Consumer Packaged Goods in Serious Need of Overhaul

A question that has baffled me for many years is why so many of the consumer packaged goods that we use today still use the same old-school packaging that my great grandparents were accustomed to in the early 1900's. Much of this packaging, in my opinion, has a lot of room for update and improvement.

With all the CPG market research and shopper insights being conducted today, why is it that we have to settle for many of these antiquated package designs. Am I the only one who thinks this odd? Do people truly believe that functionality is at its optimal with these designs or that this is some retro throwback that should conjure impressions of simpler times? I don't think you can really consider something "retro" unless it is absent from the market for a number of years and later resurrected for nostalgia. But then many times where this is the case, at least you have a choice: the old is often positioned side-by-side with the new and improved counterpart.

My top four products that could use a good makeover:

Salt – I'm talking about the standard 26 oz. cylindrical box with that awful aluminum-hinged spout where after invariably severing the skin under your finger nail on engaging the slide; you must then deal with the awkward opening and closing of same. And heaven forbid that you wrench it too hard thereby tearing it out of its port…it will never be the same again. Pushing it too hard into the box port carries with it even more serious implications, however.

Flour – is the only way to package this have to be a paper bag? There's no graceful means of opening this type of packaging without releasing a fine plume of airborne particulates similar to that of forensic talcum used in dusting for prints. Re-closing such packaging is equally as awkward and messy. When a point is reached where you can roll the bag shut it becomes increasingly difficult to store so it's more often wedged or jammed between items to keep from spilling. I wonder, do people really use counter-top canisters all that much?

Milk – I hate the cardboard spouts that need to be slowly torn open and spread apart. Yes, I know there's an arrow indicating which end it is that is supposed to work, but even given that, it's often a clumsy proposition. At least with milk cartons somebody got wise and developed packaging resembling the traditional carton, but only with a plastic screw-top inserted in the top. Why bother – if you're going to redesign, why not go all the way.

Breakfast Cereal – I'm talking about that waxy plastic bag inside the box. Do you cut it…tear it? And if you do manage to pull it apart at the seam like a bag o'chips, there's about a fifty-fifty chance that this can be accomplished without an explosion of flakes, clusters, nuts and dried fruit all over the kitchen area. And then as you consume the product over time you must roll the bag over itself and jam it back in the box with the renegade flakes that somehow find their way outside the bag and into the box. Oh, I suppose I'm now expected to keep a cereal canister on my counter too, right next to the flour!

Ohhhmmmmmmm

As I age I find that a lot of things my elders told me would happen, has happened...dammit.  Some of these things are to do with the ravages of time (wrinkles, memory not as sharp, making old men noises when you get out of bed in the morning, but luckily my uterus hasn't fallen out in the bathtub (that is a story for another day...)) but some of them are what comes with wisdom  if you pay attention.

One of the positives is the realization that petty little things and even petty big things start to lose their significance.  Material goods are less sought after and even seem a burden at times.  The true pleasures in life can be a laugh with a friend, being the shoulder for a friend in need to cry on, answering a question from your daughter about how to cook frozen vegetables and taking a late night walk around your neighborhood and realize how you luckily ended up just where you needed to be when you needed to be there.  My theory about what happens to us as we age, the changes to our body, minds and outlook is natures way of getting you to realize, before it is too late, the wonder of this beautiful existence and the amazing people within it.  People who have different views, outlooks, backgrounds and passions. Lucky are we who surround ourselves with people and not things.

The Seedy Side of Snack Foods

Who doesn't occasionally like to munch on a salty snack? But if "occasionally" translates to more than 3 or 4 times a week, then I think it wise to find a satisfying snack that is not fried and has some redeeming value or even a "perceived" health benefit.

I believe that roasted pumpkin seeds walk this fine line of satisfying that junk food craving, while at the same time, finding redemption by also possessing a rather impressive nutrient profile. These flat kernels are second only to peanuts in protein content, lower in fat than most nuts and an excellent source of iron. What I also like about pumpkin seeds is the low-maintenance required to eat them. Pumpkin seeds can be eaten, shell-and-all, so there is no cracking, peeling, spitting or ditching of outer husks to be concerned about.

The problem with pumpkin seeds is that it's nearly impossible to find a brand that does 'em just right. Most brands of pumpkin seeds you'll find in the market today are much too salty. Or worse yet, they have almost no salt at all – you'd be better off buying a bag of bird seed. I've sampled some that look appealing in the package, but then turn out to be too pliable with little or no crunch.

About 5 years ago I discovered the perfect seed at Trader Joe's. Trader Joe's pumpkin seeds are done to perfection! Not under or over roasted, lightly salted and you'll get a generous size bag at a relatively low cost. Now the problem with TJ's seed is that it is available for a time and then disappears for many months, even years at a time. I actually went through a spell of nearly 2 years without my TJ's seed fix. This last spell where it became available, I stocked up and even had my friends buying up seed for future reserve during the long famine periods. Whenever I go to a Trader Joe's store I immediately run to the seed aisle with hopeful anticipation, and frequent disappointment.

Why can't anybody else do pumpkin seeds right?

Free Wi-Fi…Really?

I can't understand why it is still so common to see signs on restaurants, coffee shops, hotels and various retail establishments announcing "Free Wi-Fi". Really? This provision has become so common these days that you'd be a fool to actually pay a dime for Wi-Fi service. And you'd be an even bigger fool to expect to collect a fee for providing the service.

I understand there was a time, not so very long ago, when wireless internet connectivity was newer on the technology landscape. The access of internet without an ethernet cable was quite the coveted convenience for those who were traveling with laptops and were frequently working from internet cafes and hotel rooms. Today, it's rare to find a person, regardless of age, who doesn't rely on wireless connectivity for a wide range of potential devices, including: Smartphone, electronic E-readers, iPads, DS gaming systems and other such internet-dependant gadgets.
With everybody and their mothers now providing wireless routers it seems almost criminal these days to exact payment for said service. So why state it at all? If somebody actually had cojones big enough to ask a fee to connect to their wireless service, I think all you'd need to do is take a short walk down the street, or even a door away to find somebody who gives it away.
The term "Free Wi-Fi" has become as pointless as the sign on the corner tavern that reads, "Cold Beer". Oh really…as opposed to all the other watering holes in town that subject me to their room-temperature brew? Did the iceman finally get there and you have a fresh block in the icebox? Or what about the sign on the motel that for years read: "Heated Pool"? I saw this for years after it was standard practice to provide comfortable swimming pool temperatures.
And my all time favorite, and this I actually spotted on a flea-bag motel when I traveled through the deep South this past summer…drum roll please… "Color Television". I wonder if it was cable?