Packaging frustrations

Symptoms of what problem?

Just in the last few years I have encountered numerous problems with packaging and I do wonder why it is so hard to think it through and make it easy.

1/ Toothpaste is packaged mostly [one major well known brand in Oz anyway] in carton tubes, which hide the look of the tube inside. I cannot stand the tube with the small cap as it is always messy. And I cannot see what sort of tube is inside the packaging. So I chose other brands where I know what I am buying. So draw me a picture…. toothpaste packaging for the dummies…

2/ Headsets and many other things sold at airport electronic goods stores are packaged in heat sealed plastic containers, which are impossible to open without scissors, which one does not have. So remember to ask the seller to open it or you will not be using the purchase in a hurry.

3/ Food containers are getting there. And so are the tools available at home to open just about the nastiest of packages. I love the one that has various size possibilities to create a lever around glass jar lids.

4/ Not huge on make-up but I have got some nail polish. The nail polish has a beautiful cover on top of the real lid and when one tries to open the polish the beauty does the rounds on the real lid and nothing opens.

5/ Tiny toothpaste tubes in airline kits have very tight lids which are at times really tricky to open. A struggle with toothpaste in an airplane WC while the queue gets longer… not my idea of fun.

6/ Wine corks. Some of them are so tight that the travel kit opener has a tough time opening them. Hotel room. Away from home. Wouldn’t mind a glass of wine while reading…. go to corner store, have a friendly chat with store keeper as feeling elated already by the quiet moment with the book and the glass of wine. Arrive in room, prepare bath, or what ever, go to open bottle….call reception for help and then really need that bath. Alternatively, buy Australian wine with screw tops [many Oz marks seem to have those].

In general I wonder about the amount of plastic still used to surround the products.

Are we suffering again for the minority, which do not travel, carry scissors and tools everywhere, who steal in hotels so they are not kitted out or are these just an excuse to not innovate?

=> happy to say that many of these issues have seen progress over the few years since I wrote this [comment Aug 09]