I light of Blue Bell's imminent re-entry into the market, I dug up my last comment on my Blue Bell loyalty. I've been trying other ice creams in the interim. I can't say that the other ice creams in Blue Bell's class are any better, but neither are they worse. Still they biggest differentiator for me is the container. Tallimook's bucket is too narrow and deep, plus it's flat-bottomed. The oblong tubs of other brands still don't feel quite right, but I think I can accept them -- again, though Blue Bell has the bottom raised up on a ridge which strikes me as the superior design. At the end of the day though, I think if Blue Bell wants to regain their market share, they have to pay for it by taking less margin on each bucket they sell. If they want an extra 5 cents an ounce over what Tallimook is asking, for example, I don't think I'll be willing to pay the difference for a better container or a brand name. They can probably get a premium in Texas for being called Blue Bell, but not nearly as big a one as they were getting before.
I'm not too keen on their management of the problem. But, I also think it could happen to literally any ice cream manufacturer and I expect 99% of them would behave as Blue Bell had. If I can find one that distinguishes itself as a better decision-maker in the face of a listeria outbreak, maybe I'll prefer to give them my business. But, punishing one company for the misfortune of getting caught doing what all the others do or would have done seems a little capricious. As for their ice cream next month, I'd judge it highly unlikely it'd contain listeria with everything they've been through. And besides, the listeria wouldn't effect me much anyway if it had some. I'm confident they'll be selling nonpoisonous ice cream. So they've got that going for them.
As someone familiar with the industry, I can tell you Blue Bell handled the situation horribly any other company would have been a lot more proactive. They knew about the issue. Keep in mind, the first recall wasn't even done by blue bell it was done by retailers who didn't want to kill their customers by accident. Blue Bell would not act. In fact they removed "old" inventory, restocked stores and said ok don't worry now you can sell safely. Then not long after that this big recall happened. If people want to buy Blue Bell, go for it. Just know you are buying from a company that puts product safety a lot lower on the priority list than I am comfortable with.
No offense, but that's a pretty messed up way of thinking about it. We shouldn't punish Blue Bell for intentionally poisoning their customers because other companies might do the same thing? That makes zero sense to me. Besides, it's not like there weren't warning signs for Blue Bell. Just look at the peanut butter / salmonella case where the exec is facing life in prison for doing basically the same thing. I'll never buy another product from them. This is more than just bad business: it's placing profits above human life.
One of the Mo City locations in particular and was told this is true about all stores in the Houston area.
HEB is apparently getting Blue Bell last as punishment for being mean to BB and being the first to clear their shelves and protect their customers when this started. I feel for the town of Brenham. One one hand, BB is a great company that takes care of its employees and takes part in many charitable organizations. On the other hand, their blatant disregard for their customers is nothing short of disgusting. I feel like the people lining up tomorrow are the same people that lined up to get Chik-Fil-A to support their right to be bigots.
Not sure how Chick-fil-A and Blue Bell compare in this situation, especially since Chick-fil-A is universally considered one of the best in customer service. No matter to me, I will continue to buy from both.
