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Frustration, perfectly packaged

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One of the things I hate most in life is when products are sold encased in a specially molded sheath of plastic that is virtually indestructible and practically guaranteed to leave anyone who messes with it scratched, swearing, bleeding and frustrated beyond imagination.

This time, I lucked out. Only three of four. (Managed to avoid the bleeding part by using scissors and a pen)

My dentist suggested I try using an electric toothbrush. Thing is, if you buy one that doesn't cost a million dollars, it doesn't come in an easy-to-open box. It's in that teasing "nice-for-display-but-you'll-never-get-me-out" plastic packaging.

So you have to spend about half an hour with scissors, a kitchen knife, a pen and about five hands pulling, prying, wrestling, poking and ripping. Maybe then you'll get a corner open, but it doesn't matter. It's still molded to whatever is inside, so you can't just peel the corners apart and pop the thing out.

Don't think this kind of super-dooper protection is reserved for toothbrushes. Toys, flashlights... you name it, you can probably find it encased in this stuff. More than once, I've been so frustrated I have considered just returning the whole darn thing because I can't get to it without inflicting bodily injury.

I tried to find an example online to illustrate my point with a photograph, but, intelligent marketers that most retailers are, they photograph their products AFTER they have been extracted with the jaws of life.

You'd think -- what with technology being what it is these days -- some engineer somewhere could come up with a better way....

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This page contains a single entry by Jen Vogelsong published on April 3, 2007 12:37 AM.

Vote for York's Best Male Bartender! was the previous entry in this blog.

Was Jesus a rock star? is the next entry in this blog.

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