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Irish Spring Soap Question

 

 

To: Irish Spring Soap

C/O Customer Service

Dear Sir or Madam:

I hope the weather is nice wherever you are reading this. While I can’t be certain, I’m guessing it is Ireland, as your name implies.

The intent of this letter is to settle a dispute I’ve had with my wife, Carol, regarding Irish Spring soap for quite a few years. First, though, I want to take this unique opportunity to give you some history on my use of Irish Spring.

I’ve been a loyal customer for many years. It is a wonderful product and I don’t see the need to use any other soap. In fact, I guess now that I put pen to paper, I’ve been a customer since the summer of 1984. Up until then, I considered myself a Dial soap man. On the off chance, I grabbed a box of Irish Spring, because at the time they were packaged relatively similar. You can imagine my surprise when I got home! Money was tight then, so I couldn’t buy more and had to make due. It was a life changing experience to say the least and I never went back to Dial.

Since that fortunate mistake, Irish Spring the only thing in our shower. I, frankly, don’t have the time or energy for body washes or washcloths. I’ve found the bar soap does a fine and efficient job. Wash my hair with it. Wash my legs with it. Wash my face with it. In that order.

I even got my two sons to use Irish Spring, as well, and they carry on the tradition in their homes. I like to say we’re a “Spring Cleaning Family.”

Well, to the meat and potatoes of this business. Here is my question: Is the name Irish Spring talking about the season, Spring, or is it talking about a water spring, like a waterhole for swimming?

I strongly believe and have been under the impression for quite some time because of the green packaging that it is referencing the season, while Carol mistakenly thinks it is referencing the water.

I’ve tried to tell her numerous times no one in a sound mind would want to smell like a nearly stagnant pool of water. I went to a spring on my uncle’s farm when I was 12 (or “a wee lad” as you say in Ireland.) To be honest, it smelled like rotten hay and coyote urine. But, she won’t listen.

I have smelled Watersmeet, Michigan for the past 64 years, and it smells very pleasant in the Spring. I would be curious to know if Ireland smells in any way similar due to its relatively similar latitude.

I haven’t been to Ireland, but sometimes imagine I have. I imagine it’s a place that’s clean and open. A place that doesn’t have hard winters and there’s always a job available. A place where a man can be happy.

A good place.

A different place.

Also, I’ve heard you don’t have many Catholics there, which would be a pleasant change of pace from Watersmeet recently.

Thank you for your time and hope you might be able to send me an answer, so I can finally tell Carol she is wrong in writing. Which if I know Carol, and I do, it will really get her goat.

If I am incorrect and Carol is right, please don’t write back as she sometimes checks this electronic mail account.

Thank you,

Brian Olgam

Post Script: I do have a few extra bars I found from the early 1990’s if you would like them for any sort of product museum.

 

Colgate Response

 


To:      BrianandCarol1953@gmail.com
From:    Colgate-Palmolive Consumer Affairs
Subject: Response to Your Email

Hi Brian,

Thank you for contacting us regarding our Irish Spring Bar Soap. That’s a great question! We’d be more than happy to assist in answering you today.

We love hearing about your debate regarding the topics that matter most! Irish Spring makes you feel clean and fresh like the cool crisp waters of Ireland.

We appreciate your thoughtful comments about our Irish Spring Bar Soap. It’s always a pleasure to receive compliments such as yours. You can be sure they will be shared with our company’s management.

In appreciation for your feedback, we would like to send coupons to you via postal mail. Please reply to this email with your complete mailing address and we will send them to you and let us know if we can help in any other way. We hope this information is helpful.

Sincerely,
 

Brian Jones
Consumer Affairs Representative
Consumer Affairs

Response to Colgate

Mr. Jones,

While I appreciate your response, I don’t believe you.

Furthermore, I’m still not sure why the toothpaste company is being referenced. Did this possibly get sent to the wrong address? 
I was trying to reach Irish Spring soap company.

Thank you,
 

Brian

 

 

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    Letter to Owner: Spring Rolls – Part 3

    Date: November 15, 2017

    Malisa,

    Hey-ooo. Can you believe it’s actually Wednesday already?

    I’m writing today to officially say the spring rolls have been restored to their former glory. Obviously, this is with a “post-texture change” asterisk, but nevertheless, I’m sleeping a little easier knowing I can be-bop in and get a healthy dose of rolls whenever I please.

    The decision to write you was not taken lightly. In fact, I’ve been suspicious I was just getting lucky. To be sure, I’ve ordered spring rolls four times over the past three weeks at various times of the day with my evening orders being the case control study.

    Additionally, I’ve been there with Lulu’s first timers and have asked each of them, in a nonchalant way, what they thought about the spring rolls. Lulu’s Spring Rolls have received three thumbs up. I guess it would actually be six thumbs since there were three people, but I’m sure you can see the the table I’m setting here.

    On my most recent trip, I was there with a nationally recognized food writer and we feasted on not four, but eight spring rolls. I actually ate seven of them, but whatever.

    So, that’s it for now. I’ll leave you with this. As William Wordsworth said in his 1804 Imitations of Immortality Based on Recollections of Early Childhood, “Another Race Hath Been, And Other Palms Are Won”

    Lulu’s spring rolls are once again deserving of palms, praise and other culinary accolades.

    Congratulations,

    Jason

    Response:

    No Response

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    Letter to Owner: Spring Rolls – Part 2

    Malisa,

    Back again about the spring rolls with another comment.

    While I haven’t fully gotten over the texture change, I’ve learned to accept it. Life changes, and apparently so do spring rolls, and continuing to complain about that would be, frankly, crazy.

    Anyway, back again with something else. About twice a week, my dinner is four spring rolls and a beer. Light, fresh, and pretty much the perfect size.

    Here’s the gripe – You guys have started batching them. Economies of scale, I understand. But, these things have gone down another notch. Once they are in the fridge or just out in the open, the rice papers lose their elasticity, so it’s like eating undercooked pasta.

    Occasionally, I catch the batches early enough and the spring rolls are still pliable. I can never pinpoint what day this happens, but it’s always a halcyon day.

    Sadly, those days are fleeting and increasing rare. Pretty much these days I’m just using these spring rolls as a vehicle for the peanut sauce.

    If you change the peanut sauce, I’m out.

    Thanks,

    Jason

    Response:

    Jason,
    I am so sorry this has been happening.- I am assuming the Crossroads location? You are 100% correct, the spring rolls should NOT be refrigerated. I have addressed this with the staff and should NOT happen again.
    Thank you so much for reaching out to me again!!!!!
    I am putting your name on the Food Redemption list for a complimentary order of 4 spring rolls.
    NO! I will never change the peanut sauce!
    Thank you again
    Malisa

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    Letter to Owner: Spring Rolls – Part 1

    Date: April 16, 2016

    Hi Malisa,

    I’ve eaten at lulu’s for years now, as has my family. Still my favorite restaurant in Kansas City.

    Went to grab a light dinner tonight, four spring rolls, and found out the recipe has changed…significantly.

    Not a fan at all. The consistency of the last ones made for uniform taste and texture. Combined with what I consider to be the best peanut sauce ever made, the old recipe hit on all cylinders and tastebuds.

    These new ones seem unbalanced and, please excuse my forwardness, sloppy.

    Please go back to the other style.

    On a related note, I had this same order four nights ago and the peanut sauce was not made right. It seemed like it has more vinegar and strangely had lumps in it. I’m sure this was just an abnormality, as tonight’s sauce was again awesome. Just making you aware.

    Thanks for providing KC with a great place to eat, but please go back to the old spring roll style.

    Thanks,

    Jason

    Response:

    Dear Jason,

    I would to thank you so much for your kind words and patronage through the years! I would also like to thank you for sharing your thoughts with me. Input from persons like yourself are so valuable to me and all small restaurant owners.
     If I could share my thoughts with you…I changed the preparation for the rolls in the hopes of creating more texture in them. Was it the carrots in particular that you didn’t like? I asked my staff to use julienne prepared carrots instead of the more finely cut version we had been using.
    I also wondered which location you dined at? I would like to discuss the preparation of the peanut sauce with the staff.
    It has only been a few days since I enacted the changes for the Vietnamese Spring rolls.-Let me look into the preparation, personally, at both locations and I will get back in touch with you.
    Again, thank you so much for reaching out to me!!
     Sincerely,
    Malisa Monyakula