Imposed Without Consent

I feel like ranting today. This subject has been on my mind since I went shopping on Saturday after returning from my vacation.

It's about a new kind of milk container.

Maybe some of you haven't seen them yet and maybe some of you have. If you haven't, trust me--You will. It's a massive conspiracy against the American consumer and it's just getting started. Wanna learn how people feel about em? Google it. I was amazed at how hot of a topic it is.

The new jugs are a completely different design, and their sole purpose is to save the shippers and handlers money. Instead of being shipped in plastic crates so they can be stacked, the new design is self-supporting and stackable without plastic crates. That means no empty crates for drivers to keep picking up when they make deliveries, and no empties for grocers to store in the back room. From that point of view, it's great. I like to go for efficiency whenever possible myself. The trouble is, that appears to be their only good feature.

A lot of people do like them because they fit into the doors of their Costco-sized refrigerators better. What don't I like about them? Almost everything:

• The Inner Foil Seal - I unscrewed the cap and encountered a foil seal that was so tightly glued down that I couldn't get it off. It had 4 little "tabs" around its periphery that I thought were designed for me to grab onto. Ha, they were just there to look at--There was no way you could pull that seal off. I even went to the garage and got a pair of pliers to use, but no--The tab just ripped off, leaving the seal untouched. I finally resigned to getting a razor blade and putting a slit through the center of it and carefully tearing it around the edge, finally getting it all off. How is an elderly person supposed to ever get one of those off? Oh, that's right--Elderly people wouldn't ever buy a whole gallon of milk anyway. Believe me, I've encountered a lot of these foil seals on chemical products, and I've never encountered one as tough as this one was--Even on antifreeze!
• Pouring - Okay, here's where it gets ugly. You know how sometimes you get one of those oddball milk cartons that--No matter what you do or how careful you pour it--A dribble of milk always goes down the side? Ditto with this design. It's not a rarity though. From what I read on the web, they all do it. I've tried pouring it from the front, side, and over the top (a trick I learned pouring oil and antifreeze from a full container) and no matter which way I do it, it dribbles down the side.

I have two problems with this imposed design change:

1. We, the consumer, weren't polled, asked, or consulted about features or input. They just told us it was what we were going to get. Did anyone ever think to put some sort of a "V" shape in the opening to aid pouring?
   
2. The design is supposed to save everyone money all the way down the distribution line. Will we see milk prices drop because of it? Hell no.

At least Rod Serling had the decency to utter, "Submitted for your approval..."