The Impulsive Buy

SPOTTED (TRADER JOE’S EDITION): 2/9/2026

Marvo / February 9, 2026 / Spotted on Shelves / Leave a Comment

Here are some interesting new products found on store shelves by your fellow readers. If you’ve tried any of them, share your thoughts in the comments.

Trader Joe's Patagonian Scallops — Trader Joe’s Patagonian Scallops

Trader Joe's Super Colossal Raw Black Tiger Shrimp — Trader Joe’s Super Colossal Raw Black Tiger Shrimp

Trader Joe's Dill-Icious Dill Cream Cheese Spread — Trader Joe’s Dill-Icious Dill Cream Cheese Spread

Trader Joe's Ice Cube Lettuce Baby Iceberg — Trader Joe’s Ice Cube Lettuce Baby Iceberg

Trader Joe's BBQ Pork Fried Rice — Trader Joe’s BBQ Pork Fried Rice

Trader Joe's Stuffed Peppers With Seasoned Ground Beef Rice Tomato Sauce And Parmesan Cheese — Trader Joe’s Stuffed Peppers With Seasoned Ground Beef Rice Tomato Sauce And Parmesan Cheese

(Spotted by Sarah R at Trader Joe’s.)

If you’re out shopping and see new products, snap a picture of them, and send them in via an email ([email protected]) with where you found them and “Spotted” in the subject line. Also, if you want to send in photos and are wondering if we’ve already covered something or if they’re new, don’t worry about it. Let us worry about it.

SPOTTED: Whipnotic Limited Edition Dubai Chocolate Whipped Topping

Marvo / February 6, 2026 / Spotted on Shelves / 2 Comments

I guess 2026 is also The Year of Dubai Chocolate. (Spotted by Sarah R at Target.)

REVIEW: Nutella Ice Cream

Marvo / February 6, 2026 / Reviews / 2 Comments

I assume the foil lid that seals the Nutella Ice Cream pint, with the wait 5 minutes message, is there to allow the layer of Nutella below it to soften before you stab your spoon into it for the first time. I also like to think it’s there to allow you to contemplate the life choices you’re about to make once you pull that lid off, because once you do, there’s a good chance you could eat this excellent pint in under five minutes.

A major issue with Nutella is that you can’t eat the whole jar in one sitting in front of your primary care physician without them giving you a horrified look. At some point, that look will make you feel so guilty that you’ll stop eating, or your physician will slap that jar away from you. I mean, that still might be the case if you ate the entire pint of this ice cream because no caring doctor would let you eat a whole pint of the dessert in front of them. However, after comparing the nutrition facts of the two, eating the pint would be “healthier” than eating an entire jar of Nutella. Heck, it’s “healthier” than eating half the jar.

As I mentioned at the beginning, there’s a frozen Nutella layer that softens after five minutes of sitting. Once that layer is gone, you might think all the fun is over, but below that is Nutella-flavored ice cream and Nutella swirls. If you’re nuts about Nutella, I tell ya, you’re going to love this.

Even though it’s a simple pint made up of components that taste the same, I think it’s more satisfying than a jar of the choco hazelnut spread. It may be one note, but that one note has level variations and is terrific. While the top layer is a burst of Nutella and a tasty hindrance, I’d argue it’s unnecessary, since what’s under it is more fun.

The ice cream and swirls have a flavor that I’d say is not as potent as a spoonful of actual Nutella, so it’s easy to find yourself shoveling spoonful after spoonful into your mouth. But what I enjoyed most about those spoonfuls was how the swirls went from solid to gooey in my mouth. And, fortunately, there are many swirls throughout the creamy base.

If you love Nutella enough that you could eat an entire jar in one sitting, then you’re gonna love this pint. But just don’t eat it in front of your doctor and try not to eat it all in under five minutes.

Purchased Price: $4.99 (sale)
Size: 1 pint
Purchased at: Safeway
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup) 330 calories, 20 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 25 milligrams of cholesterol, 45 milligrams of sodium, 35 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 30 grams of sugar (including 24 grams of added sugar), and 5 grams of protein.

Ice Cream Nutella

REVIEW: Liquid Death Sparkling Energy Drinks

Marvo / February 6, 2026 / Reviews / 3 Comments

It’s hard to know whether Liquid Death is killing it in the sparkling water world. Everywhere I shop, its cans and multipacks are buried within the hordes of LaCroix, bubly, Waterloo, and store brands. While the company is concerned with murdering our thirst, I wonder if the others are slaughtering its market share. Well, to get a little market share elsewhere, Liquid Death is taking a stab at the energy drink market with a line of Sparkling Energy Drinks.

Available in four flavors—Scary Strawberry, Tropical Terror, Orange Horror, and Murder Mystery—Liquid Death’s energy drinks have zero sugar, no sucralose or aspartame, no artificial colors or dyes, B and C vitamins, and 100 milligrams of caffeine naturally sourced from coffee beans.

Yup. Just 100 milligrams of sweet caffeine. A nice round number that Liquid Death calls “unextreme.” I’m a bit flabbergasted by that amount because for a company that wants to murder our thirst and bring death to drowsy (the can’s words, not mine), I’m disappointed these don’t have 187 milligrams of caffeine. But I guess 100 isn’t so bad since a 12-ounce can of Red Bull has 114 milligrams.

If you’re familiar with Liquid Death’s other products, you won’t be surprised by the mild, watered-down flavors these have. If you’re not familiar, they have a taste that’s between the other sparkling water brands I mentioned in the opening paragraph and any other energy drink, but leans more towards water.

Among the four varieties, the two that stand out are Murder Mystery and Tropical Terror. I initially thought the former would be a mystery flavor, but it turns out it has the same flavor as Liquid Death’s Doctor Death, which has a Dr Pepper-like taste. As a fan of Doctor Death, I approve of it. I also endorse Tropical Terror, which tastes terrific. It has a noticeable, tasty pineapple flavor with a hint of coconut, which makes me wonder if this is similar to Liquid Death’s Pina Killada, which I have never tried.

Scary Strawberry and Orange Horror were also great tasting and reminded me of strawberry and orange sodas, but, you know, watered down like the others. I believe there have been strawberry and orange Liquid Death options, but I haven’t tried them, so I can’t compare. But all four are worthy of a rebuy.

While there’s a lot to like about these, not coming in 16-ounce cans from the get-go is disappointing. Most new energy drinks seem to come in 12-ounce slim cans, which I don’t mind. But if I’m standing in front of tens of thousands of milligrams of caffeine, and they’re all roughly the same price, my hands are more likely to pull off the shelf something with 16 ounces. If these are someday available in 16-ounce cans, maybe they could have 187 milligrams of caffeine?

Overall, I think Liquid Death’s foray into energy drinks is a successful one. A negative I’ve had about its sparkling water is the lack of caffeine, but these have erased that issue. If you’re a fan of the company’s previous beverages, the way these taste won’t be unfamiliar to you. However, if you’re used to sweet energy drinks with a ton of flavor, these might not appeal to you.

Purchased Price: $2.50 each (sale)
Size: 12 fl oz cans
Purchased at: Safeway
Rating: 8 out of 10 (Murder Mystery and Tropical Terror), 7 out of 10 (Scary Strawberry and Orange Horror)
Nutrition Facts: (1 can – all flavors) 5 calories, 0 grams of fat, 5 milligrams of sodium, 2 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of sugar, and 0 grams of protein.

Beverage Energy Drink Liquid Death

SPOTTED: 2/6/2026

Marvo / February 6, 2026 / Spotted on Shelves / 3 Comments

Here are some interesting new products found on store shelves by your fellow readers. If you’ve tried any of them, share your thoughts in the comments.