myself calm and centered and head down to the chai mixes. Which... I also can't find. The lady notices me searching about for my decaf chai tea and she tells me that those have also been discontinued. Talk about a double whammy. What a complete blow to the system. These are seriously the ONLY 2 things that I enjoy drinking in the morning.

So I got my milk and asked the nice man at the office by the cashiers to print me out a list of all the Trader Joe's in California. Before I even got into my car I started calling. After calling 9 Tj's in my county and not a single one had the mix I was a bit discouraged. I started formulating my letter to the Grand Pooba of Trader Joe's. I still had a few more TJ's to call in my county and even though they were quite a distance I was determined to find at least ONE more mix! I don't care if it cost me $30 in gas, I couldn't survive without this stuff! The 10th place I called had me on hold for quite a while. When the guy came back he enthusiastically told me they had 10 mixes! I calmly asked him to repeat this information and to promise me this wasn't some kind of joke because I wouldn't find it the least bit funny. He assured me there were 10 green tea latte mixes on the shelves and I frantically asked him to pull them ALL cuz I'm on my way! I rushed out the door, got some gas (for the car) and blazed through freeway traffic. I was on a mission.

Once I got there the mixes were set aside in a Trader Joe's bag and I thanked everyone profusely. I almost walked out the door without paying because I was sooo overly excited! Plus they were already in a bag and psychologically when you're carrying a grocery bag you automatically think you've paid for the loot! Or maybe it's not psychological at all, I'm probably just a moron. So while I'm waiting in line to pay I'm beaming with excitement and I reach in my purse to text message my fellow latte lovers only I pull out my HOME PHONE! I looked like the biggest dork. I was so excited when the guy told me he had the mixes on the phone that I just threw my home phone into my purse and left! So yeah, there's no denying it. I am a MORON.

Since I'm such a nice person I'm giving 3 of these mixes to my sister. That leaves me with 7 which should last me about 3 months. But I'm still going to write a letter to the Pooba and see if there is ANY chance they would consider bringing this back. As for the decaf chai tea mix, while I'm disappointed about that, I'm not devastated because I can find other similar mixes. The Green tea latte mix is so unique in that it dissolves in COLD milk and is absolutely delicious over ice.

So here I sit, enjoying my second glass for the day. I'm savoring this drink now, more than ever.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

They must have been from China too like KBL's Greens with Envy were.

Anonymous said...

They must be throwing some crack in there too based on your all's reactions! JK

ChiTown Girl said...

only YOU would leave the house with your damn HOME PHONE in your purse!!! Girl, you make me nearly piss myself with every post!! God, I love you!!

Anonymous said...

Did you ever think that maybe there's a reason why it's been discontinued? Especially if it's coming from China?

Anonymous said...

I was wondering the same thing. Is there any way to find out where it's manufactured?

Anonymous said...

I know that I don't know you but I just went through the SAME thing at my local Trader Joes here in Virginia. The decaf Chai Latte is the only way I start my day - and I can't find it anyway. My poor hubby got a frantic call...what am I gonna do. I've been searching everywhere online - thats how I came upon your blog..sigh...I miss my decaf chai.

Unknown said...

I am also in the same boat - I absolutely LOVE that decaf chai (I agree, there must be crack in it), but they have discontinued it at my Trader Joe's in Virginia. Since you have some cans at home, can you tell me the brand name? I'd like to look it up on the Internet that way. The good news is that many, many times before I've been told by TJ employees that something has been discontinued only to see it reappear a few months later. I'll keep hoping!

Me said...

Unfortunately Trader Joe's won't reveal the brand name on the label. It just says distributed for Trader Joes. I asked them for that while I was in the store and they couldn't give me any information. I'll continue to search for something similar and if and when I find it, I'll be sure to update on here! So sorry my fellow latte lovers...

Unknown said...

Ugh. Thanks anyway!