Clamshell rage ... with a twist

We’re getting into the holidays, and with gift giving time upon us we’re sure to hear about that endless touchy subject for consumers - clamshell packaging.My boss, John Kalkowski, passed along an interesting little snippet from a magazine about a clever way to open clamshells. He says this time of year he starts inevitably getting interview requests from various media about it — hot topic that interests a lot of people.

According to the magazine snippet he gave me, turns out an ordinary can-opener is a neat setup for slicing them open easily. Makes perfect sense when you stop think about it.

Yeah, there are tools available for opening them — Billy Mays infomercial sorts of widgets — but the idea of buying a special device for opening common consumer packaging seems a little Olde Schoole - the trend is generally away from can openers, cork screws and other such devices, really.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I fully understand the advantages that traditional clamshell packaging offers retailers, packagers and manufacturers. Most companies don’t intentionally go out of their way to annoy customers. So the reasons for continuing to use clamshells are obviously pretty compelling.

That said, I’ve been seeing more and more of the Natralock-style packaging out there too. It makes for a funny moment with me sometimes. I’ll get all worked up with scissors and raised blood pressure to extricate something from a package … Then with one subdued “clunk” the package pops open easily just as I start in on my full-mangle treatment.

Or sometimes after I’ve already shredded it. Oops. Cue sheepish look on face.

But, as challenging as all this can be for simpletons like me, most of us have it relatively easy. Or at least not as difficult as it could be with clamshells. While starting to write this post, I came across a post from Rheumatoid Arthritis Guy’s blog.

The site has a very interesting post on arthritis-friendly packaging, which offers a unique perspective on the gamut of consumer-products packaging. Imagine some of the marginally openable packaging out there … in the hands of someone with severe joint inflammation, reduced strength, and limited range of motion.

It makes you think … and count your blessings.

Yeah, in a perfect world, all packaging would be simple and convenient to open. But for now, maybe this Thanksgiving those of us without such ailments should give thanks that we can even consider a can opener as an easy means of opening a package.

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