Well, here's my latest letter to Kraft Foods. I'm not an eloquent writer, but I hope I got my points across this time.


Ms. McMiller,

Regarding this case number {220922521}, again.
I have to stipulate that I am not "dissatisfied" with any Kraft Food product. But I still am a little confused as why we can not find the Disney/Pixar "Cars" #3 out of 3 'cut out' card.
This product is abundant here in Rhode Island and it is in multiple stores, too. The only problem is that we're only finding 'cut out' boxes #1 and #2. Here is a photo of these two boxes.

Picture of Box 1

Picture of Box 2

Can Kraft Foods provide me with a scan or picture of card #3 of 3 please ?

Like I have stated in earlier emails...I am a trading card collector and these fall into that genre of cards that we collect. I am also a member of a club that spans North America, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. I have 13 US members, in 13 different states, looking for this elusive box #3 and nobody has ever seen it. Yesterday a member from Hawaii looked in a couple of stores and came up with nothing. I even had my mother and sister, while they were vacationing in southern California last week, take a look in a couple of markets for me. Same thing...no #3.

We just think it's odd, that no one, in over 13 states, from New England, down the east coast, Texas, Utah, CA, and Honolulu, HI. has ever come across the box #3/3.

I'm starting to think that an email to the Disney Consumer Goods department is in order, so they can inquire about this further ?

Sincerely,
Fred S.

PS: I don't know why my pictures of card #1 and card #2 didn't come through on this, but believe me, it went through to her.

quote:

Originally posted by Kennywood:
We went to Meijer's in NW Indiana tonight. They too had only cards 1-of-3 and 2-of-3. I'm beginning to wonder if this third card was actually produced.

I would put serious money down on it...that it DOESN'T exist.

I've noticed that the #1 card is disappearing and more of the shelves are full of #2 so maybe #3 is on the way. If #3 doesn't exist I don't think any amount of writing to Kraft (or Disney) is going to change that. Please remember that Kraft has done a number of these box issues in recent years and if they think that this is driving away customers instead of drawing them we may see no more cards and more of the puzzle & game backs. I advise moderation.

quote:

Originally posted by lag30240:
I've noticed that the #1 card is disappearing and more of the shelves are full of #2 so maybe #3 is on the way. If #3 doesn't exist I don't think any amount of writing to Kraft (or Disney) is going to change that. Please remember that Kraft has done a number of these box issues in recent years and if they think that this is driving away customers instead of drawing them we may see no more cards and more of the puzzle & game backs. I advise moderation.

Lag...,

As per Ms. McMiller from Kraft Foods stated, "all of the Disney/Pixar "Cars" UPC boxes HAVE been shipped" Meaning, that the elusive box #3 should be out there. {but it's not}.

Out here in Rhode Island...I've seen more #1 boxes than the #2 box, but never a #3 box. But I'll keep an eye out if that trend changes.

And all I asked Ms. McMiller for was a photo scan of box 3.

I truly believe that Kraft would not stop doing 'cut-out' {or what we would call trading cards} because of myself and a couple of other people writing letters of concern on where a THIRD of their promotional items are. I believe it's more of an 'awareness issue' than one of 'complaint.'
The only thing I have a complaint about is their NON answers they keep giving us over the past few weeks.

Fred

PS: I emailed her again on Friday April 29th, so I should get an answer tonight or tomorrow night. For some reason their emails go out around 9 PM EST.

Hi guys & gals,

Well, here's my fourth letter from Kraft Food Inc.


Hi Fred,

Thank you for visiting http://www.kraftfoods.com/.

I understand that your frustration is not tied to any particular promotion but I’m unable to direct you further on obtaining the “CARS” Trading Card #3. The package is not identified by which card they contain and all UPCs are currently available.

If you haven't done so already, please add our site to your favorites and visit us again soon!

Kim McMiller
Associate Director, Consumer Relations


Since all three boxes have the same UPC number on them {I'm assuming box #3 has the same UPC because box #1 & #2 share the same #}, I can understand how it would be almost impossible to track this box #3/3 independently from the others.

What discourages me is how I provided her with the pictures of box 1 & 2, but she didn't send me a pic of #3, or even say in her response that she was unable to find a pic of it. Again, totally ignoring part of my inquiry.

What else can I do ?
Do I drop it?
Ask for her boss?
Ask her why she didn't supply me with a picture of box 3 ?
Tell her, I hope the printer didn't charge her for a 100,000 boxes of cut out card #3. lol
Any ideas?

Fred

I'm noticing less and less of the Kraft Mac & Cheese/Disney/Pixar "Cars" boxes on the shelves now. More of just the standard Mac & Cheese boxes.
So I guess that's it ?

Went to local Market Basket and searched all of the Mac/Cheese boxes and only found #1 and 2 of 3. Had a manager check backroom stock and there was only a few boxes left with only #1 and 2.

quote:

Originally posted by Mister E.:
Went to local Market Basket and searched all of the Mac/Cheese boxes and only found #1 and 2 of 3. Had a manager check backroom stock and there was only a few boxes left with only #1 and 2.

Like I said in an earlier post..."I'd bet real money that nobody finds box #3."
And "I guess it's over?" Meaning we'll never see it.

Wolfie must be hoarding them and will sell them at the "BAY !!!!!!!!!!" web-site.

I have pretty much given up on this one altogether. But I did make an interesting observation just yesterday.... I was in the local Target grocery shopping with my wife Beth and we both noticed that the newest supply of the Mac ‘n’ Cheese boxes ONLY feature Lightning McQueen (Card 1 of 3). I also noticed this same phenomenon at other stores throughout the week – grocery chains, Wal-Mart, etc… Obviously the latest boxes coming in from the distributors are ONLY featuring the first design – which means there is absolutely no rhyme or reason to the packaging at the factory since the Mater boxes have been gone for a while, and yet…..the Lightning McQueen boxes are still getting restocked on regular basis.

So, this leads me to believe there is still a slim chance that the mysterious third, non-existent design may surface at some point, perhaps closer to when the film gets released. Guess we’ll have to wait and see…. Maybe Marilyn McMillar’s stubborn refusal to admit to a mistake has a shred of truth to it after all…..

Geoff

While spending hours in the car, driving to the NSU Show this weekend, this subject came up once or twice. And we said the same thing...'maybe, just maybe the third card will be released right before the movie???'
But why wouldn't she {Ms. McMiller} tell us that ? She could have said that these three cards/boxes are being released in staggered distribution program, or something to that affect. But she didn't. She stated that "All UPC cards/boxes have been shipped" {sic}. Oh well, we will see.

On a really strange note {insert Twilight Zone theme here}...
While driving back home, from this weekend's show, we had to make a personal pit-stop in northern New Jersey. We got off Interstate 287 at some random exit that said it had multiple restaurants off of it. After getting off the ramp and going down the road a bit, guess what was on the right side of the road ? Give up ? A nice big corporate build that had a sign out on front of it that read...KRAFT FOOD INC. We laughed and then I gave the "table for one salute" to the building.
To bad it was Sunday afternoon and no one was there to see it. LOL

Fred

Well, it's been about 7 days since my last post regarding these.
Still nothing on the infamous #3/3 box.

In my local grocery stores I've still been noticing less and less of the "Cars" Mac N Cheese boxes and more of the regular retail boxes. But tonight in Target, I noticed an entire end cap, in the food section, that had at least 200 boxes of the "Cars" promotional boxes. My son and I did a fast check of the four shelves they were on and of course, there were only box numbers 1/3 and 2/3. They must have had a few cases in back because they were marked down to .90/box. What a bargain. LOL

Fred

quote:

Originally posted by Freddy: But tonight in Target, I noticed an entire end cap, in the food section, that had at least 200 boxes of the "Cars" promotional boxes.

Fred, my wife and I noticed the same thing Saturday - A complete end cap with hundreds of the macaroni boxes, and a poop-pile of Marshmallow bags at the bottom which also feature the Cars 2 logo. Elsewhere in the store, the toy section had another Cars 2 end cap featuring all the new toy merchandise tied-in with the movie including one shelf that had a collection of Kellogg's cereal dedicated to Cars 2 (why was the cereal THERE? there were none in the actual cereal section!). Both end caps (the Mac ‘n’ Cheese one in Grocery and the toy one in Toys) each had a massive Cars 2 awning at the top indicating a new, aggressive push to plug the movie. And yet....STILL no Box 3/3! I am really trying to give up, but I can't help but keep checking each time I am in the store. Maybe I need to get a new refill of my OCD pills? lol

quote:

Originally posted by geoffbovey:

quote:

Originally posted by Freddy: But tonight in Target, I noticed an entire end cap, in the food section, that had at least 200 boxes of the "Cars" promotional boxes.

Fred, my wife and I noticed the same thing Saturday - A complete end cap with hundreds of the macaroni boxes, and a poop-pile of Marshmallow bags at the bottom which also feature the Cars 2 logo. Elsewhere in the store, the toy section had another Cars 2 end cap featuring all the new toy merchandise tied-in with the movie including one shelf that had a collection of Kellogg's cereal dedicated to Cars 2 (why was the cereal THERE? there were none in the actual cereal section!). Both end caps (the Mac ‘n’ Cheese one in Grocery and the toy one in Toys) each had a massive Cars 2 awning at the top indicating a new, aggressive push to plug the movie. And yet....STILL no Box 3/3! I am really trying to give up, but I can't help but keep checking each time I am in the store. Maybe I need to get a new refill of my OCD pills? lol

I guess there's always that little voice inside our heads that says, "you know, the first day you DON'T look for them....they'll be there and you'll miss out." LOL

My answer to that little voice, "hey, I'm in the store anyways, so I'll look." LOL

I want to write Ms. McMiller {Kraft Foods} back, but it just seems so futile now. I just hope when she does her personal grocery shopping she looks at the Kraft Mac & Cheese shelves for that #3 box. I hope it haunts her...just a little.

Fred

I stopped at Target on the way home and they had an entire endcap of Cars Mac & Cheese boxes. I did not feel the need to look at every box as my quick rummaging revealed only box 1 and 2's. If there were any box 3's they were not visible.

quote:

Originally posted by WandringRebel:
I stopped at Target on the way home and they had an entire endcap of Cars Mac & Cheese boxes. I did not feel the need to look at every box as my quick rummaging revealed only box 1 and 2's. If there were any box 3's they were not visible.

I see the same end caps over here in RI, too.
And I'm betting no one will ever see a box #3.

I think we have come to that conclusion a while ago, lol!

Still have not found number 3 in Georgia.

Since these were not really trading cards, I had not really looked for them. But the #3 mystery got to me today while I was at a Target.

Like everyone else had said, there was an endcap with 100's of Cars Mac & Cheese boxes. I looked at as many as I could, and everythig was #1 or #2. No number 3's. I checked the isle where the product normally resides and they had so many different types of Mac & Cheese including Sponge Bob and more Cars 2. No #3 there either.

I went ahead and bought 1 and 2, but as of right now, I'm assuming I will never find a #3....

Mike.

quote:

Originally posted by miket999:
Since these were not really trading cards, I had not really looked for them. But the #3 mystery got to me today while I was at a Target.

Like everyone else had said, there was an endcap with 100's of Cars Mac & Cheese boxes. I looked at as many as I could, and everythig was #1 or #2. No number 3's. I checked the isle where the product normally resides and they had so many different types of Mac & Cheese including Sponge Bob and more Cars 2. No #3 there either.

I went ahead and bought 1 and 2, but as of right now, I'm assuming I will never find a #3....

Mike.

I've mostly given up on these now. I just glance at them as I walk by them. The Lightening McQueen {red race car} is card 1/3 and the Mater {tow truck} is card 2/3. That's all I've ever seen and ever will see. The movie comes out this Friday June 24th.

Ms. McMiller, at Kraft Food Inc., never did supply me/us with a picture of the mystery #3. She was either covering up for a big company snafu or she just told that they were really produced, when actually they weren't? Either way, it was quite the hunt.