Dammit!
Is anyone out there unfamiliar with Red Devil Lye? It's been sold at my local Safeway since the memory of man runneth not to the contrary. I frequently use it to clean such things as kitchen dishrags, clothing that has such cleaning problems as other products are unable to touch (have you ever discovered a pillow case that has a pronounced yellowing from a lifetime of facial oil? Boil that sucker in lye.) So I don't use much but I like to have it around for occasional needs.
It's not being made anymore. It's not that Safeway isn't carrying it - it's not being manufactured any longer. In my Googling after being denied at the store, I learned that lye is one of the chemicals that's used in the production of methamphetamine. Of course it's also used in the making of soap and even some cooking (hominy anyone?) so if you're a regular person who might have reason to use a chemical that can be made from wood ash, you now have to adjust your use to the prohibitionist tactics of the "war on drugs." Let's just declare we've won and move on, okay? Like the Democrats wanted do with Iraq.
As it turns out, the making of lye itself is not banned but instead of going to my local grocery and purchasing a little plastic bottle of the stuff, I find it on Amazon for $1.99 with a shipping cost of $10.49. Not that it's "lye" that I'm buying but "100% Lye Drain Opener." Yeah, okay, right. Whatever. Now I'm probably on the DEA's watchlist for being a potential meth chef. "No, officer! I wanted to clean some pillow cases! Honest!"
Stangely, the Amazon page doesn't explicitly state the amount the container holds. But since the shipping weight is 12 pounds, I'm going to assume that I've just bought myself a lifetime supply of lye. If you come for a visit, I'll share. Bring a jar.

On The Other Hand: Skittles flavored vodka. I may have to try that. Where do I get those cool bottles?