Tricky Treat

Good job Wonka Candy Company and Nestle. You tricked a 5 year old. I hope you are happy.

Deceptive packaging seems to be the trend du jour. My last box of Honey Maid graham crackers had a full inch of air space to hide the fact that their graham crackers are smaller. Cereal boxes, like supermodels, are just as tall as they always were, but much thinner. If you've ever opened a box of Andes Mints, you know firsthand the disappointment that a few cardboard spacers can cause.

Pulling a fast one over on adults is one thing, but fooling kids seems a little low. This Nerd's Rope cost Isaac 75 cents. Compared to other candy on the grocery store shelf, 75 cents was a reasonable price for a 10 and a half inch rope of candy. So why did Wonka feel the need to employ deceptive packaging and make the rope look 13 inches long? Does the Wonka Company find joy in getting children ridiculously excited, then dashing their hopes? (e.g. Flying through the air with fizzy lifting soda is a blast until you consider you're about to be sliced to bits in the exhaust fan.)

I called the toll-free number on the back of the Rainbow Nerds Rope to lodge my complaint about the lameness of their candy packaging. By the way, the people over at Wonka have done a splendid job of making their automated phone system as creepy as a boat ride through a psychedelic tunnel. I half expected the customer rep I finally spoke with to carry on with the theme and have some hyperbolic persona. He was normal.

I essentially told him: candy good, price OK, packaging stupid. He assured me that he'd let the marketing department know of my feedback and asked if I'd like some coupons.

And that is how coupons doused the fire of my righteous indignation.

Well, it was really more like a small flame, but still.

(Coupons!)