o.b. Ultra tampons

What happened: The diminutive tampons started disappearing from stores in fall of 2010, to the dismay-bordering-on-panic of women who were extremely loyal to the small, applicator-free product from Johnson & Johnson -- especially its Ultra brand. Shelves were emptied and the tampons were reportedly selling on EBay for more than $100. (A recent search found a 40-count box of Ultras on Buy It Now for $79. Ouch.) The tampons started showing up in stores again in the spring, but the Ultras will be unavailable until the second half of 2012.

The apology: A message revealed on the company's website, pictured above, in December read: "In case you questioned it, we're really, really, really sorry that you were not able to find our products earlier this year. You've also shown us how much you love o.b. Ultra and we're sorry we discontinued it -- we stand corrected! We're working hard to bring o.b. Ultra back to store shelves by the second half of 2012 and we'll keep you updated on our progress. In the meantime, we'd like to apologize with this video message and extend a special coupon offer. Again, we're really, really, really sorry!"