Wrap rage
Encyclopedia
Wrap rage, also called package rage, is the common name for heightened levels of anger
and frustration
resulting from the inability to open hard-to-remove packaging, particularly some heat sealed plastic
blister pack
s and clamshell
s. Consumers suffer thousands of injuries per year, such as cut fingers and sprained wrists, from tools used to open packages and from the packaging itself. Easy-opening systems are available, when desired, to improve convenience to end-users.
s have tamper resistance
to deter unauthorized opening prior to the intended customer and be in child-resistant packaging
. Other packages are intentionally made difficult to open to reduce package pilferage
and shoplifting
.
Hard plastic blister packs also protect the products while they are being shipped. In addition, using transparent plastic allows consumers to view products directly before purchasing them.
The term wrap rage itself came about as a result of media attention to the phenomenon. Although other variants such as packaging rage have been used as early as 1998, Word Spy identifies the earliest use of wrap rage as coming from The Daily Telegraph
in 2003. The American Dialect Society
identified the term as one of the most useful of 2007.
magazine recognized the wrap rage phenomenon when it created the Oyster Awards for the products with the hardest-to-open packaging. A story in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
about wrap rage was featured on The Colbert Report when host Stephen Colbert
tried to use a knife to remove a new calculator from its plastic packaging, to no avail.
A survey in Yours, a magazine aimed at people over 50, found that 99% of the 2,000 respondents said packaging had become harder to open over the last 10 years, 97% said there was "too much excess packaging", and 60% said they had bought a product designed to more easily open packaging. In a survey conducted at the Cox School of Business, almost 80 percent of households "expressed anger, frustration or outright rage" with plastic packaging. Consumers also tend to use words such as "hate" and "difficult" when describing these products.
Consumers sometimes use potentially unsafe tools such as razor blade
s, boxcutters, snips and ice picks in their attempts to open packages. In the Yours survey, 71% of respondents said they had been injured while trying to open food packaging. The most common injury respondents had from trying to open packaging was "a cut finger, followed by cut hand, sprained wrist, bruised hand and strained shoulder muscle." According to a British study, over 60,000 people receive hospital treatment each year due to injuries from opening food packaging. The Consumer Product Safety Commission
estimated that attempts to open packaging caused about 6,500 emergency room visits in the U.S. in 2004. A 2009 study conducted by the Institute for Good Medicine found that 17 percent of adults over the age of 21 were either injured at least once or know of someone who was injured while opening a holiday or birthday gift.
Some companies are making their packs easier for consumers to open to help reduce wrap rage. Other companies must keep tamper resistant packages. Forces driving the efforts to improve packaging include pressure from consumers and retailers and from senior citizens who find it increasingly difficult to open packaging as they age.
Several methods of making packages easy to open have long been available. These include perforation
s, "tear strip" tapes, break-open components, etc. Some easy-open features can add extra cost to packaging.
or a utility knife
are often helpful. Tin snips are effective for tough plastics; the higher mechanical advantage
of "compound" metal snips make it possible to cut such packages open even if one has little hand strength.
Anger
Anger is an automatic response to ill treatment. It is the way a person indicates he or she will not tolerate certain types of behaviour. It is a feedback mechanism in which an unpleasant stimulus is met with an unpleasant response....
and frustration
Frustration
This article concerns the field of psychology. The term frustration does, however, also concern physics. In this context, the term is treated in a different article, geometric frustration....
resulting from the inability to open hard-to-remove packaging, particularly some heat sealed plastic
Plastic
A plastic material is any of a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic solids used in the manufacture of industrial products. Plastics are typically polymers of high molecular mass, and may contain other substances to improve performance and/or reduce production costs...
blister pack
Blister pack
Blister pack is a term for several types of pre-formed plastic packaging used for small consumer goods, foods, and for pharmaceuticals.The primary component of a blister pack is a cavity or pocket made from a "formable" web, usually a thermoformed plastic. This usually has a backing of paperboard...
s and clamshell
Clamshell (container)
A clamshell is a one-piece container that folds onto itself to close. It is often made of a shaped plastic material similar to a blister pack.-Construction:...
s. Consumers suffer thousands of injuries per year, such as cut fingers and sprained wrists, from tools used to open packages and from the packaging itself. Easy-opening systems are available, when desired, to improve convenience to end-users.
Background
Packaging sometimes must be made difficult to open. For example, regulations dictate that some over-the-counter drugOver-the-counter drug
Over-the-counter drugs are medicines that may be sold directly to a consumer without a prescription from a healthcare professional, as compared to prescription drugs, which may be sold only to consumers possessing a valid prescription...
s have tamper resistance
Tamper resistance
Tamper resistance is resistance to tampering by either the normal users of a product, package, or system or others with physical access to it. There are many reasons for employing tamper resistance....
to deter unauthorized opening prior to the intended customer and be in child-resistant packaging
Child-resistant packaging
Child-resistant packaging or C-R packaging is special packaging used to reduce the risk of children ingesting dangerous items. This is often accomplished by the use of a special safety cap. It is required by regulation for prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, pesticides, and household...
. Other packages are intentionally made difficult to open to reduce package pilferage
Package pilferage
Pilferage is the theft of part of the contents of a package. It may also include theft of the contents but leaving the package, perhaps resealed with bogus contents. Small packages can be pilfered from a larger package such as a shipping container...
and shoplifting
Shoplifting
Shoplifting is theft of goods from a retail establishment. It is one of the most common property crimes dealt with by police and courts....
.
Hard plastic blister packs also protect the products while they are being shipped. In addition, using transparent plastic allows consumers to view products directly before purchasing them.
The term wrap rage itself came about as a result of media attention to the phenomenon. Although other variants such as packaging rage have been used as early as 1998, Word Spy identifies the earliest use of wrap rage as coming from The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
in 2003. The American Dialect Society
American Dialect Society
The American Dialect Society, founded in 1889, is a learned society "dedicated to the study of the English language in North America, and of other languages, or dialects of other languages, influencing it or influenced by it." The Society publishes the academic journal, American Speech...
identified the term as one of the most useful of 2007.
Frustration and injuries
In 2006, Consumer ReportsConsumer Reports
Consumer Reports is an American magazine published monthly by Consumers Union since 1936. It publishes reviews and comparisons of consumer products and services based on reporting and results from its in-house testing laboratory. It also publishes cleaning and general buying guides...
magazine recognized the wrap rage phenomenon when it created the Oyster Awards for the products with the hardest-to-open packaging. A story in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, also known simply as the "PG," is the largest daily newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.-Early history:...
about wrap rage was featured on The Colbert Report when host Stephen Colbert
Stephen Colbert (character)
The Reverend / Sir / Dr. / Stephen T. Colbert, D.F.A., brain-child of Google, is the persona of political satirist Stephen Colbert, as portrayed on Comedy Central's The Colbert Report. Described as a "well-intentioned, poorly informed high-status idiot", the character is a self-obsessed right-wing...
tried to use a knife to remove a new calculator from its plastic packaging, to no avail.
A survey in Yours, a magazine aimed at people over 50, found that 99% of the 2,000 respondents said packaging had become harder to open over the last 10 years, 97% said there was "too much excess packaging", and 60% said they had bought a product designed to more easily open packaging. In a survey conducted at the Cox School of Business, almost 80 percent of households "expressed anger, frustration or outright rage" with plastic packaging. Consumers also tend to use words such as "hate" and "difficult" when describing these products.
Consumers sometimes use potentially unsafe tools such as razor blade
Razor blade
Razor blade may refer to* A razor* The Razor Blade, a 1920s racing car* Razor blade steel, a type of steel originally designed specifically for razor blades...
s, boxcutters, snips and ice picks in their attempts to open packages. In the Yours survey, 71% of respondents said they had been injured while trying to open food packaging. The most common injury respondents had from trying to open packaging was "a cut finger, followed by cut hand, sprained wrist, bruised hand and strained shoulder muscle." According to a British study, over 60,000 people receive hospital treatment each year due to injuries from opening food packaging. The Consumer Product Safety Commission
Consumer Product Safety Commission
The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission is an independent agency of the United States government created in 1972 through the Consumer Product Safety Act to protect "against unreasonable risks of injuries associated with consumer products." The CPSC is an independent agency that does...
estimated that attempts to open packaging caused about 6,500 emergency room visits in the U.S. in 2004. A 2009 study conducted by the Institute for Good Medicine found that 17 percent of adults over the age of 21 were either injured at least once or know of someone who was injured while opening a holiday or birthday gift.
Solutions
Packaging
When packagers and retailers are willing, there are many possible solutions to allow easy access to package contents. Easy access, however, can also allow more pilferage and shoplifting.Some companies are making their packs easier for consumers to open to help reduce wrap rage. Other companies must keep tamper resistant packages. Forces driving the efforts to improve packaging include pressure from consumers and retailers and from senior citizens who find it increasingly difficult to open packaging as they age.
Several methods of making packages easy to open have long been available. These include perforation
Perforation
A perforation is a small hole in a thin material or web. There is usually more than one perforation in an organized fashion, where all of the holes are called a perforation...
s, "tear strip" tapes, break-open components, etc. Some easy-open features can add extra cost to packaging.
Opening
Household scissorsScissors
Scissors are hand-operated cutting instruments. They consist of a pair of metal blades pivoted so that the sharpened edges slide against each other when the handles opposite to the pivot are closed. Scissors are used for cutting various thin materials, such as paper, cardboard, metal foil, thin...
or a utility knife
Utility knife
A utility knife is a knife used for general or utility purposes. The utility knife was originally a fixed blade knife with a cutting edge suitable for general work such as cutting hides and cordage, scraping hides, butchering animals, cleaning fish, and other tasks.Today, the term "utility knife"...
are often helpful. Tin snips are effective for tough plastics; the higher mechanical advantage
Mechanical advantage
Mechanical advantage is a measure of the force amplification achieved by using a tool, mechanical device or machine system. Ideally, the device preserves the input power and simply trades off forces against movement to obtain a desired amplification in the output force...
of "compound" metal snips make it possible to cut such packages open even if one has little hand strength.