Some Kroger Shoppers Can't Get Behind This Otherwise Popular Betty Crocker Cake Mix

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We're starting to think that the folks who review products on Kroger's website might be completely savage. From a new vanilla ice cream that suffered a spate of bad reviews to Kroger brand frozen cod fillets that were widely panned, we keep finding items at the popular supermarket that reviewers just seem to flat-out dislike. But if you think Kroger's house brands are to blame, consider the review spread for Betty Crocker Delights Super Moist Spice Cake mix ... and now, we're confused.

To check out the reviews on the product's landing page, this cake mix seems pretty terrible. One writer questioned where the "spice" was: "The flavor was a little disappointing, not very 'spicy' at all. I was expecting the kind of spice cake my mom always made and, in my opinion, this fell short." The spiciness of the cake was the subject of another diss as well: "This had the texture and sweetness of a cake but no spice taste. Disappointing. I'll switch brands." Meanwhile, yet another disappointed shopper took issue not with the taste of the cake, but the quality of the actual mix: "This is my first time using a box mix and having it utterly fail! I made this cake according to instructions in a Bundt pan. It broke into 2 pieces when I removed it from the pan. Any slice of the cake just fell apart like loose snowflakes. It seemed to have no density whatsoever." Yet, the reviews for this mix on other sites are stellar. What's going on?

Look, not every boxed mix is a winner. We previously covered Betty Crocker's own butter pecan cake mix, which might be one to skip. Here's the curious thing, however: Kroger's 20 reviews on the Betty Crocker spice cake have a lot of bombs. When you look at other retailers with more reviews, however, this mix enjoys a much better reception. What gives?

Over on both Target and Walmart, the reviews for all flavors of Betty Crocker Delights mixes — chocolate, vanilla, lemon, strawberry, etc. — are compiled. Out of thousands of positive reviews for this cake mix brand as a whole, several specifically mention the spice cake as a winner. It's probably true that the "spice" cake doesn't pack a lot of spice flavor, as even bigger reviewers have pointed this fact out in head-to-head comparisons of big-brand spice cake mixes. However, many shoppers called out Betty Crocker's mix for being flavorful, tender, and extremely versatile.

We're thinking that the irregular amount of bad press for this cake mix on Kroger's site is an example of sampling bias at work. With a relatively low number of overall reviews, it's easy for a handful of slams to poison the whole barrel, so to speak. When viewed over a wider array of reviews, you can see the fact that many people actually like this cake mix. No actual shade to Kroger shoppers, of course — it will just be interesting to see how the rating distribution changes if and when more people take the time to write comments on this product.