Product Pet Peeves: It’s the little things

As the project editor for our Nonfoods Handbook I recently had the occasion to talk to Ron Boger, president and chief operating officer for Idea Village, you know that company selling As Seen on TV products. One of the questions I asked Ron was what he thought it was that made their company stand apart from others and his response was thought-provoking. He said: “Our consumer is looking for solutions for relevant problems they face on a daily basis that everyone can relate to.” He went on to talk about the scrutiny the product creators that come to him are put through and the effort spent making sure the item will be a hit before it lands on retail shelves. At the same time, Ron also noted his disappointment in the increasing reluctance of major consumer products companies to innovate in their categories today. For the most part I have to agree with him. As a consumer, it seems that companies are focused on getting me to buy their products, but not many really care much about my end user experience. Which is too bad because, for me, that makes the strongest and most lasting impression about a product. It is also a central part of deciding if I will ever buy a product from that company again. So to anyone who is listening, I would be a much happier camper if someone would please address the following retailing, packaging and product pet peeves I have. I call this “The Things that Drive Me Nuts” list (in no particular order and by no means complete): - Those square-ish plastic clips with the little notch that come on bread bags. Seriously, what is the thought behind those? - Heat-sealed hard plastic packaging that requires a surgeon to extract the item you are trying to remove without cutting oneself. Anyone who has ever purchased a consumer electronic accessory, you know what I mean. - Clamshell packaging the $14.99/pound of chicken salad comes in that refuses to stay closed no matter how hard you press the corner tabs. -  Plastic tubs of potato salad whose corner you must break off (read chisel off) in order to get a finger grip on opening said container. Are you listening BJs? - Cheaply made masking tape that shreds into tiny pieces every time you to try to peal the tape off. - Store sale flyers that feature deals starting on Sunday when most of us shop on a Saturday. What’s up with that? - Stickers placed on items so that it hides important product details or worse stickers stuck on so hard you have to either soak the item in hot water for a week or get the Goo Gone out and scrape it off with a razor blade (this particularly applies to picture frames, wine glasses and stainless steel dog bowls sold at the Christmas Tree Shop). - Retailers who still insist on using the five-mile radius strategy to determine if a particular area’s demographics will support a new store. Hint: Not all of us live in densely populated areas, which means we often have to drive up to 30 miles to a specific store and sometimes into another state. Hello – Trader Joes -- please, please, pay attention to this. - Snack companies – I appreciate that manufacturers want to offer an upscale look for their chip packaging and the like, but before someone from the company approves the bag’s design they should be forced to open one of these bags first without a) the assistance of scissors b) most of the chips flying all over the room due to the force you had to exert to open said package and c) without the bag splitting down the side (this goes for all you cereal companies out there too). So how about you? What drives you nuts about retailing, products and packaging today?