Consumer Reports highlights maddening packaging tricks
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Product packaging-boxes, blister packs, and fancy packaging-all can add up to a mountain of frustration. Consumer Reports gets a raft of complaints about all sorts of packaging problems.
For example, opening a box of cereal. It can cause an explosion of cereal all over the floor. Consumer Reports says that's just one of many "Packaging Gotchas."
Gotcha No. 1: "Oysters." They are those hard-to-open packages. Several readers complained vehemently about the No-Touch Kitchen System from Lysol, saying it was basically impervious to every implement they could bring to the table. And freeing a Barbie doll isn't much easier.
Another gotcha is "Downsizing." Testers purchased two Barbasol shaving cream cans of the same size. But one contains 11 ounces and the other 10. The company says, "A slightly reduced product volume improved function." Another example, Ivory Soap. It used to weigh 4.5 ounces. Now it's just 4.
Then there's the Black Hole, packages that make products look bigger than they are. Take the container of Velveeta Shells & Cheese. Once you're done making it, there's actually very little food inside. And the box of Nice! Apricots is less than half full.
Companies spend roughly $130 billion a year on product packaging. About 7 percent of a product's cost is in the packaging. It's coming out of manufacturer's pockets, and it's coming out of consumers' pockets.
Consumer Reports contacted companies regarding the packaging complaints. Lysolsays a scissors should be enough to open its soap dispenser. Mattel had no comment. Kraft says it leaves room for water in the Velveeta Shells n' Cheese and that noodles expand. Ivory says its half-ounce bar soap reduction is due to increased production costs. And Nice Apricots said it will evaluate its product.
For example, opening a box of cereal. It can cause an explosion of cereal all over the floor. Consumer Reports says that's just one of many "Packaging Gotchas."
Gotcha No. 1: "Oysters." They are those hard-to-open packages. Several readers complained vehemently about the No-Touch Kitchen System from Lysol, saying it was basically impervious to every implement they could bring to the table. And freeing a Barbie doll isn't much easier.
Another gotcha is "Downsizing." Testers purchased two Barbasol shaving cream cans of the same size. But one contains 11 ounces and the other 10. The company says, "A slightly reduced product volume improved function." Another example, Ivory Soap. It used to weigh 4.5 ounces. Now it's just 4.
Then there's the Black Hole, packages that make products look bigger than they are. Take the container of Velveeta Shells & Cheese. Once you're done making it, there's actually very little food inside. And the box of Nice! Apricots is less than half full.
Companies spend roughly $130 billion a year on product packaging. About 7 percent of a product's cost is in the packaging. It's coming out of manufacturer's pockets, and it's coming out of consumers' pockets.
Consumer Reports contacted companies regarding the packaging complaints. Lysolsays a scissors should be enough to open its soap dispenser. Mattel had no comment. Kraft says it leaves room for water in the Velveeta Shells n' Cheese and that noodles expand. Ivory says its half-ounce bar soap reduction is due to increased production costs. And Nice Apricots said it will evaluate its product.
Another thing I've found that I watch for is the shelf life. Several stores around here don't pull expired stock and if it's something perishable it can make a big difference in being able to use it or having to throw it away.
I saw some special powered scissors, made specifically for cutting open clamshell packaging. They came in clamshell packaging!
@therunner.... DOH!
Americans are really getting lazier or dumber by the hour. All you need is a sharp blade, knife or other sharp instrument to cut those bubble packages open
Smaller amounts in the same packaging also helps keep the official inflation figures lower. The lesser amount sells for the same price as the greater amount did last year. Government inflation checks don't see the smaller amount than in the old package and report that there is no inflation.
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And while I'm on the subject, why does the state unit pricing law allow a store to use different size "units" for the same, or nearly same, product? Is a package of whatever that sells for 29 cents per ounce more or less expensive by ounce than a package that sells for $5 a pound? Isn't unit pricing supposed to make it easier for a consumer to figure the best deal?
 @Furd yeah, that bs about different comparable units among the same products is a load for sure.   I use my android phone with different apps that allows comparison pricing of different units and it works very well. It even gives tells you how much more expensive, percentage wise, that the higher priced item is.   My favorite app is apples to apples for this.