The $80 margarine

Have you ever spent $80 on margarine?  I have!!!  Yes, you read that right.  Jenny can only have margarine that is not made with milk or soybean oil.  That doesn’t leave many options.  We were able to find some last year around passover in a grocery store that caters to kosher Jews which was wonderful.  But it didn’t last forever and the store stopped carrying it once they ran out as it is a product that is only made for passover.  

A dear friend of mine (who happens to be Jen’s pediatrician and also has a son with MSPI) and I have been on a search for more margarine ever since.  We had been searching store after store and website after website for more.  She even had her DH searching when he was away on business trips!!!  The nice thing about this was that once either of us found it we could buy in bulk and split it.  

Both of us were terribly busy the week of passover and I guess there was a problem this passover with one company that usually makes the product not making it so we didn’t get to get any this year.  This led us to great difficult as we were both out by that point.  This started me on a massive search for it before all the companies ran out of whatever they had left as they usually make the product and then once it is all sold that’s it until the following year.  I started an internet search again of speciality butters and came to MidAtlantic Vegetable Shortening Co.  Called them and Yes they make it!!!!  BUT  they are wholesale only so don’t have any of the product left as it was all distributed to the smaller companies.  Ugggh but at least a good start!!

Going next to the phone #’s MidAtlantic had given me (oh and the manager there was wonderful and had even told me that if I was unable to find any to call him back and he would call his competitors and help me find some….special people do still exist!!!)  I started calling the smaller companies.  Struck out a few times so went to the # for the distributor for the state of CT.  She was quite nice but couldn’t help unless I had the specific UPC # for the product.  Took her specific name and told her I’d call her back with this #.  Then went to search for it.  

In this search I remembered that I had bookmarked a site that was a Kosher butcher/deli in NYC called Park East Kosher Butchers that had told me they would have the product again in March to prepare for passover.  I had previously talked to them in Nov or Dec I think and they were quite helpful when I explained why I was looking for it.  So, why not call them again and see if they had any left right???  I get this nice lady on the phone and explain my story.  She says yes they still have some!!!!!  I ask how much as I need some for my Jen and the other Jenn (the pediatrician).  She says plenty so I ask for 6 tubs.  Then I continue to ask some questions as I want to make sure it’s the EXACTLY CORRECT product before I have them ship it.  I mean why have them ship margarine if it’s not one Jen & Jenn can have when we can go to the local grocery and buy ones they cannot have right?!?  

This woman is being quite nice and patient with me and answering all my questions.  A few she doesn’t know and is asking someone that is in her office with her.  A few questions into this the man in the background that she is having help her with the answers says (and I quote exactly) “What’s with all the f**king questions about some damn margarine?”  My jaw hit the floor.  I was shocked to say the least.  But I rein in my temper and finish the order.  I order 6 tubs.  3 for each Jen.  

Then she asks if there is anything else she can help me with.  So I ask to speak to the man from the background.  Well, turns out  he has left the office.   I ask her to give him a message for me.  That I know that I’m ordering a passover product several weeks after passover but here is why: and go on to explain about my 2 1/2 yo daughter and some of her issues….blah blah blah and how rude and unprofessional he was with a customer on the phone that is ordering $35 worth of a product from his company.  (Yes they are $6 a tub)  She asks to put me on hold……..sure why not.  She comes back and says she looked all over for him and wanted me to speak to him but she cannot find him.  Probably better I tell her as if I had talked to him I probably wouldn’t be getting my product when I got done chewing him a new one!!!!!  But to just tell him that they are lucky that I had had such a hard time finding this product as if any Joe Schmuck sold it they would have lost my business and you’d better believe I won’t be ordering any more from them should I need anymore.  Next passover if I’m out then I’ll make sure to order early from someone else.  She’s telling me how sorry she is etc and I was very nice to her as it wasn’t her fault but at this point my blood is boiling to say the least!!!  We hang up and my margarine is to arrive the next week.

It comes (a day later than they had said it would I might add) and I cut open the inventory list.  Now, I had never asked how much it was to ship as I didn’t really care since I needed the product.  I mean the girl was out of margarine and this was the ONLY place I could find it.  

Out comes the packing slip with the totals……6 tubs margarine at $6 each = $36, packing and icing fee $15 and 2 day fed-ex shipping charge $35 totaling $82 dollars for margarine!!!!!  OUCH!!!!!  Guess they got the last laugh huh.  Jerks.