Where’s the Caffine-Free Dr. Pepper??

OR What Else Went Away During Covid and Never Came Back?

The website Finance Buzz had a recent article called 10 things that Disappeared During the Pandemic and May Never Come Back. That link will take you to the article.

They talk about local restaurants and businesses that went belly-up during Covid.  They talk in very general terms about offices, and restaurant menus. I want to address something very specific, though.

What the hell happened to all the Caffeine-Free Dr. Pepper??

I’m not talking about the Diet Dr. Pepper (White and red can) or Dr. Pepper Zero (red and black can).  Those are back on the shelves almost anywhere I go.

I’m talking about the Caffeine-Free Dr. Pepper in the red and gold cans. Those disappeared in 2020 and, to my knowledge, never came back.

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So, I shop primarily at Albertson’s, Target and Walmart.  I can’t find them in any of the El Paso locations I go to. Also, when I go visit my family in Oklahoma…no Caffeine Free DP there either.

I’ve also tried E-Bay and was met with similar disappointment. EBAY HAS the DIET Caffeine Free Dr. Pepper but, suspiciously, NOT the regular Caffeine Free.  Amazon claims to have it but they’re charging something like $30 for a 12-pack.

This stuff is great. It tastes exactly like regular Dr. Pepper. EXACTLY.

The lack of luck on EBAY and Amazon precipitated a call to company headquarters in Plano.  The lady who answered said they ARE still producing Caffeine Free Dr. Pepper but they haven’t gotten back to pre-pandemic levels. Also, something something about distribution routes.

So, a couple of questions, reader. Number one, what’s something that “went away” during Covid and never came back? Number two, has anybody seen Caffeine Free Dr. Pepper in El Paso? It looks like this:

It’s a GOLD can. If it’s white and gold, that’s the Caffeine Free DIET Dr. Pepper.

Don’t waste my time with that trash.