We used one of these to keep the soda from going flat once opened
Posted on 12/18/2020 9:35:37 PM PST by thecodont
(CNN)-- RIP, Tab.
After nearly 60 years, Coca-Cola is discontinuing its first-ever diet soda, Tab, which acquired a huge fan base in the '70s and '80s and maintained a small but devoted following through the years.
"Tab had an amazing run," said Robert Bixby, executive director of the Concord Coalition and a longtime Tab enthusiast. Bixby said messages of condolences have been pouring in. "As a business decision I can understand it, but it's a very sad day ... I do feel it's like losing a friend."
Tab is one of several "underperforming" products Coke has said it is eliminating from its brand lineup by the end of the year as the company seeks to streamline production and focus on bestsellers.
Coke isn't alone in culling its brand lineup. Many food and beverage companies are cutting back on their product offerings during the pandemic to make their operations more efficient and meet growing demand for their most popular items.
The company said its beverage overhaul was already under way before Covid-19, but the pandemic prompted the company to fast-track changes.
[...]
Bixby, who has remained loyal to Tab since the 1970s, said he had been preparing for the end. He said he's been auditioning replacement diet colas all summer — all too sweet.
The saccharine-sweetened, zero-calorie Tab was initially marketed to women. Some people familiar with the flavor have described it in terms including "bitter" and "like bad medicine," with a metallic and lingering aftertaste.
Though Bixby said he preferred it to other diet colas because it was less sweet. "It didn't compete with things, so you could enjoy it with a meal."
Tab's growth was more or less cannibalized when Diet Coke came on the scene in 1982. But Coke kept the brand alive for years for its devotees.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
The only time I drink soda is from a fountain. And it’s never diet and it’s usually with a slice of pizza. The stuff in cans and bottles isn’t worth the calories.
But back in the 80s when I worked in this restaurant, it had TAB on tap. I drank it non stop. Something about mixing the syrup with the carbonation makes soda so much better tasting.
:: it is hard to find where I live. ::
Just key your address into your GPS and let the technology find where you live.
A few months ago, there was a “coin shortage” and “aluminum can shortage”.
I noticed lots of empty space in the convenience store coolers.
Manufacturers were already trimming their lines, eliminating flavors and sub-brands.
LOL
I can’t find Tahitian Treat anymore.
We love Fresca, sometimes you can’t find it for months then it’s available for a couple of weeks and off the shelfs again. When we can get fresca I stock ul!
Diet Rite, phooey~
I was hooked on the stuff when I was running 40-60 miles a week.
Glad that idiocy is over.
Nuthing like overloading on saccharine multiple times a day.
Pepsi/Coke distributor told me last week the aluminum can shortage is effecting beer prices as well making bottled stuff cheaper and more available.
We should have started to recycle glass 50 or 60 years ago, fer sure.
We used one of these to keep the soda from going flat once opened
“I can’t give you a Tab unless you order something.”
First thing I thought of too, from Back To The Future.
The product was awful, but I don’t mind Fresca. Strong preference for Diet Pepsi over Diet Coke. The Diet Coke has such a strong after taste. But the Coke Zero is definitely right up there.
“Ok, give me a Pepsi Free”.
“You want a Pepsi, pal, you’re gonna pay for it.”
But Tab was a horrible flavor all its own. Hideous!
Skowering the roadsides for pop bottles and empty beer cans financed my childhood.
"Coca-Cola is discontinuing Tab after nearly 60 years"
And masochists everywhere are heart-broken.
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