Posted on 07/01/2008 1:29:13 PM PDT by Daffynition
NORTH CANTON, Ohio — A simple change to the design of the gallon milk jug, adopted by Wal-Mart and Costco, seems made for the times. The jugs are cheaper to ship and better for the environment, the milk is fresher when it arrives in stores, and it costs less.
What’s not to like? Plenty, as it turns out.
The jugs have no real spout, and their unorthodox shape makes consumers feel like novices at the simple task of pouring a glass of milk.
“I hate it,” said Lisa DeHoff, a cafe owner shopping in a Sam’s Club here.
“It spills everywhere,” said Amy Wise, a homemaker.
“It’s very hard for kids to pour,” said Lee Morris, who was shopping for her grandchildren.
But retailers are undeterred by the prospect of upended bowls of Cheerios. The new jugs have many advantages from their point of view, and Sam’s Club intends to roll them out broadly, making them more prevalent.
The redesign of the gallon milk jug, experts say, is an example of the changes likely to play out in the American economy over the next two decades. In an era of soaring global demand and higher costs for energy and materials, virtually every aspect of the economy needs to be re-examined, they say, and many products must be redesigned for greater efficiency.
“This is a key strategy as a path forward,” said Anne Johnson, the director of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition, a project of the nonprofit group GreenBlue. “Re-examining, ‘What are the materials we are using? How are we using them? And where do they go ultimately?’ ”
Wal-Mart Stores is already moving down this path. But if the milk jug is any indication, some of the changes will take getting used to on the part of consumers....
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Claire Snodgras, 53 from Blackmont Iowa, complained that when she poured the milk it just went everywhere. When told she still needed to use a glass to hold the milk, she stormed off screaming obscenities!
Someone calcuated how must waisted space their was in shipping round containers instead of square containers.
The Sustainable Packaging Coalition? So they found a cheaper packaging method that's not as user-friendly and slapped the "green" label on it.
Then the dupes in the press report on it.......
In the 1970’s, a local dairy business put fresh milk into sealed plastic bags. You cut off a corner and poured, and when done, you took the small open corner and pulled it into a slit on the edge of the special pitcher.
I thought it was really neat as a kid. It was very likely the least expensive way to package milk I've ever known.
It beats this new approach, hand's down.
Why don’t they just make us buy the damned cow and make us milk it ourselves.
Watch the video; the main reason for the design change was to do away with baskets and making the bottles stackable.
Some enterprising soul with come up with a simple pop in spout to eliminate the spill problem (of course Walmart* won’t sell as much after that and will probably cry).
And in the nineties, someone else put the plastic bag inside a stiff cardboard box and box wine was born.
However, that would just be a scaled-down version of the moo-juice containers we used in the Navy in the eighties.
it doesnt’ look much different than a standard pitcher with a hole in the top... is it just me or does this NOT look complicated?
Looks easier to pour from than the current gallon containers with the hole in the middle on the top.
And my wife scoffed at it for years. We (she) recently discovered a new company that packages a full liter of wine in a box similar to a tall juice-box.
For the same price you get more (1 liter vs. 750ml), save on shipping (lighter), can easily recycle it (recycler here doesn't take glass), and my wife says it tastes really good. Has a cap that, when twisted, breaks the foil seal that keeps the wine fresh.
It's a pino grigio and I think the brand is Outlaw...WalMart in my area sells it.
does she pour all bottles the exact same way? Duh, they don’t all pour the same...milk gallons, liters of soda, nearly all brands of juice pour in their own unique way. I guess she could claim that she thinks milk, and her body instantly pours the way a regular gallon pours...but that’s pretty dumb. LOL
I have not seen those gallons, but the Borden Organic comes in a different bottle as well. My daughter and I have had no problems with spillage. My hubby who suffered a tramatic brain injury and a spinal injury in Iraq and sometimes has difficulty with mobility in one of his hands has not had any problems...hmmm...lol
If it’s cheaper, and the savings are passed on to us, woohoo I’m all for it :)
does the milk in a bag re-seal in anyway?
any way was suppsed to be two words. I am so smart, S-M-R-T. doh
I remember seeing the milk box that mom had from the days when there was a milkman! You put the order in the box for the mild and cream and she said the milk used to come in glass bottles then in wax cartons. I’m all for that...saves hauling that heavy stuff from the grocery store. What did they do with the old bottles..just put em back in the milk box and they were taken and cleaned and used again.
Life in some ways used to be so simple and easier..
“It spills everywhere,” said Amy Wise, a homemaker.
“It’s very hard for kids to pour,” said Lee Morris,
&&
Crybabies
Not to worry. Costco will soon be selling the spout separately. For your convenience.
I remember getting milk in plastic bags. It worked pretty well.
I remember the daily deliveries by the Milk Man, who placed the Glass Bottles in the metal box, that we had placed right outisde the front door. Also the big milk strike in New York, mid-nineteen-sixties, where we had to drink powdered milk, yuck. That was over forty years ago, and I have no desire for powdered milk to this day./Just Asking - seoul62......
And more importantly, thank your hubby for serving. And you, for all the sacrifices. God Bless you both. ;D
I passed your kind words on to my dear hubby. Thanks :)
OMG, that site was hysterical. The hubby came over to see what I was laughing about. Brilliant.
I was a tad concerned about how some question asker in the FAQ was so concerned about roaches in the refridgerator. what the heck kind of roaches do they have up there? LOL I was wondering for people who aren’t big milk drinkers having their milk pick up the scent from last night’s leftovers...or something.
Thanks for sharing that really fun explaination :)
Hey, don’t pick on her, she’s a mime.
At least, a left-handed one.
Strikes me that if it saves money and shipping costs (so long as customers will use it...a little dubious judging from the article) then it's a good idea and needs to be implemented.
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