FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2006
Friday Edition: Wrap Rage
Monday morning, parents around the world will break into
wrap rage. This is the syndrome that will send children into tears and have parents tearing their hair out because they can't wrestle toys from their factory wrapping. You have not known frustration until you've had to use pliers, two screwdrivers and tin snips to free a Matchbox race track from its packaging.
I am not alone, my friends.
ConsumerReports.org found that it took more than 15 minutes to remove the American Idol Barbie from her packaging. "Good Morning America" reports:
The hard-to-open plastic packaging that's on everything from home appliances to children's toys leads to more than 6,000 emergency-room visits per year.
ConsumerReports.org says:
Freeing Barbie and her stuff entailed untwisting wires, snapping rubber bands, stripping tape, slicing thick plastic manacles off her arms and torso, cutting off a tab embedded in her head, and carefully ripping a series of stitches securing her tresses to a plastic strip on the back of the box. Most of the job had to be done carefully by hand, with help from a single-edge razor blade. Barbie lost a few hairs in the liberation process.
"Good Morning America" had hosts trying to tear toys from their packaging live on the air. They also asked consumers -- adults and kids -- to give it a go. It would be a fun segment to do locally. (Watch it here.)
Al's Morning Meeting reader Molly Millett at St. Paul, Minn.'s Pioneer Press wanted to know what the deal is with all the packaging:
Two-year-old Lucy Belle's parents will have more than batteries at the ready on Christmas morning.
They'll arm themselves with scissors and razor blades to break through the twist ties, tape, binding, cardboard, sealed plastic shells and other packaging that encase Lucy's new toys.
"It's a pain," says Lucy's mom, Kelly Blood. "Plus, I feel like all that packaging is a waste of money and natural resources."
There's a term for this common complaint: wrap rage.
Toy manufacturers are responding, says Jim Silver of Toy Wishes magazine.
"It's been a hot topic, and they're aware that the consumer is frustrated," Silver says. "I wouldn't expect to see many changes in time for spring, but by Holiday 2007 and even more in 2008, you will see fewer fasteners and toys that are easier to open. Changes are on the way."
Those changes could have an added bonus, says a Fisher-Price packaging engineer.
"The new designs we're working on that reduce removal time may actually save cost, so it's a win-win," says Justin Petit.
This holiday season, though, perhaps it will help ease frustration levels to know there is a reason for all those twist ties.
"Since most toys are made overseas and travel here by boat and truck, the priority is to make sure the toys arrive securely and safely," Silver says. "And most do arrive in excellent working condition."
Secure packaging also helps deter shoplifting and is a way to prominently display the various pieces that come with a toy.
This is a hot-button issue with people. ConsumerReports.org actually did a reader survey and was flooded with nominations for the worst packaging award. Here is the winner: the hard-plastic clamshell that took a reporter more than nine minutes to open.
ConsumerReports.org tried to figure out why manufacturers torture us and came up with four main reasons:
Plastics. When plastic became cheaper than cardboard, about a decade ago, manufacturers were able to wrap goods in new ways. Many of those options proved harder to open than the cardboard box.
Safety and theft. Federal safety laws require seals that will show evidence of tampering, and child-safety caps on most over-the-counter drugs. That often makes them adult-proof, too, says
Laura Bix, assistant professor of packaging at Michigan State University. Meanwhile, shoplifting losses at retail stores in the U.S. are an estimated $15 billion a year, according to
Ernst & Young, leading to electronic tags and big, sealed packaging even for tiny items, so they can't be pocketed.
Overseas manufacturing. Products were once largely made in the U.S., but many are now made abroad and must withstand a long sea voyage in a cargo-ship container, says Chris Byrne, editor-at-large of
Toys & Family Entertainment, a trade magazine. Rigid plastic containers excel at keeping everything in place.
"Try me" packaging. Children are encouraged to touch and interact with playthings before buying them. This has led to the creation, for instance, of what might be called Prisoner Barbie -- a doll with shackled accessories. They are easy to see but hard to steal, Byrne says.
The Pioneer Press article gives these thoughtful tips:
- Skip the scissors, says Justin Petit, a packaging engineer at Fisher-Price: "Scissors may be damaged when trying to cut wire ties. Wire cutters should be on hand. Typically, it's best to use a letter opener to cut the tape that holds down the flaps of the box. Once all flaps are 'flapping,' the wire ties should be cut next. It takes too long to untwist them, so they should be cut with wire cutters. Always make sure small parts of the packaging that may have fallen to the floor are discarded."
- Recycle when possible, Petit says: "We certainly recommend that all cardboard and paper be recycled when possible. Wire ties, polybags, etc. should be removed from the cardboard and thrown out in the regular trash."
- Think ahead, says Jim Silver of Toy Wishes magazine, and free the toys from their packaging the night before. Then, pop them back in their boxes and wrap them. This will make Christmas morning more enjoyable for parents and children. "It's no different than a bicycle under the tree," Silver says. "No child wants to wait while you assemble it. They want to ride it."
Mall Madness
As the mall crowds have worsened, so has the stress on shoppers who face a creeping deadline to buy gifts -- and they're taking that stress out on salespeople.
The Associated Press reports:
"We've all done it: I know I've lost my temper, and everyone else has probably done it," said Ernest Speranza, chief marketing officer of KB Toys. "At this time of year, people start out with all the best intentions. They're busy buying toys for a young child. They're happy about doing that. Then they get caught up in the frenzy ... and a nice experience now starts to spiral out of control."
With shoppers procrastinating even more this year than last year, according to reports, retailers are bracing for an even bigger rush this weekend -- and doing what they can to manage the mad multitudes. Stores have beefed up security and coached their employees in anger management. They're taking the hottest items off the shelves to avoid fights in the aisles. While retailers are reluctant to say how much they're spending to manage the mayhem, they do say the measures are worth it to keep their customers happy, employees sane and stores safe during the busiest time of the year.
Shoppers have become angrier, suggests a recent study by ComPsych Corp., a provider of employee assistance programs. This year, ComPsych has seen a marked increase in the number of acute-stress counseling sessions it provides to retailers related to customer abuse. The number rose 13 percent in 2006 following a 65 percent jump last year.
Storage Units Become Santa's Closets
Those monthly rental storage units will be busy places this weekend. Here's a story that says the storage units have become a hot place to hide gifts from curious eyes.
Around the holidays, units typically used to store furniture and household items become temporary outposts for adults to hide and wrap gifts for kids and bundle big-ticket items like televisions and bicycles for spouses. In Nashville, one storage service bills their smaller units as "Santa Closets."
We are always looking for your great ideas. Send Al a few sentences and hot links.
Editor's Note: Al's Morning Meeting is a compendium of ideas, edited story excerpts and other materials from a variety of Web sites, as well as original concepts and analysis. When the information comes directly from another source, it will be attributed and a link will be provided whenever possible. The column is fact-checked, but depends upon the accuracy and integrity of the original sources cited. Errors and inaccuracies found will be corrected. Posted at 12:00:00 AM
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