It was bound to happen.
Movin' on up. Diet Coke.
My wife delighted in pointing out that I found it impossible to drive past a QuikTrip store without stopping for a bottle of Diet Coke. Hey. I had a thirst.
I don’t do that so much anymore, but it’s mostly because I don’t have so many children-related driving expeditions.
My soft drink conversion came during the early days of dieting, a lifelong battle that saw me switch from regular sugar-based drinks to low calorie counterparts. Pepsi had been my carbonated choice, but Diet Pepsi? Sorry, could not do that.
I never liked Coke. At a young age, I had already become such a connoisseur of soda that I could rattle off the subtle differences in half a dozen brands. Diet Coke lost the harsh and stinging quality of its sugary predecessor.
The low-cal version has overtaken Pepsi as the #2 selling soft drink. The official numbers are expected out Thursday, but indications are that Pepsi has lost its easy chair among the nation’s couch potatoes.
Proud as I am to be a difference-maker, there are other factors that led to the change. Soft drink sales are down overall (I told you I didn’t drive as much), and the sales of various other beverages cut back the Pepsi market share, along with that of top-selling Coke. Number one just didn’t lose as much.
So, raise your can of Red Bull and celebrate, and let the sodas battle for top-ranking drink. It’s a soda fountain of youth.