Pulverized Biscuits Take the Glitz Out of the Ritz Cracker
Posted: Monday, February 15, 2010
by Gerry Charbonneau
http://nibblednews.typepad.com
The advertising departments creative spin doctors at Nabisco World promoting Ritz crackers promise consumers that the biscuits are " buttery tasting and they'll practically melt in your mouth". They taste very good and do melt in your mouth as promised.
The "fun of the Ritz" is the way the cracker is so user friendly. Take them right out of the box and munch them or use them in your favourite recipe. I have no complaints up to this point with the corporate logic of consumer appeal, flexibility and taste.
I recently purchased two boxes of Ritz crackers. The boxes were flawless and that added to their visual appeal. My purchases were two weeks apart. I like the taste of the crackers and munch them whenever I play scrabble, cards or read. So I was a more than ready customer for the product.
When I opened the box of crackers I discovered that the crackers were not as depicted on the outside of the box. The contents were pulverized. There were about 12 biscuits that matched the artist's conception of a perfect Ritz.
The contents of the second box I opened one week later were in the same physical condition. There was no outward sign that the crackers inside had been smashed to bits. The overall appeal of the cracker lost its credibility. I wondered if quality control personnel were on a coffee break the day these boxes of crackers came down the conveyor belt.
At this stage of the game I decided it was time for me to send an email to the company's customer service department. I described the package fully noting the Universal Pricing Code (UPC) on the outside of the box, the product lot number and any other relevant identifying information they required.
The marketing experts at corporate headquarters needed me to also include the name of the store and any other significant data I could offer to help them resolve this situation. I complied with their wishes.It seems as though the product experts at Nabisco World are attempting to slough off their responsibilities and pass the buck onto the store's receiving and stocking personnel.
I returned to the supermarket and examined all the boxes of Ritz crackers that the store was stacking on the shelf. Fifteen boxes were neatly stacked and undamaged. There was no outward physical evidence to suggest that the contents of the boxes were in less than perfect shape.
It has been three weeks since I sent my note to Nabisco product headquarters. They are either conducting in depth investigations at their factories or else have shredded any and all evidence of my note of complaint to them.
I enjoy the taste of the Ritz cracker but am not willing to spend good money on a bad product line that might have escaped the attention of product control personnel. It's the little things like this in life than can make or break a product's overall appeal.
It's not enough these days to be concerned merely about the corporate bottom line. It's time to also be concerned the way your customers respond to your product in good times as well as bad.
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Top-level comments on this article: (2 total)Hi Gerry.I'm with you all the way on this issue of corporate responsibility. If that's what they are promising, then that is what they should deliver regardless of what comes in between. It's their responsibility.Great article,DianneHi DianneThanks for your comment. Much appreciated.There has been no response from Nabisco World.Guess that is how the cookie(s) crumble!
I had the same problem with a perfect box of the whole wheat ritz crackers, the box was flawless but inside 2 of the 4 rolls of crackers were "pulverized".Thank you for writing.
I guess the cracker manufacturer has not really rectified this situation.
It is especially frustrating for the consumer who buys the hype of the perfect cracker only to discover that half the package has been mugged, mangled and mismanaged.
You could write to the company's website and complain. That may help.
If enough people do this maybe the company will evaluate its packaging processes.
Enjoy the day.
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