Hats off to Sprinx and Bag Balm

I read the other day in my higher-priced, stream-lined newspaper---which never came this morning----that potato/cheese/corn/sun chip bags are going to have more stuff in them now that the recession is leveling off. Unfortunately, I have not yet gone chip shopping to see if this is true.

What a novel thing to do-----giving the customer the same amount for the money that was once paying for that same amount only to have the amount reduced and the price inflated. I don't know if you can sort that out, but it means chip buyers are back to square one, if this all be true.

I can't say the same for my newspaper. Skinnier product, and then it doesn't show up on Sunday morning. Used to be I spent nearly an hour on Sunday mornings reading the two newspapers. Two minutes for the North Idaho Sunday and the other 58 for the Sunday Spokesman.

These days, except for today, of course, I usually hand over the stacks to Bill within 15 minutes. And, that could be stretching it.

I can't figure out yet why we have to pay more for less. The same thing has happened with ice cream. Have you noticed that the half gallon boxes in many cases are two-thirds of a half gallon? Don't know my fractions this morning so I won't figure out the exact amount we get for way too much money.

I just know that I started noticing half gallons of ice cream lasting only three nights instead of four. And, I wasn't scooping up any more either. I looked a little closer at the box, and, sure enough, it was a little different shape and the information on the side indicated the lesser amount. The price did not.

Here I was sometimes paying $4.29 for containers with less ice cream than those I used to purchase on sale at two boxes for $7. They were pretty sneaky about that. They didn't put any story in the paper telling folks they were gonna get less ice cream and pay more.

Of course, they may have submitted that information to the paper, but with the sleeker pages allowing less copy, maybe that story went in File 13 like most of our other news does these days.

Now, I might sound like I'm griping this morning because I haven't had my newspaper fix and because I have not had the privilege of buying a sack of chips with more product inside, but really I want to say something positive about the companies who produce stuff where we get a real bang for our buck.

Bag Balm, for example. This morning I was looking at the bag balm container which I bought several years ago, maybe even before my 30-something kids were born. It's still almost half full.

I was looking at my Bag Balm container because in the summer I suffer from dry skin. Well, most of the year I suffer from dry skin, but in the summer, if I allow my feet to be exposed to the air for more than half an hour, the heels tend to crack. And, then they get sore with every step.

So, before finding the nearest socks to once again protect them, I reach in the cupboard for the Bag Balm. It works, and within hours, my feet don't hurt any more.

I think I've bought Bag Balm once in my life. It came in that pretty ornate green metal box, which, by the way, is almost a decorative piece. I don't even know if the price of Bag Balm has increased in any recent time or if the manufacturer is giving us less balm for our buck. I know that I bought a product that lasts, one that works and one that looks nice on my bathroom counter.

I do worry about the Bag Balm folks, though. Are they making it these days with customers needing only one purchase per lifetime? And, to think there are fewer dairy cows walking around with chafed udders! I hope they've found some other ways that their product will remain financially viable for them to remain in business.

It would be sad if another generation doesn't have access to Bag Balm.

I also worry about the Sprinx people. My sister told a story the other day, which I believe is reflective of most Sprinx customers. Their hay crew was working hard to beat last year's record of putting in several tons of hay within hours. Lunch was coming up, and the menu included pizzas and ice-cream dessert.

When Laurie told them dessert would be brownies with ice cream and with chocolate syrup, one hay hand piped up and said, "And, with Sprinx on the top?"

She said, "Of course." Then, she went to her cupboard and searched for that bottle of Sprinx she had bought at least 20 years ago and sprinkled a dose of those 20-plus-year-old multi-colored sugary beads on top of each brownie dessert. The guys gobbled it down, and we've not read of anyone dying or even getting sick from Sprinx poisoning.

How many of us have those jars of Sprinx hiding in the back of our cupboards? And, how few times in life do we have to go down to the store to replenish the Sprinx supply, only to find that there are fewer Sprinx in the container and the price has risen?

I just don't think that happens.

I do think, however, that the Sprinx and the Bag Balm folks deserve a big "shout out," maybe even a tribute in the newspaper for supplying a cost-efficient product that makes people happy or that gives people and cows comfort by taking care of cracked heels and sore udders.

So, if you ever meet anyone who tells you they work for Bag Balm or Sprinx, give them a pat on the back. They deserve more respect.

And, if I go to town during the next few days to purchase some chips, you can be sure that I'll be checking to see if that bag does feel a bit like it's filled with a lot less air and many more munchies.

As for the ice cream people, they need to take a cue from the chips folks and get back to selling us a half gallon for half gallon prices.

They don't realize that they're driving up gas prices by making us drive to town that many more times each year to buy their product. And, I don't think any of us want to be spending $4 per gallon for gas any more, just because the ice cream folks are charging us $4 or more for two thirds of a half gallon and blaming it all on gas prices!

Go Sprinx! Go Bag Balm!