Plastic Packages Cause Injuries, Revolt

massysett writes "Everybody has been frustrated by plastic retail packaging that's nearly impossible to open. New toys and electronic gadgets arrive encased in plastic bubbles. Manufacturers say the packages protect goods and make them look nice, but opening them can be difficult enough to cause injuries that land people in the emergency room. Manufacturers have an appropriate term for the frustration: wrap rage. One man even invented a cutter designed specifically for cracking open plastic clamshells."

Cutter.

[Tackhead]

> One man even invented a cutter designed specifically for cracking open plastic clamshells.

Did it look anything like this [slashbuster.com]?

this story was accepted at the wrong time

[circletimessquare]

editors: you should have waited 25 days, and accepted the story at about... oh 11:00 am on december 25th

then you would have gotten a buttload of seriously frustrated, angry, and demented comments in the affirmative

Re:Cutter.

[ackthpt]

No, more like this [neatorama.com]

Re:What do other people do?

[Anonymous Coward]

You can order online and they'll arrive at your door..........in a nice, shiny, plastic clamshell

Geez

[Reality Master 101]

Yeah, I agree the packaging is annoying, but all the comments here are perplexing me (e.g., "how do the manufacturers expect people to open these?", "Using a knife is dangerous!!")

Like, have people on Slashdot never heard of this fancy gadget called "scissors"? Come down from the trees, my monkey brethren, and let me show these wacky things called "tools".

Re:Cutter.

[billsoxs]

no - that is not strong enough. You need something more like: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunnel_boring_machine [wikipedia.org]

FUNNY - Domesticus - Plasticus

[Anonymous Coward]

I work for one of those companies that import, sell, and manfuacture products just like that.

Do you know how many times the US Customs dept calls up and asks us what specieces of CLAM is we are importing?

Our answer is always: "Domesticus Plasticus" followed by a long pause...

In other news...

[freyyr890]

Kevlar-reinforced DVD cases! Annoying plastic wrap got you down? Our-easy to open* kevlar-reinforced DVD cases will prevent in store theft! *requires purchase of our new thermite-based case opener. May potentially destroy contents. Thermite case opener now shipped in new kevlar casing.

Re:What do other people do?

[Numbah One]

Lightsaber.

Re:this story was accepted at the wrong time

[Anonymous Coward]

don't worry, it will be

Re:just had this happen

[Afecks]

How about when are trying to force something open and your hand slips making you hit yourself in the face? Do you give your hand a look of betrayal like I do?

After using aviation snips

[Harmonious Botch]

...And while you are at Home Depot buy some glue, so after you open the clamshell you can repair the thing you ordered.

Re:And what do they expect *us* to do?

[SpaceLifeForm]

I'd rather we entrap the executive in a clamshell.

Ok, we can provide an airhole if you insist.

Sealed ketchup bottles

[Joosy]

You flip open the top of a new bottle of ketchup. You squeeze. Nothing comes out.

Oh, yeah. You forgot about the inner seal.

You unscrew the top and are faced with a circular round piece of foil which seals the opening. Attached to this is a white plastic semi-circle. This is sticking up, implying that by pulling you will also remove the silver foil seal, allowing access to the product.

You pull at the semi-circle [gently|firmly|side-to-side|straight up] and it detaches completely, leaving the silver seal in place and the product as inaccessible as before.

Re:Now

[Anonymous Coward]

A buxom babe tied immobile with plastic straps... *awh yeah!* that's what I'm talk'n'bout!

Re:What do other people do?

[bitflip]

why haven't there been any personal-injury lawsuits yet from all the people who've tried using a box-cutter or other sharp knife, which always gouges out sideways in a wickedly unpredictable and unsafe way

Excellent. I was wondering how I'd pay for Christmas, and now I know...

Re:just had this happen

[jlarocco]

How about when are trying to force something open and your hand slips making you hit yourself in the face? Do you give your hand a look of betrayal like I do?

You are much to lenient with your extremeties. I suggest removing the limb immediately. Make your vengeance swift and unmerciful. The hand has openly defied you in the midst of its peers. It has opposed you once, and there is no telling how far it may go next time.

Re:And what do they expect *us* to do?

[Ninjaesque One]

Phew; at first, I thought I was reading about some esoteric sexual fetish the involved clamshells and the cutting of dingly things with said clamshells, and the mutilation of the clamshells afterwards. And then, you would lick the clamshells. . .

What?

Re:And what do they expect *us* to do?

[redneckHippe]

But I'm allowed to own a knife you insensitive clod.

Re:just had this happen

[Odin The Ravager]

Here's a solution [toothpastefordinner.com]

Re:What do other people do?

[camperdave]

My lightsabre is still sealed in its wretched clamshell. No wonder real Jedi make their own.

thank god condoms

[LM741N]

don't come packaged like that

Re:Funny, just sliced my leg yesterday

[geekoid]

That IS funny!

Re:What do other people do?

[eggoeater]

Colbert on Wrap Rage:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTjeAR2bnfU [youtube.com]

Re:And what do they expect *us* to do?

[Pig Hogger]

I'd rather we entrap the executive in a clamshell.

Ok, we can provide an airhole if you insist.

You mean an airhole for the asshole?

Re:Very Dangerous

[Nahor]

do you know what it's like explaining to your family why your finance has a slashed open wrist 2 weeks before your wedding?

There is something Freudian there, but I'm not quite sure how to interpret it. Is it your future wife or the wedding that you find expensive?

Re:What do other people do?

[kennygraham]

(Lets face facts here, I'm paying for the convenience of the packaging (which includes the DVD itself AND the case), not the movie itself, which is available for free (minus ISP costs) online).

I would like to humbly thank you for properly nesting your parentheses. You, sir, are truly a programmer.

Re:plastics

[mrbcs]

Second time on Slashdot I've seen an AC Pwned by a teacher / professor.

Priceless... I LOVE slashdot!

Re:And what do they expect *us* to do?

[Ashtead]

/me is showing hands

I've been wondering about this spaghetti or more often, pasta, packaging myself. But at least this packaging which is frequently supposed to be re-closed, can be dealt with using scissors.

Other kinds of packages are worse: I once bought a power-supply for notebook computers at an airport, one of these nice universal ones that would allow using 12V from the car or 100-240V from the mains. Since I had put the ordinary supply for the computer into checked baggage and I was waiting to change planes at the airport I thought I'd get a power supply from one of the stores there, and be able to sit down and use the computer, which was low on battery.

But this power supply came in one of these armored plastic packages, and of course, air-side, there is not much of scissors or knives available at all, thanks to the paranoia generated after September 11 2001 ... even the only restaurant there that served something more substantial than sandwiches had only flimsy plastic knives and forks. So, no computing for me until I came home. I still found use for the power supply, as the bag with the original one was delayed.

Re:What do other people do?

[sacrilicious]

I would like to humbly thank you for properly nesting your parentheses.

Here's a tough problem I agonize over, and wonder if you'd have an opinion. Let's say you write something in parens and it's funny enough to warrant a smiley face. Can/should the paren for the smiley's mouth count as the closing paren? In other words, is it better to do "(that was funny:)" or "(that was funny:))"?

Re:FUNNY - Domesticus - Plasticus

[Aenoxi]

Ha ha, reminds me of something that happened at work a couple of months ago. One of our partners was on business in the US. He managed to lose his Blackberry and so our tech support guys in Hong Kong couriered him a couple of new ones. The package got stopped by US customs. When we inquired why it turns out that our tech guy had listed the contents as "Blackberries" and the customs had detained them as an illegal unlicensed food import... doh

Re:What do other people do?

[1u3hr]

2 open's and one close

I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume this is ironic.

the second is wrong

[The Creator]

"(that was funny:)" or "(that was funny:))"?

You'd need to escape the smileyparen. Like so: "(that was funny:\))" :)

Re:just had this happen

[bxbaser]

I hate when that happens, but the makeup sex is the best.

Re:What do other people do?

[Anonymous Coward]

Tell me about it. I buy food wrapped in metal all the time. I can't tell you how many scissors and knifes I'd ruined before I finally gave in to the scam that is: the can opener cartel.