Just got back from Albertsons in Baton Rouge and received a code worth 20 points plus doubling the code entered after that. Ended up with 40 points for a 24 pack of Dasani that is on sale this week.
A couple weeks is an extremely long time or something to sit on a shelf. Especially a staple like Coke.
My husband just purchased twelve packs of Diet Pepsi at the local (and very busy) gas station up the block. The "Super Bowl" promo stickers on the side should have been the tip-off, but unfortunately he did not notice them, nor the expiration date of March 2007.
Just as a point of information, Diet Pepsi/Diet Coke and other drink products with aspartame have a MUCH shorter shelf life than regular cola products (usually 3 months for diet as opposed to 9 months or so for regular).
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Quote:
Originally Posted by flyerwife
nor the expiration date of March 2007. [...] drink products with aspartame have a MUCH shorter shelf life than regular cola products (usually 3 months for diet as opposed to 9 months or so for regular).
FWIW, that's not an "expiration" date, it's a "best before" date. The product is still perfectly fine well beyond that date, as long as it's kept in a reasonably cool (e.g. 70 degrees) environment and not in direct sunlight (which can break down the aspartame and destroy the sweetness). I'm still drinking Diet Coke with a "best before" date of November 2006, and it tastes just fine. (If you're wondering why, it's because I amassed a huge stockpile thanks to coupons from the Winter Olympics promotion that had to be redeemed before they expired. I gave away half my stash of coupons here on FT, but still had a lot left to drink...)
Granted, I wouldn't routinely buy products after their "best before" date - the only reason I'm drinking them now is because I already had them - but there's nothing specifically wrong with doing so unless it's REALLY past the date and the products haven't been well-kept (leading to early breakdown of the aspartame).
FWIW, that's not an "expiration" date, it's a "best before" date. The product is still perfectly fine well beyond that date, as long as it's kept in a reasonably cool (e.g. 70 degrees) environment and not in direct sunlight (which can break down the aspartame and destroy the sweetness).
So do cans last longer, since there is no sunlight?
What I was trying to say in my post (and admittedly I did a pretty poor job of doing it) was if you keep seeing Coke products towards the end of the year continue to have the mycokerewards logo, then there is a good chance they plan to extend the program past 12/31/07. Even though you can currently redeem points through 1/31/08, I don't think Coke wants too many people buying products with mcr's past the end date the program allows you to redeem them. If you start seeing regular packaging again, it is a good sign the program will not be extended.
FWIW, that's not an "expiration" date, it's a "best before" date. The product is still perfectly fine well beyond that date, as long as it's kept in a reasonably cool (e.g. 70 degrees) environment and not in direct sunlight (which can break down the aspartame and destroy the sweetness). I'm still drinking Diet Coke with a "best before" date of November 2006, and it tastes just fine. (If you're wondering why, it's because I amassed a huge stockpile thanks to coupons from the Winter Olympics promotion that had to be redeemed before they expired. I gave away half my stash of coupons here on FT, but still had a lot left to drink...)
Granted, I wouldn't routinely buy products after their "best before" date - the only reason I'm drinking them now is because I already had them - but there's nothing specifically wrong with doing so unless it's REALLY past the date and the products haven't been well-kept (leading to early breakdown of the aspartame).
My experience has been very different from yours. I drink Diet Coke regularly, and I find it always starts tasting "off" no more than a week past the date on the package. Doesn't matter if it's cans or bottles, or if it's been stored in my pantry or bought from a cold drink machine. I would never drink a can of Diet Coke that was out of date.
My experience has been very different from yours. I drink Diet Coke regularly, and I find it always starts tasting "off" no more than a week past the date on the package. Doesn't matter if it's cans or bottles, or if it's been stored in my pantry or bought from a cold drink machine. I would never drink a can of Diet Coke that was out of date.
Since we're discussing this... I recently opened some old Coke Zero cans and noticed they have a lot less flavor than fresh cans.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jonathanl
So do cans last longer, since there is no sunlight?
In principle, they could, but cans are more subject to thermal fluctuations because of the metal... the benefit is that they cool down quickly in the fridge, but at the same time, they're more affected by temperature variations during shipping and storage, as well.
I've also experienced some cans with a distinctly metallic (and rather disgusting) flavor, whereas I've never had that experience from a plastic bottle... perhaps the cans were just improperly stored, don't know.
Quote:
Originally Posted by KWShark
If you start seeing regular packaging again, it is a good sign the program will not be extended.
I agree with that.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bob12403
I drink Diet Coke regularly, and I find it always starts tasting "off" no more than a week past the date on the package.
Maybe I just have no taste. I wonder if the same would be true about the Splenda-version of Diet Coke, however, since sucralose and aspartame react differently to environmental conditions.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rrgg
I recently opened some old Coke Zero cans and noticed they have a lot less flavor than fresh cans.
Coke Zero has a different formulation than Diet Coke, so one of the other chemical differences may be to blame for that rather than the aspartame. Of course, this is just conjecture, I have not run this through an analysis. (Nor did I get my hands on the super-secret recipe that two employees were recently found guilty of stealing.)
Off topic, sorta, but...the Papa John's points that you actually 'win' like 200 points, according to what I've read won't be issued till 6-8 wks AFTER the promotion ends. If the 'promotion' ends 12/31/07, and you don't get your point till mid Feb. or so, what good does that do?? I'm not referring to the 'instant' 10 pt. codes, but the codes that are actually won during a daily entry.
Also, on the taste, I had a coupon for cans and a 2 liter (Diet, Decaf). Does anyone else notice a significant difference in the taste? It was like it was 2 different liquids!!! Both products were fresh; but the bottle, tho' unhandy, was much better tasting...
>>>>>>Just curious... how much time does it take for you to collect points for something meaningful. E.g. say 3000 points for FF miles?
If you can find an air show by the Blue Angels, have a few bags handy and a committed 9 year old dreaming about a Wii his dad won't get for him without some pain....it could only take a few hours of work!!!! He is pretty much set in entering the codes for a long time
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