I’ve noticed in recent months that some of the products I like have been disappearing from the supermarket I shop at. They will introduce some new flavor or variety, I’ll try it and like it, and start buying it regularly. Then, a few months later, it will disappear from the shelf, never to be seen again. This has happened with cereal, yogurt and juice, to name a few.

When I was shopping the other day, I happened to see the store manager walking down the aisle. I stopped him and told him about all the products I liked that were later removed. He said they did “resets” from time to time, and removed slower selling products, and it just must have been my bad luck to get the products I liked taken away. I jokingly said that I wondered if they looked at my purchase history every few months, and then took away one of my favorites. He said they would never do that, and I realized that he didn’t know I was joking.

Two days later, I went to get some toothpaste. Not only was my flavor no longer on the shelf, the entire brand (Arm & Hammer) was gone.