Frito Lay announced on Thursday plans to unveil a new single-chip-sized consumer pack. The chip, which will be offered wrapped in transparent packaging with the Frito Lay logo scripted on the outside, will weigh approximately one-third of an ounce.
"It's all about he consumer," Frito Lay representative Chez Fryer said. "In this era of food awareness, the consumer is demanding smaller portions and greater flexibility in offerings. Those are two very difficult demands to meet simultaneously. We think we've hit a home run with the single chip offering. To address the demand for greater flexibility, we're going one step further, however.
That added step, according to Fryer, will be the introduction of several new flavors of chips. The new flavors come with one catch, however--consumers will be required to coat their own chips. Fryer calls the move a "drastic improvement over previous packaging methods."
"With the old packaging, consumers were forced to buy a surplus of chips, all in the same flavor, that they may or may not have wanted. Our new product line will provide much greater consumer flexibility in this regard," Fryer stated. "Now, consumers will have their choice of any of the several flavors that we will be offering, and they can mix and match from a wide selection of chip flavors."
Fryer noted the freshness that the tight wrap around each chip offers the new flavoring method--which requires slight soaking of each chip in a liquid substance prior to dipping in a separately purchased flavor packet. "It's really quite an improvement over the old system and one that consumers already have embraced."
Though unable to offer firm price targets for the new product, Fryer assured reporters that the new offering will be cost effective. "We've yet to set a price target for the chip," she said, "but can assure our loyal consumers that the price will be below current prices on a bulk to book basis."
Though few reporters at the media gathering seemed to have any inkling what the bulk to book basis encompassed, no follow-up questions were tendered on the subject of price.
Frito Lays' single-chip-sized packets are scheduled to reach U.S. markets on the East and West coasts prior to the Labor Day weekend and in time for the beginning of the school year throughout the rest of the United States. Frito Lay's introduction follows in the wake of its much ballyhooed offering in Japan earlier this year of a half-sized chip.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Delta Promises to Reduce Work Force to 100 in Exchange for Federal Subsidy, White House, Congress Said Willing to Listen
In a well-choreographed move intended to play to the sympathies of the U.S. Congress and the White House, Delta Airlines announced on Thursday that it would be requesting federal subsidies to ensure the continued operation of the airline.
Delta spokesperson, Susan Elliot, said that the request "would reflect the national security and vital economic interests of keeping afloat the United States' second-largest airline. The purpose is to avoid a domino effect," Elliot stated. "If Delta fails, hundreds of thousands of jobs will be imperiled, from the airline industry, to the airplane manufacturing industry, to parts and services industries, to the hospitality industry. The scope is really quite far-reaching. Delta's failure would be devastating to everyone in the United States."
When questioned about Delta's current financial situation, Elliot was candid. "We currently have cash on the books and, frankly, with the dramatic drop in fuel prices that have accompanied the recent economic tsunami, our situation is not that dire."
"But that's today," the nimble Elliot was quick to add. "With fewer and fewer people flying, our forward-looking projections suggest less certainty. Rather than wait until the meteor crashes into the barn, it would seem prudent for Congress and the White House to act."
Asked about the specifics of Delta's proposal, Elliot was equally forthcoming.
"We have spent some time analyzing the situation and, taking a cue from the mistakes of those in the auto industry, have devised a well-thought-out plan to deliver to the good members of Congress. That plan calls for an interest-free, no-strings-attached, non-refundable loan in the amount of $50 billion. This is a one time request. In return, we are willing to cut the wages of our workers to the bone, strip our employees of any meaningful benefits, increase the pay for the members of the Board of Directors, and reduce our employment ranks from 70,000 to 100 employees. That, of course, will not come without a cost, as it will force us to re-align our flight schedule. But nothing worth having comes without a cost. And if Congress and the White House are willing to work with us, we certainly are willing to work with them."
President Obama, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid were cautiously receptive to Delta's proposal.
White House spokesperson, Robert Gibbs, stated that President Obama considered the proposal a "front burner item" and cautioned that "a failure to act now, no matter how perilous the act might appear, would be far worse than the pill that we ought now swallow."
In a brief statement, Pelosi spokesperson, Brendan Daly, stated that the Speaker of the House considered the program "good for job creation, good for the economy, and good for America," but cautioned that the Speaker would be hesitant to support any bill providing subsidies for Delta that "did not also provide funding for schools and contraception programs, and a bridge over Napa Valley."
A spokesperson for Reid added that, while the Senator supports the sentiments of the White House and the House Speaker in providing massive subsidies to Delta, he would "need to review all of the evidence very thoroughly before further imperiling America's future through additional deficit spending."
Reid set a tentative deadline of 10 pm tonight for completing his review.
Republicans have already gone on the offensive against the proposed Delta subsidy, with the governors of two of the states most affected by Delta's continuing operation, Minnesota and Georgia, expressing their disapproval of the subsidy.
"This is just another example of wasteful spending by Democrats. It is simply unacceptable," Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty said at a hastily drawn joint press conference with Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue.
"There's no question about it," Perdue added in his folksy, albeit measured twang. "This has pork written all over it."
Asked whether they would work to block such subsidies, Pawlenty and Perdue noted that, out of respect for the process, they would begrudgingly accept any funds paid to their respective states as part of any Delta subsidy measure.
"If you pay for the pie, you ought to be able to eat it," Perdue commented.
In related news, Egghead.com has put forth a reorganization plan that it contends would allow the long-defunct online purveyor of software products to create tens of jobs across the country. Egghead is seeking $10 billion in subsidies to jump-start its reorganization.
Delta spokesperson, Susan Elliot, said that the request "would reflect the national security and vital economic interests of keeping afloat the United States' second-largest airline. The purpose is to avoid a domino effect," Elliot stated. "If Delta fails, hundreds of thousands of jobs will be imperiled, from the airline industry, to the airplane manufacturing industry, to parts and services industries, to the hospitality industry. The scope is really quite far-reaching. Delta's failure would be devastating to everyone in the United States."
When questioned about Delta's current financial situation, Elliot was candid. "We currently have cash on the books and, frankly, with the dramatic drop in fuel prices that have accompanied the recent economic tsunami, our situation is not that dire."
"But that's today," the nimble Elliot was quick to add. "With fewer and fewer people flying, our forward-looking projections suggest less certainty. Rather than wait until the meteor crashes into the barn, it would seem prudent for Congress and the White House to act."
Asked about the specifics of Delta's proposal, Elliot was equally forthcoming.
"We have spent some time analyzing the situation and, taking a cue from the mistakes of those in the auto industry, have devised a well-thought-out plan to deliver to the good members of Congress. That plan calls for an interest-free, no-strings-attached, non-refundable loan in the amount of $50 billion. This is a one time request. In return, we are willing to cut the wages of our workers to the bone, strip our employees of any meaningful benefits, increase the pay for the members of the Board of Directors, and reduce our employment ranks from 70,000 to 100 employees. That, of course, will not come without a cost, as it will force us to re-align our flight schedule. But nothing worth having comes without a cost. And if Congress and the White House are willing to work with us, we certainly are willing to work with them."
President Obama, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid were cautiously receptive to Delta's proposal.
White House spokesperson, Robert Gibbs, stated that President Obama considered the proposal a "front burner item" and cautioned that "a failure to act now, no matter how perilous the act might appear, would be far worse than the pill that we ought now swallow."
In a brief statement, Pelosi spokesperson, Brendan Daly, stated that the Speaker of the House considered the program "good for job creation, good for the economy, and good for America," but cautioned that the Speaker would be hesitant to support any bill providing subsidies for Delta that "did not also provide funding for schools and contraception programs, and a bridge over Napa Valley."
A spokesperson for Reid added that, while the Senator supports the sentiments of the White House and the House Speaker in providing massive subsidies to Delta, he would "need to review all of the evidence very thoroughly before further imperiling America's future through additional deficit spending."
Reid set a tentative deadline of 10 pm tonight for completing his review.
Republicans have already gone on the offensive against the proposed Delta subsidy, with the governors of two of the states most affected by Delta's continuing operation, Minnesota and Georgia, expressing their disapproval of the subsidy.
"This is just another example of wasteful spending by Democrats. It is simply unacceptable," Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty said at a hastily drawn joint press conference with Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue.
"There's no question about it," Perdue added in his folksy, albeit measured twang. "This has pork written all over it."
Asked whether they would work to block such subsidies, Pawlenty and Perdue noted that, out of respect for the process, they would begrudgingly accept any funds paid to their respective states as part of any Delta subsidy measure.
"If you pay for the pie, you ought to be able to eat it," Perdue commented.
In related news, Egghead.com has put forth a reorganization plan that it contends would allow the long-defunct online purveyor of software products to create tens of jobs across the country. Egghead is seeking $10 billion in subsidies to jump-start its reorganization.
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