PRODUCT DIFFERENTIATION RUN AMUCK

Have you noticed how the vitamins aisle in your local pharmacy or grocery store has changed over the past couple of decades? You used to have two choices: One-A-Day Multiple Vitamins or the store brand. Life was simple. Then came One-A-Day for Men and One-A-Day for Women. OK, that was easy enough. However, this was followed by One-A-Day for Seniors ("Just-One-More-Day," sold in single-tablet bottles). Now you can get Memory-Enhancing One-A-Day, Stool-Softening One-A-Day, One-A-Day for Men with an Undescended Testicle ("Where-Is-That-One Today?"), One-A-Day for People with Cats ("Wanna-Purrfect-Day"), One-A-Day for fans of lousy sports teams ("Lose One-A-Day"), and One-A-Day for friends of Vice Presidents ("Pellet-Wound-Healing One-A-Day, with Aloe Vera").

This has got to stop.