Frito-Lay Will Let You Create Your Own Variety Pack

Let's not pretend like all snacks were created equal—they weren't. There's an indisputable hierarchy in the world of junk food, but sometimes you've gotta accept the Fritos with your Flamin' Hot Cheetos so you can get the best bang for your buck at Costco checkout. Or at least, you used to. 

Now Frito-Lay will let you customize your own variety packs, so you can prioritize your favorites. ICYMI, earlier this year the company launched its own online direct-to-consumer site, dubbed Snacks.com, where users can load up their virtual carts with Doritos, Lay's, Cheetos, whatever and ship them straight to their house. Now, there's a "Make Your Own" feature. 

Here's how it works: you'll head over to the website—which, FYI, currently only ships to 24 states, but will rollout nationally next year. You can then comb through 40 snack bag options, including Lay’s, Doritos, Cheetos, Ruffles, Fritos, and SunChips, and select up to 20 different ones with a $10 flat-rate shipping fee.

"Our fans have asked for a way to make their own Frito-Lay Variety Pack for years, and we are thrilled to be able to provide them with this option on Snacks.com," Frito-Lay North America’s senior vice president and chief marketing officer Rachel Ferdinando said in a statement. "During such a time when the world needs joy now more than ever, we are continuing to listen to our consumers and find new ways to create more smiles."

Unsurprisingly, the decision to go virtual was driven in part by the pandemic. But the company also found another major trend since launching: customers wanted that option to make customizations, as well. In fact, two out of three surveyed Americans said they'd opt for the variety pack, if they had a say in what went into it.

"Since we launched Snacks.com earlier this year, we've seen it resonate with consumers, and our team has uncovered insights to continue giving our consumers more of what they want," chief transformation and strategy officer Michael Lindsey said in the statement. "Our ability to own the end-to-end value chain enables us to deliver customized offerings like 'Make Your Own Variety Pack' to create a more personalized snacking experience."

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