Field's clings to a sweet spot with Frangos of yore
By Heidi Stevens
Tribune staff reporter
Published January 7, 2007
The bags say Macy's, the gift cards say Macy's, even the awnings along majestic State Street say Macy's.
But oh, sweet salvation, we've still got our Frangos--for now. Buyers of the chocolatey Chicago icon will notice the boxes still sport the eloquent Marshall Field's moniker, a lone standout in the New York-ified institution. Macy's spokeswoman Jennifer McNamara says the store is using up its "existing supply" of Frango boxes and when those go, so goes the name.
The new line, McNamara says, will simply be called Frangos, not Macy's Frangos.
In the meantime, you chocolate lovers may want to snatch up what's left of the soon-to-be-extinct version, and you don't have to be in Chicago to do so. McNamara says Frangos are now available in about 200 Macy's locations--and in some cases are proving a tough sell.
A recent story in the Philadelphia Inquirer told the tale of Philly shoppers encountering the new-fangled chocolates at the Center City Philadelphia Macy's: "I wouldn't buy it for $18," Anita Donahue told the paper. "Not unless I knew it was really good," added her sister-in-law Regina Donahue.
Of course, $18 (a 1-pound box of Frangos actually retails for $17) is a pittance for the serious chocolate lover. A list of 21 Ultimate Gifts in December's Robb Report highlights the Michel Cluizel special: a shipment of $200 worth of Michel Cluizel chocolate every week for the rest of your life, a chocolate room designed for your home, a tutorial on how to better appreciate fine chocolate and a private tour of the Cluizel factory in Damville, France, with Michel Cluizel as your guide. The price? A cool $4 million.
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...ahhhhhh the world is coming to an end; forget global warming what am I going to do when there are no more Frango's?!?!
[thank you lisa jump]
