Today's packages are MURDER to open... - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Ireneparalegal · 03-23-2006, 10:16 PM

Have you ever felt the wrap-rage within you when trying to open a package? I have. Especially the toys that have a thousand plastic ties that I have to cut and cut and cut just to get a part of the toy released from the cardboard. Or the stupid medicine bottles that tell you to PRESS AND TURN. I have PRESSED AND TURNED....AND PRESSED AND TURNED...AND PRESSED AND TURNED until I couldn't deal with the pain in the palm of my hand and wrist from trying to open a headache medicine bottle to get rid of the pain in my head. Now, I need it for the pain in my hand and wrist...

Or how abt those packages that are sandwiched between two hard plastic sheets that seem to require bolt cutters to open it? I swear, I feel so sorry for old people when I find myself trying to open any package.
I know the reason for the medicine bottles. I recall the Tylenol deaths that occurred from someone tampering with the bottles. Since then, Tylenol has never had a problem like that again. With the toys and other stuff, I just don't get it. Not to mention the waste!

________________________________________________
Sunday, March 05, 2006

By Mackenzie Carpenter, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Michelle Dreyfuss is normally a sweet-natured person, but recently she found herself longing for some box cutters, razor blades or an ice pick -- anything to get Cinderella's Castle out of its plastic box before her little girl Camille dissolved in a puddle of tears.

"There were all these little people that came with it, and each one of them was individually wrapped, and the whole castle was attached to about five or six or 10 of those wire things," recalled Ms. Dreyfuss, of Mt. Lebanon. "I was ready to go crazy, and I just hated the fact that my daughter was standing there so frustrated and panicked."

Ms. Dreyfuss isn't the only consumer who fights violent impulses when confronted with today's hard-to-open packaging. Whether it's Barbie dolls, cell phones or cereal, manufacturers and retailers seem to be singing the same song: buy our products, please, but don't assume that you'll actually ever be able to get your hands on them.

Consumer Reports, in fact, announced its first-ever Oyster Awards in this month's issue, with first prize going to the hard-plastic clamshell packaging for the Uniden Digital Cordless Phone set, which took nine minutes and 22 seconds to open -- not the longest, but by far the most dangerous, requiring box cutters and a razor blade. Second prize went to "American Idol" Barbie and her packaging, which didn't require the same kinds of lethal weapons but took 15 minutes and 10 seconds to untie all the wires, rip the stitches from her hair and slice the thick plastic manacles off her arms and torso.

"Today's packages force consumers to fight tooth and nail to get at what's inside," said Todd Marks, a senior editor at Consumer Reports, who conducted the tests and also singled out video games, pills in blister packs and cereal packaging as high up on the frustration meter.

Even more telling, he added, was the response -- or lack of it -- he received from the companies responsible for such impervious packaging.

"When I asked Kellogg's to explain why their cereal bags are so hard to open, at first they seemed responsive, and sent an e-mail saying they'd assigned someone to help me," said Mr. Marks. "But the next thing I knew they told me they just didn't have the manpower to address it and were going to take a pass."

Similarly, a Kellogg's spokeswoman said a "team" was working on this reporters' request for comment -- but no response ever materialized.

Concerns about hard-to-open packaging may not be just about consumer inconvenience. According to 2001 Census Bureau data, people suffered more than twice as many injuries related to household packaging and containers than from skateboards or swimming pools (although those numbers include injuries that involve dropping a package on a foot).

And British researchers blame "Wrap Rage" for more than 60,000 injuries in that country. In 2004, a writer for The Times of London described the CD as "the crucible of wrap rage," whose old cardboard box was replaced by a "zip strip. The answer to our unwrapping prayers! Yet 12 years later, a pull-tab torn off in hand, we are still chewing through plastic like wild dogs."

All of this comes as a big surprise to Jim Sinegal, CEO of Costco Wholesale, which sells video games cellophane-wrapped in "jewel cases" with security stickers and enclosed in thick plastic yokes that Consumer Reports testers could only cut with wire snips.

"This is the first I've heard of people actually getting injured," he said. "I've heard complaints about how tough it is to get into the package, and we're not insensitive to stuff like that."

Mr. Sinegal said he would look into the issue, but added that theft of certain video games is so rampant even with the bulky extra packaging that Costco had to discontinue some of their top sellers.

Indeed, security, above all else, is behind all that bullet-proof plastic packaging.

"Organized retail theft is a huge, multi-billion dollar problem, and unless someone can invent a pilfer-proof package, manufacturers are not going to change," said Mary Ann Falkman, editor-in-chief of Packaging Digest, an industry magazine. "These products are very high-theft items, and larger retailers like Wal-Mart and Toys 'R Us cannot afford the amount of theft that occurs in their stores otherwise."

Ken Sullivan, director of marketing for SCA Consumer Packaging, the nation's largest manufacturer of clear molded plastic "blister" or "clamshell" packaging, says his company has regularly proposed easier opening technology to manufacturers. An electronic article surveillance tag could be embedded in the product that can be de-activated at the cash register, he said, but it's too expensive for most manufacturers.

"The loss prevention managers at these big retailers are really the driving forces behind it," Mr. Sullivan said. "They're really concerned about gangs of people who come in and scoop up all this kind of stuff."

Of course, "high-visibility packaging" allows thinly staffed big box stores "to showcase products with a minimum of staff involvement," he said. "You just hang it on a peg and let it sell itself, while the employees in blue vests stay busy hiding themselves from the customers."

But in the world of Barbie, words like "theft" and "economics" are no-no's when it comes to the raison d'etre behind her impenetrable packaging. Instead, it's all about -- what else? -- looking good. A spokeswoman for Mattel, which makes Barbie dolls, noted that all those wires and manacles holding Barbie down -- which she delicately referred to as "points of restriction" -- are designed to keep America's favorite doll in great shape during her multi-thousand-mile journey from the overseas factory.

"Part of the magic of looking at Barbie is how she smiles at girls from her box on the shelf," said spokeswoman Lauren Dougherty. "And when our little girls open up that package, they want her to be in pristine condition, with neat hair and clothes all in check."

Regardless of the reasons behind Barbie's restraints, some enterprising firms are looking for ways to defeat them and other causes of "wrap rage": Late night TV advertises "Package Shark," which promises to cut through the thickest plastic, and at DiscCap.com, you can order special cutting tools in "five hot colors" to "open disk labels fast."

As baby boomers move into middle age and beyond, more companies are starting to think outside the box -- literally -- by developing new, more user-friendly containers, said Laura Bix, a professor at Michigan State University's School of Packaging, where she works to develop universal design principles.

There are now Folger's coffee cans with a peel-back foil lid, Sherwin-Williams' twist-and-pour paint cans and Starkist Tuna's plastic pouches.

"A few companies have made the leap, taken the risk, gotten out there, innovated and been successful," said Ms. Bix.

"But economics is still the overarching factor, and I think most companies are completely and solely focused on economics, so while you'll be seeing some changes in packaging, they probably won't be as rapid as consumers would like."

EmoJoe · 03-23-2006, 10:26 PM

DVDs are CDs are impossible to open now after you first get them without scissors/a knife. ugh its so annoying.

gilligan fanatic · 03-23-2006, 10:30 PM

they may be murder to open but I am glad for the reason. Those security tabs inside the packages keep it harder from stealing and making the product cheaper.

seventies_sitcoms · 03-23-2006, 10:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gilligan fanatic

they may be murder to open but I am glad for the reason. Those security tabs inside the packages keep it harder from stealing and making the product cheaper.

The products still aren't cheaper in my opinion. If they weren't overpriced to start with nobody would be stealing them in the first place!

gilligan fanatic · 03-23-2006, 10:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by seventies_sitcoms

The products still aren't cheaper in my opinion. If they weren't overpriced to start with nobody would be stealing them in the first place!

they have security tabs on 5 Dollar CD's and DVD's and not just expensive stuff.

Brian Damage · 03-23-2006, 11:14 PM

As a father to two little children, I can attest to the aggravation of opening up toys, especially around Christmas and birthdays. However, I can understand why they do it. There are a whole lot of sticky fingers out there, so I'll live with the inconvenience.

Ireneparalegal · 03-23-2006, 11:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by seventies_sitcoms

The products still aren't cheaper in my opinion. If they weren't overpriced to start with nobody would be stealing them in the first place!

PZelda · 03-24-2006, 02:04 AM

My mom has that issue of CR.

The products aren't too difficult to open, as long as you can assess which tools you think will be necessary to freely reveal the package's contents. Personally, I find the assembly more frustrating than opening the actual package. But that's just me.

Oh, I'm not much for the bottles where you have to press on either side to get the top unscrewed. Scope has that (on their bottle cap) and I think Aleve has it (on the bottle, right under the bottle cap) too. Not that I take Aleve, but just saying. My right hand is screwed up from two very nasty sprains, both at differen times, I suffered a few years back.

Stormtracker TF · 03-24-2006, 05:03 AM

I got a USB cord for my digital camera recently (the other one was lost or something) and I swear, opening that package was like breaking into Fort Knox.

It was in that type of plastic packaging Irene was talking about with the two hard plastic sheets pressed together. I basically ruined a pair of scissors trying to saw that thing open.

80sTrivia · 03-24-2006, 07:15 AM

I know... some of these packages are definitely harder to break into than Fort Knox!!!

Karen64 · 03-24-2006, 09:14 AM

I always got so aggravated on Christmas days, spending almost the whole day trying to open the kids' toy packages! (especially the Barbie packages and all the gazillions of accessories, each of which is wired in place!)

This last year, when buying Christmas gifts for the kids, I also bought a little tool set for myself which included little wire cutters and assorted screwdrivers! It really came in handy!

MsOrange · 03-24-2006, 09:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by seventies_sitcoms

The products still aren't cheaper in my opinion. If they weren't overpriced to start with nobody would be stealing them in the first place!

maybe in a perfect world.

I've heard of people stealing from dollar stores... "things are too expensive" is hardly the reason people steal.

MsOrange · 03-24-2006, 09:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brian Damage

As a father to two little children, I can attest to the aggravation of opening up toys, especially around Christmas and birthdays. However, I can understand why they do it. There are a whole lot of sticky fingers out there, so I'll live with the inconvenience.

except for the father of children part.... ditto!

Kazza · 03-24-2006, 10:10 AM

Being a mother myself I can relate to the b-days and Christmas morning ordeal! By the time you are done opening and undoing the child has lost interest on the toy.

Another thing that it's extremely difficult to get it open is the cell phones. I had to buy a new one and almost had to pry open the package, got a cut on my finger too.

Ireneparalegal · 03-24-2006, 02:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TF: Texas Smurftractor

I got a USB cord for my digital camera recently (the other one was lost or something) and I swear, opening that package was like breaking into Fort Knox.

It was in that type of plastic packaging Irene was talking about with the two hard plastic sheets pressed together. I basically ruined a pair of scissors trying to saw that thing open.

I know, that's crazy. One must have a set of tools to open packages. Try opening a kids toy with the kid right in front of them...

03-23-2006, 10:16 PM	#1
Ireneparalegal LEGAL SPICE ;) Forum Legend Join Date: Jul 25, 2005 Location: OXNARD, CA - WHERE THE DALLAS COWBOYS TRAIN & PRACTICE Posts: 38,691	Today's packages are MURDER to open... Have you ever felt the wrap-rage within you when trying to open a package? I have. Especially the toys that have a thousand plastic ties that I have to cut and cut and cut just to get a part of the toy released from the cardboard. Or the stupid medicine bottles that tell you to PRESS AND TURN. I have PRESSED AND TURNED....AND PRESSED AND TURNED...AND PRESSED AND TURNED until I couldn't deal with the pain in the palm of my hand and wrist from trying to open a headache medicine bottle to get rid of the pain in my head. Now, I need it for the pain in my hand and wrist... Or how abt those packages that are sandwiched between two hard plastic sheets that seem to require bolt cutters to open it? I swear, I feel so sorry for old people when I find myself trying to open any package. I know the reason for the medicine bottles. I recall the Tylenol deaths that occurred from someone tampering with the bottles. Since then, Tylenol has never had a problem like that again. With the toys and other stuff, I just don't get it. Not to mention the waste! ________________________________________________ Sunday, March 05, 2006 By Mackenzie Carpenter, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Michelle Dreyfuss is normally a sweet-natured person, but recently she found herself longing for some box cutters, razor blades or an ice pick -- anything to get Cinderella's Castle out of its plastic box before her little girl Camille dissolved in a puddle of tears. "There were all these little people that came with it, and each one of them was individually wrapped, and the whole castle was attached to about five or six or 10 of those wire things," recalled Ms. Dreyfuss, of Mt. Lebanon. "I was ready to go crazy, and I just hated the fact that my daughter was standing there so frustrated and panicked." Ms. Dreyfuss isn't the only consumer who fights violent impulses when confronted with today's hard-to-open packaging. Whether it's Barbie dolls, cell phones or cereal, manufacturers and retailers seem to be singing the same song: buy our products, please, but don't assume that you'll actually ever be able to get your hands on them. Consumer Reports, in fact, announced its first-ever Oyster Awards in this month's issue, with first prize going to the hard-plastic clamshell packaging for the Uniden Digital Cordless Phone set, which took nine minutes and 22 seconds to open -- not the longest, but by far the most dangerous, requiring box cutters and a razor blade. Second prize went to "American Idol" Barbie and her packaging, which didn't require the same kinds of lethal weapons but took 15 minutes and 10 seconds to untie all the wires, rip the stitches from her hair and slice the thick plastic manacles off her arms and torso. "Today's packages force consumers to fight tooth and nail to get at what's inside," said Todd Marks, a senior editor at Consumer Reports, who conducted the tests and also singled out video games, pills in blister packs and cereal packaging as high up on the frustration meter. Even more telling, he added, was the response -- or lack of it -- he received from the companies responsible for such impervious packaging. "When I asked Kellogg's to explain why their cereal bags are so hard to open, at first they seemed responsive, and sent an e-mail saying they'd assigned someone to help me," said Mr. Marks. "But the next thing I knew they told me they just didn't have the manpower to address it and were going to take a pass." Similarly, a Kellogg's spokeswoman said a "team" was working on this reporters' request for comment -- but no response ever materialized. Concerns about hard-to-open packaging may not be just about consumer inconvenience. According to 2001 Census Bureau data, people suffered more than twice as many injuries related to household packaging and containers than from skateboards or swimming pools (although those numbers include injuries that involve dropping a package on a foot). And British researchers blame "Wrap Rage" for more than 60,000 injuries in that country. In 2004, a writer for The Times of London described the CD as "the crucible of wrap rage," whose old cardboard box was replaced by a "zip strip. The answer to our unwrapping prayers! Yet 12 years later, a pull-tab torn off in hand, we are still chewing through plastic like wild dogs." All of this comes as a big surprise to Jim Sinegal, CEO of Costco Wholesale, which sells video games cellophane-wrapped in "jewel cases" with security stickers and enclosed in thick plastic yokes that Consumer Reports testers could only cut with wire snips. "This is the first I've heard of people actually getting injured," he said. "I've heard complaints about how tough it is to get into the package, and we're not insensitive to stuff like that." Mr. Sinegal said he would look into the issue, but added that theft of certain video games is so rampant even with the bulky extra packaging that Costco had to discontinue some of their top sellers. Indeed, security, above all else, is behind all that bullet-proof plastic packaging. "Organized retail theft is a huge, multi-billion dollar problem, and unless someone can invent a pilfer-proof package, manufacturers are not going to change," said Mary Ann Falkman, editor-in-chief of Packaging Digest, an industry magazine. "These products are very high-theft items, and larger retailers like Wal-Mart and Toys 'R Us cannot afford the amount of theft that occurs in their stores otherwise." Ken Sullivan, director of marketing for SCA Consumer Packaging, the nation's largest manufacturer of clear molded plastic "blister" or "clamshell" packaging, says his company has regularly proposed easier opening technology to manufacturers. An electronic article surveillance tag could be embedded in the product that can be de-activated at the cash register, he said, but it's too expensive for most manufacturers. "The loss prevention managers at these big retailers are really the driving forces behind it," Mr. Sullivan said. "They're really concerned about gangs of people who come in and scoop up all this kind of stuff." Of course, "high-visibility packaging" allows thinly staffed big box stores "to showcase products with a minimum of staff involvement," he said. "You just hang it on a peg and let it sell itself, while the employees in blue vests stay busy hiding themselves from the customers." But in the world of Barbie, words like "theft" and "economics" are no-no's when it comes to the raison d'etre behind her impenetrable packaging. Instead, it's all about -- what else? -- looking good. A spokeswoman for Mattel, which makes Barbie dolls, noted that all those wires and manacles holding Barbie down -- which she delicately referred to as "points of restriction" -- are designed to keep America's favorite doll in great shape during her multi-thousand-mile journey from the overseas factory. "Part of the magic of looking at Barbie is how she smiles at girls from her box on the shelf," said spokeswoman Lauren Dougherty. "And when our little girls open up that package, they want her to be in pristine condition, with neat hair and clothes all in check." Regardless of the reasons behind Barbie's restraints, some enterprising firms are looking for ways to defeat them and other causes of "wrap rage": Late night TV advertises "Package Shark," which promises to cut through the thickest plastic, and at DiscCap.com, you can order special cutting tools in "five hot colors" to "open disk labels fast." As baby boomers move into middle age and beyond, more companies are starting to think outside the box -- literally -- by developing new, more user-friendly containers, said Laura Bix, a professor at Michigan State University's School of Packaging, where she works to develop universal design principles. There are now Folger's coffee cans with a peel-back foil lid, Sherwin-Williams' twist-and-pour paint cans and Starkist Tuna's plastic pouches. "A few companies have made the leap, taken the risk, gotten out there, innovated and been successful," said Ms. Bix. "But economics is still the overarching factor, and I think most companies are completely and solely focused on economics, so while you'll be seeing some changes in packaging, they probably won't be as rapid as consumers would like."
	__________________ DALLAS COWBOYS ARE HERE AT TRAINING CAMP!!!

03-23-2006, 10:26 PM	#2
EmoJoe Cool cool cool Forum Addict Join Date: Apr 23, 2004 Location: New Jersey Posts: 71,478	DVDs are CDs are impossible to open now after you first get them without scissors/a knife. ugh its so annoying.
	__________________ "I know the difference between TV and reality, Jeff. TV has structure, it makes sense, there are likable leading men. In real life, we have this. We have you." - Abed Nadir, Community www.sitcomsarestupid.blogspot.com

03-23-2006, 10:30 PM	#3
gilligan fanatic Born to Be Bad Forum Fanatic Join Date: May 06, 2001 Location: down by the Lagoon Posts: 9,954	they may be murder to open but I am glad for the reason. Those security tabs inside the packages keep it harder from stealing and making the product cheaper.
	__________________ Matt Filmaf ~ Twitter ~ Last.FM

03-23-2006, 11:14 PM	#6
Brian Damage I'm Rich Bitch Forum Icon Join Date: Feb 03, 2002 Location: What Ain't No Country I Ever Heard Of...They Speak English in What? Posts: 63,107	As a father to two little children, I can attest to the aggravation of opening up toys, especially around Christmas and birthdays. However, I can understand why they do it. There are a whole lot of sticky fingers out there, so I'll live with the inconvenience.
	__________________ The Key to the Kingdom of Heaven: John 3:3 *Money Doesn't Buy Happiness...But I'd Rather Cry in My Private Jet*

03-24-2006, 05:03 AM	#9
Stormtracker TF Happy Easter! Moderator Forum Idol Join Date: Jul 19, 2002 Location: Detroit, Michigan Posts: 102,598	I got a USB cord for my digital camera recently (the other one was lost or something) and I swear, opening that package was like breaking into Fort Knox. It was in that type of plastic packaging Irene was talking about with the two hard plastic sheets pressed together. I basically ruined a pair of scissors trying to saw that thing open.
	__________________ i s .. i t ... s t i l l .. t h e . n e w .. a g e . ? . . . o r .. a m .. i ... t o o .. l a t e .? █║║▌║█ ║▌║▌│║▌║▌█║▌║█ ║▌║▌│║▌║▌█║▌║█ ║▌║▌│║▌║▌█║▌║█ ║▌║▌│║▌║▌█

03-24-2006, 02:04 AM	#8
PZelda Two Valeries! <3 Forum Addict Join Date: Jul 15, 2002 Location: I'm STILL missing NYC. :( Posts: 78,223	My mom has that issue of CR. The products aren't too difficult to open, as long as you can assess which tools you think will be necessary to freely reveal the package's contents. Personally, I find the assembly more frustrating than opening the actual package. But that's just me. Oh, I'm not much for the bottles where you have to press on either side to get the top unscrewed. Scope has that (on their bottle cap) and I think Aleve has it (on the bottle, right under the bottle cap) too. Not that I take Aleve, but just saying. My right hand is screwed up from two very nasty sprains, both at differen times, I suffered a few years back.

03-24-2006, 07:15 AM	#10
80sTrivia Member Forum Celebrity Join Date: May 23, 2002 Posts: 21,714	I know... some of these packages are definitely harder to break into than Fort Knox!!!
	__________________ Perfect Gift Books for Pop Culture Fanatics: Thank You for Being a Friend: A Golden Girls Trivia Book The Bouquet Residence: A Keeping Up Appearances Trivia Book Cooking With the Golden Girls: Fun & Delicious Recipes from a Hilarious Miami Kitchen Love in the Afternoon: The Ultimate Soap Opera Trivia Book The Last Great Decade: The Ultimate 90s Trivia Book Betty White: A Celebration

03-24-2006, 09:14 AM	#11
Karen64 Comedy Fan Senior Member Join Date: Mar 24, 2001 Location: Kansas Posts: 1,412	I always got so aggravated on Christmas days, spending almost the whole day trying to open the kids' toy packages! (especially the Barbie packages and all the gazillions of accessories, each of which is wired in place!) This last year, when buying Christmas gifts for the kids, I also bought a little tool set for myself which included little wire cutters and assorted screwdrivers! It really came in handy!
	__________________ Freddie, there will never be another you....

03-24-2006, 10:10 AM	#14
Kazza Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Oct 17, 2003 Posts: 3,244	Being a mother myself I can relate to the b-days and Christmas morning ordeal! By the time you are done opening and undoing the child has lost interest on the toy. Another thing that it's extremely difficult to get it open is the cell phones. I had to buy a new one and almost had to pry open the package, got a cut on my finger too.