Stupid Product Contest!
Millions in
prizes*
I'm starting a thought competition to describe the most wasteful
product or packaging that you have observed recently. You can
enter as many times as you wish. You can suggest actual wasteful
packaging or imaginary products that you propose that are even
more wasteful. Extra points if one of your outrageous ideas
actually turns up for sale in the future.
I'll start off with a couple of my own examples to give the
flavor (but don't think you have to restrict yours to grocery
items).
My "how dumb can it get" moment was triggered by an ad for
individually wrapped prunes that I saw recently. Apparently this
is being promoted as a new snack food "item". Other recent
innovations I've seen include individually shrink wrapped potatoes
and rigid plastic containers of salad greens. I could go on, but
you get the idea.
As the world goes from the "empty" one before the industrial
revolution where people lived in small communities and were in
basic harmony with their environment to a "full" one where arable
land, water and prime living space are all becoming scarce it is
important that we buy what we really need and do away with items
that are wasteful, foolish or use too much packaging.
*The "millions in prizes" are the millions of kudos you gain
from those who read your contributions to this essay. Some things
are just worth more than money - praise is one of them.
|