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A project to make businesses more aware of their customer experience, and how to fix it. By Mark Hurst. |
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Previous: Merriam-Webster definition | Main | Next: (fixed) domain mapping for thisisbroken.com
June 27, 2005 07:36 PM
Broken: Single-serving food packages
Iris Bell points us to this Washington Post article: But the Dang Thing Won't Open. Excerpt:
I spent 10 minutes in a school cafeteria prying 13 foil lids off single-serving containers of chocolate pudding because, even when kindergartners dropped them on the floor, they wouldn't open. They frustrated fifth-graders, too. The lids were not only tight under assault from my fingernails, they burped pudding onto my shirt as I finally broke each seal.
I have splattered miscellaneous food objects on myself many times. Maybe not necessarily with chocolate pudding, but it has happened. I can only imagine how much more frustrating it is when there is a bunch a impatient children all waiting for their pudding!
The foil tops are a difficult type of package to open. The risk of spraying the contents from unintended force is quite high. However, the most vile form of packaging remains the blister pack. It's usually excessively large presumably to make the small item contained within difficult to shoplift. It is also impossible to open without cutting it which in turn leaves sharp edges wich invariably cut you as you struggle to get the item out of the package.
Carlos I agree totally in fact you stated exactly what I was going to but also I like to open a package carefully, in-case I may need to return it. this is not possible with a blister pack.
>Bell couldn't you are the kids use a spoon to puncture the tops while they were on the table to keep it off of clothes?
as far as the package pictured above either of the following tools always work 1.scissors 2.teeth
Argh, yes, full agreement on the blister packs. They're next to impossible to open, even with scissors or a sharp knife. I generally encounter them most often buying packs of trading cards, which, even when placed in the blister pack, are still small enough to easily tuck into a pocket or under a jacket, making them not very effective. True, they discourage you from opening the package there in the store and making off with the contents. But... how do you make it so that the rightful owner can open the whatevers, but a shoplifter can't? Does everything have to come with a lock that the cashier or someone opens for you when you make the purchase?
most packaging these days is designed more for transportation economics than any kind of ease of opening. it's user-hostile interface design, *especially* with blister packs.
Amen on the blister packs. I got an SD card the size of a nickel in a blister pack 2 inches thick and roughly 8 1/2" by 11". Impossible to open without giant scissors, and even that made sharp edges. This is surely broken.
Foil packs are not too hard to open. The trick is to not try and pull it apart, like with a bag of potato chips. Instead with your left hand, hold the bag just to the left of the seam, then with your right hand, pull from open using the seam. The foil should easily break without much effort. If you have to muster all your strength, then you aren't doing it right. I hope this helps. LIVE STRONG
WARNING Rant below
Their is usually a notch in the sealed seam to tear open the package. Its hard to tell with the photo being so small but it appears to be on the side near the f in Fisher. As long as they don't start putting this item in blister packs it shouldn't be so difficult to open.
As far as blister packs being the choice of manufactures for shipping; How can this be when the pack takes up more space. The number of items being shipped is reduced per freight because of the packages taking up more room. If more products would be shipped by using less packaging it would take less cost to get the item to the consumer.
>>>Here It Is the reason why blister packs are used is for point-of-sell. The store where you buy your merchandise can display the pack usually on a hook. It also keeps the customer from opening the package in the store to see the product and accessories if available, since it is in a see-thru container. As opposed to a box where a customer will rip open search the contents jam it back into the box and leaving for an employee to straighten out. Yes customers are this thoughtless the thought being well the employee gets paid to work here. That is true but they are not paid to clean up after you! They have more important things to do. Next time it appears that an employee doesn't seem to have the time to wait on you its because they are probably having to take care of the ice cream and steak someone graciously left on the magazine rack.( Yes I've seen this )
End Rant.
While yes there is usually a notch for some reason it is amazingly often round and streaches instead of ripping.
Another point for testers:
If you can open a bag of chips, try it again with a second bag...
... after your hands are greasy from consuming the first. :-)
Am I the only one who notices that he's trying to open pretzels, not pudding???
TIB is reallly broken, unless he ment this to happen....
Also the picture barely increases in size if you click on it. What's the point of that?
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Previous: Merriam-Webster definition | Main | Next: (fixed) domain mapping for thisisbroken.com
they always open when i try them
Posted by: dont start the "this isnt broken" at June 27, 2005 08:05 PM