1-800-GET-A-LIFE
So, I'm eating potato chips the other night, and I happened to be reading the bag. They had printed this catchy slogan on the bag which assured me that Ruffles were the "more potato potato chip, compared to the leading brand" (my emphasis). More potato than what? Are they implying that these other companies are using some kind of "filler" to mix in with their potato? And what kind of filler could they possibly be using? Well, these questions just had to be answered, and Frito Lay was kind enough to print a toll-free phone number for "questions or complaints", so I called them.
1-800-352-4477
I spoke to a woman whose mumbled name sounded like "Lou". I posed my question to her, and she said that they are comparing Ruffles by size to the leading brand of potato chip, which she claims is Lay's.
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ME: |
How can you compare chips like that? Both brands come in different sizes. |
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HER: |
Ruffles are a thicker chip. |
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ME: |
I realize that, but that's kind of an unfair comparison, don't you think? I mean, when you say "size", that implies MASS, not just diameter of the chip. You're talking strictly diameter. |
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HER: |
<this is where she started to get snappy> Considering we own both companies [Frito-Lay makes Ruffles and Lay's chips] it's not unfair at all. |
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ME: |
Okay, but I just don't see how you can stand by this "size" comparison. I mean, if we're talking size, technically we're talking about the total mass of the chip. And since both brands have chips of all sizes in the bag, one could easily find a large, thin Lay's chip that would have more mass than a small Ruffles, despite it's greater thickness. |
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HER: |
Why are you challenging us? |
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ME: |
I'm not "challenging" you, I'm just trying to understand why you worded this the way you did. |
That was pretty much the end of the phone call. She absolutely would not listen to my "total mass" argument, but I still think it's a valid one. Especially considering that the damn chips are sold by VOLUME, not number of chips in the bag, it seems like a pretty ridiculous slogan. You're still getting the exact same amount of potato, regardless of brand! With one exception, which I will note: Pringles are not actually "potato chips", but rather a mix of potato and corn meal, as I suspected. Still, Frito-Lay has a couple screws loose, and feel free to call them at the phone number listed above and argue the "total mass" theory.
(copyright 1999 mdl)
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