When a food company discontinues a product, it seems to vanish from the face of the earth. In reality, the process is not that simple. A huge amount of the now-obsolete product is often still sitting in the vast and complex supply chain of a major retail chain. While most of this stock is eventually sent to liquidators, some of it can get lost in the system. It can sit for years in the deep corners of a warehouse or a store backroom, a forgotten relic of a bygone era.
1. Crystal Pepsi
When Pepsi discontinued its infamous clear cola in the 90s, it had a huge amount of unsold product on its hands. For years, stories circulated among retail workers about finding dusty cases of Crystal Pepsi in the forgotten corners of old warehouses. These “graveyard” pallets are the source of many of the vintage bottles that now sell for a fortune on eBay.
2. The Original Four Loko
The original formula of Four Loko, which contained a controversial mix of alcohol and caffeine, was banned by the FDA in 2010. This forced the company to pull all of the original product from the market. However, a huge amount of the banned version was still sitting in distributor warehouses. Many of these cases were quietly sold to third-party liquidators, and they continued to pop up in small, independent convenience stores for years after the ban.
3. The McDonald’s Arch Deluxe
The Arch Deluxe was a massive flop for McDonald’s, and the company was left with a huge supply of the burger’s unique ingredients, from the potato-flour buns to the special sauce. While the perishable items were quickly disposed of, stories from former employees suggest that boxes of the non-perishable components, like the sauce packets, sat in the backrooms of some restaurants and in distribution centers for a long time after the burger was discontinued.
4. Jolt Cola
Jolt Cola, the original high-caffeine soda, has been discontinued and relaunched several times over the years. This has resulted in a chaotic supply chain, with cases of the old, discontinued versions of the drink often getting lost in the shuffle. Likely, pallets of the classic ’90s version of Jolt are still sitting in the back of some beverage distributor’s warehouse.
5. Oreo O’s Cereal
When Post discontinued Oreo O’s cereal in the U.S. in 2007, it was a dark day for many cereal lovers. The product was still produced for the South Korean market, resulting in a gray market of imported boxes. However, even within the U.S., a huge amount of the final domestic production run was still in the supply chain. Much of this stock ended up at discount and salvage grocers, where it sat in backrooms for months.
6. Surge Soda
Coca-Cola’s answer to Mountain Dew, the citrus soda Surge, was discontinued in the early 2000s but maintained a massive cult following. Before its official relaunch, a huge part of the fun for its fans was the “Surge hunting” community. People would track rumors of old, expired cans being found in the backrooms of gas stations or in old vending machines that had not been serviced in years.
7. Planters Cheez Balls
Before Planters officially brought them back, their iconic Cheez Balls were one of the most sought-after discontinued snacks. The final production run of the original version sat in warehouses before being sent to liquidators. For years after the official discontinuation, you could still occasionally find a dusty blue canister in the backroom of a salvage grocery store.
8. The Bell Beefer from Taco Bell
Taco Bell’s Bell Beefer, a taco-style sloppy joe, was discontinued in the 80s, but its legend lives on. While the perishable ingredients are long gone, it is a fun urban legend among former employees that some of the original, branded paper wrappers for the sandwich are still sitting in a box in the back of a very old Taco Bell storeroom. It is a symbol of a forgotten era.
9. The McDonald’s McDLT
The McDLT was famous for its two-sided styrofoam container, designed to keep the “hot side hot and the cool side cool.” When the product was discontinued due to environmental concerns about its packaging, McDonald’s was left with millions of these unique, now-useless containers. Many of these likely sat in the backrooms of restaurants and distribution centers for years before finally being discarded.
10. Various “Limited Time Only” Items
Every “Limited Time Only” promotion has an end date. When the promotion is over, the restaurants are often left with a surplus of the special ingredients. These items will sit in the backroom freezer or pantry until they are either used up by employees or eventually thrown away.
The Retail Time Capsule
The backroom of a major retail chain is like a time capsule. It is a place where the failures and forgotten products of the past can sit for years, hidden from the public eye. The stories of these discontinued foods are a fascinating glimpse into the hidden life of the products we buy. They show that even when a food is gone from the shelf, it is not always truly gone from the store.
Have you ever found a rare, discontinued product at a store? What is the one discontinued food you would love to find in a forgotten backroom? Let us know!
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