SPOTTED ON SHELVES – 3/21/2012

New products are released all the time and here are some we found on our most recent shopping trips. We may or may not review them, but we’d like to let you know what new items are popping up on store shelves.

Starbucks Refreshers

Starbucks Refreshers were originally tested in uncanned form at limited Starbucks locations in 2010 and available nationwide during Summer 2011. Now they’re available in canned form and in three flavors: Orange Melon, Raspberry Pomegranate, and Strawberry Lemonade. The beverage combines fruit juice with “natural energy from green coffee extract,” but doesn’t look or taste like coffee. Each can is made up 25 percent juice, has 50 milligrams of panax ginseng, and a number of B vitamins. As for caffeine, the cans don’t say. HOW CAN THEY NOT SAY ANYTHING AT ALL! Sorry, I haven’t had my caffeine fix yet, so I’m a little grumpy.

Mallow Bits

Instead of saying would you like more marshmallows with your hot cocoa, I’d like to say would you like more hot cocoa with your marshmallows, and Kraft’s new Jet-Puffed Mallow Bits will allow me to do so. After a quick Google search, I learned that these tiny marshmallows that would make horrible marshmallow gun ammunition have been around for a couple of months, but this is the first time I’ve run into them. Jet-Puffed Mallow Bits come in two flavors: vanilla and peppermint

New Dove Men + Care

Hey! More Dove Men + Care body and face wash options! But I still can’t use it to wash my hair like I can with products from Old Spice and Nivea. If I can use Dove Men + Care on my chest hair, arm hair, leg hair, armpit hair, genital hair, back hair, and toe hair, why can’t I use it for my head hair?

Lays Classic BLT

Photo via Impulsive Buy reader Gary.

I think Lay’s Classic BLT potato chips are new. I’m not sure because in the back of my mind I think I’ve seen Lay’s BLT potato chips when I was younger. Or maybe Walkers in the UK made BLT crisps. I don’t know. To be honest, whether or not they’re new is something I’m not too interested in. What I’d like to know is whether these BLT chips have some lettuce flavor.

Arbys Curly Fries

Photo via Impulsive Buy reader Gary.

Have you ever wanted to enjoy Arby’s curly fries at home without having to leave your house? I haven’t, but if I did, I now have the option with this bag of frozen Arby’s seasoned curly fries. According to the bag, we can heat up some of their “world famous fries, anytime!” I’m going to go out on a limb here and say they’re probably not world famous since there are Arby’s locations in only seven countries. And last time I checked, seven countries don’t make a world. If anyone gets to say “world famous fries,” it’s McDonald’s, which is in 119 countries.

Pez-Presidents

Photo via Impulsive Buy reader Gary.

Hmm…Let’s see if I know my US Presidents. George Washington is on the one dollar bill and was our first white US president. John Adams was the second President of the United States and, I think, he made beer. Thomas Jefferson was one of the authors of the Declaration of Independence and had sex with his slaves. James Monroe might be Marilyn Monroe’s great great grandfather. And, James Madison’s spirit gets upset when school children get confused between him and James Monroe.

If you’re out shopping and see a new product on the shelf, snap a picture of it, email it to us at [email protected], and you might see it in our next Spotted on Shelves post.

17 thoughts to “SPOTTED ON SHELVES – 3/21/2012”

  1. John Adams looks like my middle-school teacher who coached boys track, drove a van with no windows, and liked giving shoulder rubs.

  2. I’ve tried all of the Refreshers and wasn’t too impressed. Flavor-wise they’re more or less on par with Izze, maybe a little more syrupy though (and substantially more expensive).

    1. I was going to keep an eye out for the Refreshers, but… on that advice I may just get a pack of Izze instead. According to their website, their Sparkling Juice, and Fortified lines have 70% juice to Starbucks’s 25%. That may account for the difference in viscosity. Or mouthfeel. Whatever it is.

      I just wish Izze still made sparkling pear juice. That stuff was amazing.

      1. Like it says… if you take it to the gym and someone in the shower says “Damn, that thing is BIG”, assume they’re talking about the soap… Probably…

  3. I found the Mallow Bits at a salvage store in a little town in Louisana about 2 months ago. I bought the vanilla flavored ones and they were quite good in my hot chocolate. I even ate some by themselves. They are more like freeze dried marshmallows. When they rehydrate they are a lot smaller than regular mini marshmallows. I wouldn’t buy them again but it was woth the .50 I paid for them.

  4. And James Madison’s wife made delicious snack cakes, so it all comes back around, but they were better before Dolly sold out to Hostess.

  5. Actually picked up a can of the Starbucks Refreshers this morning. Strawberry Lemonade. It had a great flavor at first, but the aftertaste is horrid. I couldn’t even finish it. I love Izze, but the Refreshers have such a horrible bitter aftertaste. I threw away 75% of the can. Blech.

  6. The evil that is Starbucks (well, not really Starbucks – more caffeine in general) has now hit the shelves… Oh dear… (Sips her green tea 🙂 )

  7. I wanna try those BLT chips! I’m a sucker for simulated-meat-flavor chips.

    Also, I really like this segment… or whatever you call it.

  8. Found the BLT chips at my local WM. Not bad. The flavor is like a very mild BBQ. My favorite new product find so far this year is the Clausen Hot & Spicy spears. If only they’d make them in chips for easy sandwichin’.

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