While you won't be going to Walgreens (WBA) for your tacos and burritos, you may still be able to satisfy that Tex-Mex food craving with a product that it sells — the drugstore giant started selling jelly beans with flavors like guacamole, salsa and beef taco.
What In The World Are Taco-Flavored Jelly Beans?
With flavors like Margarita, Churro, Salsa, Guacamole, Beef Taco and Horchata, the Late Night Taco Truck jelly beans came out as part of candy company's Brach's Easter collection.
Not long after the Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois-based candy maker announced its new product, online fans started reporting finding them in their local Walgreens.
"I'm nervous to try them lol which one would you try first?" a user named @CandycornDog1 wrote on Twitter (TWTR).
Coming in 12-ounce bags for $4.29 a packet or two-pack for $7, the taco-flavored jelly beans are certainly having the desired "it tastes like what?!" effect. Some have reported eating the taco, salsa and guacamole in one go to mimic the taste of something from Chipotle (CMG) or Yum!Brands (YUM)-owned Taco Bell while, as happens whenever such an unconventional pairing hits the shelves, others are calling it a travesty and saying that such a thing "should not exist."
What Are Drugstores Doing To Stay Competitive?
Down nearly 12% since the start of 2022, Walgreens stock has struggled to keep up with competitors as the country emerged out of the pandemic and moved away from the flurry of online orders seen during its early days.
Industry leaders like Walgreens, Rite Aid (RAD) and CVS (CVS) have all struggled to stand out from one another while, at their core, providing a similar offering of pharmacies and drugstore goods.
Fun jelly beans are unlikely to make a dent in these efforts, however, compared to plans like Walgreens sinking $5.2 billion into primary care medical company VillageMD. The company plans to open "at least 600 Village Medical at Walgreens primary care practices in more than 30 U.S. markets by 2025 and 1,000 by 2027,
The taco-flavored jelly beans may not matter to food chains that, like Chipotle and Taco Bell, offer the real thing, but they could be a way to stand out from other drugstores.
But often, an unusual product achieves the goal of generating attention for the company and getting people to talk about it online.
"The salsa & beef taco ones are a little weird, but not bad actually," Twitter user @wrytersview wrote in a post that has dozens of comments and reactions.
