This is what Nicole’s fiancé wants: egg nog. He’s lactose intolerant, and he knows that Lactaid brand egg nog exists. Somewhere. It’s on the market, but Nicole and the future Mr. Nicole haven’t been able to find it anywhere in their area. Yes, he could take a dose of lactase enzyme and drink regular nog, but wouldn’t the lactose-free version be better if it does exist? Nicole wrote to the company to see whether they could help her find it, and they were… surprisingly unhelpful.

My fiance and I have been trying to locate Lactaid brand eggnog all season. My fiance, Mike, is lactose intolerant and I saw an ad in a magazine for Lactaid brand eggnog. We have been keeping an eye out for it in stores for the past month. This past week we went to the Lactaid product finder website to try and find it once and for all. Despite visiting numerous stores listed as carrying the product in a 30+ mile radius, we have come up empty handed.

Last night, I decided to email Lactaid on their website. I regret now not saving the submission, but I was sweet as pie mentioning how much we appreciate Lactaid brand and that I am going nutty trying to find their eggnog for my fiance, to no avail. I mentioned that we used the product finder, we couldn’t find it by the eggnog or with the Lactaid products, and also that customer service folks and sales associates were super helpful but also came up empty handed and were surprised their stores were listed as carrying it since they hadn’t seen or heard of it. I asked Lactaid if they could help me a place that carries this mythical product. I received the following email just now:

Dear Ms. [Nicole]:

Thank you for contacting the Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies Information Center. It is always important to hear from our consumers and we appreciate the time you have taken to contact us. Our products are sold at mass merchandisers, grocery stores and pharmacies. A partial list of the nationwide chain stores in which our products are sold include Walgreen’s, Sav-On, Rite-Aid, CVS, Phar Mor, Duane Reade, Kroger’s, Safeway, Giant, Pathmark, Albertson’s, Winn Dixie, Publix, Wegman’s, Fred Meyers, Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Target, Shoprite and Meijer’s. You will find that Johnson & Johnson products are generally shelved together by product category. If you do not see the product you are seeking, a retailer may sometimes be able to order it for you.

In addition, some of our products offer a Product Locator on their websites. Simply go to the specific website, click on Product Locator, select the appropriate product by using the drop-down arrow and insert your zip code. These steps will result in a list of stores in your vicinity that may carry that particular product.

Again, thank you for your interest in our company. Should you have any comments or questions in the future, please contact us via our website http://www.lactaid.com or by calling our toll-free number, 1-800-522-8243. Our specialists are available Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. EST and will be happy to assist you.

This is my reply:

Thank you for the very discouraging form email that I feel has disregarded everything that I wrote in on the website. I did use the product locator on the Lactaid website and have been to multiple Walmarts, Targets, Walgreens, Shaw’s, Stop & Shops and CVS’ which were listed as carrying the product to no avail. The product wasn’t found by either the Lactaid brand products or the eggnog and I have asked numerous store associates to help me and they mention that the product, despite being listed on the website, is not sold at their respective stores. I am put off by this whole experience.. Despite loving Lactaid products and other J&J brand items, I am likely to think twice the next time I reach to buy these products in the future.

Nicole

Consumerist, what do you think? I’m certain that by this point, it will be a Christmas miracle to find any Lactaid Eggnog before it’s out of season!

Thanks!

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