Wrap rage

[Miss Chicken]

According to Wikipedia

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 packs and clamshells. 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.

I have often come across packaging that is difficult and sometimes have to resort to getting help from my sons to open something. I can
understand why some items have to be difficult to open but I think some packaging is unnecessarily hard.

How often have you suffered from wrap rage?

 

[ITL]

I'm OK with blister packs, as I know I'll need scissors, knife or pneumatic drill to break though. I get my wrap rage on when confronted with (for example) a pre-packed sammich that has a triangular tab on the corner to facilitate entry that refuses to fecking budge or allow your fingers to grab enough of it for the purposes of sammich de-packagation. And then I say "Ooh, you little bugger..." as I reach for the scissors.

 

[Mutai Sho-Rin]

I'm OK with blister packs, as I know I'll need scissors, knife or pneumatic drill to break though. I get my wrap rage on when confronted with (for example) a pre-packed sammich that has a triangular tab on the corner to facilitate entry that refuses to fecking budge or allow your fingers to grab enough of it for the purposes of sammich de-packagation. And then I say "Ooh, you little bugger..." as I reach for the scissors.

LOL at your description. How about peel-off labels that require a scalpel of a fingernail to get the backing off. Another certified PITA!

 

[SmoothieX]

Chicken - I have a feeling this is often to make something more difficult to steal. I bought a video game one time, and they forgot to take off the security case. I had to take a saw to it.

 

[RoJoHen]

Plastic bags of things like frozen vegetables or little packets of ketchup that say "Tear Here ---->" and then refuse to tear.

 

[Pingfah]

^ If it takes you more than 10 seconds to get around that one, you may lack some simple problem solving abilities

I find the sticky plastic security devices they seal CDs shut with in the states to be irritatingly hard to remove.

 

[RoJoHen]

^ If it takes you more than 10 seconds to get around that one, you may lack some simple problem solving abilities

Oh, I can get around it all right, but I shouldn't have to! It's a matter of principle.

 

[Kirby]

My kid's toys generally come in this nasty packaging where they have a tight wire wrapped around the toy and through the back of the display packaging, and then wound extremely tight, sometimes knotted. To add insult to injury, it's sometimes covered with a super sticky tape.
We can drag out Christmas morning an extra couple of hours just getting the toys out of their packaging.

Back in the day, I hated buying casette tapes because they were packaged in that Fort Knox style holder which usually required a pair of pliers to slowly rip the container apart.

 

[RoJoHen]

My kid's toys generally come in this nasty packaging where they have a tight wire wrapped around the toy and through the back of the display packaging, and then wound extremely tight, sometimes knotted. To add insult to injury, it's sometimes covered with a super sticky tape.
We can drag out Christmas morning an extra couple of hours just getting the toys out of their packaging.

Ah yes, I remember this type of packaging. I never understood why it was so intense.

 

[RAMA]

According to Wikipedia

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 packs and clamshells. 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.

I have often come across packaging that is difficult and sometimes have to resort to getting help from my sons to open something. I can
understand why some items have to be difficult to open but I think some packaging is unnecessarily hard.

How often have you suffered from wrap rage?

I have escalated the war on packaging...nothing can now withstand the martial means at my disposal for quick eradication.

 

[propita]

I'm OK with blister packs, as I know I'll need scissors, knife or pneumatic drill to break though. I get my wrap rage on when confronted with (for example) a pre-packed sammich that has a triangular tab on the corner to facilitate entry that refuses to fecking budge or allow your fingers to grab enough of it for the purposes of sammich de-packagation. And then I say "Ooh, you little bugger..." as I reach for the scissors.

LOL at your description. How about peel-off labels that require a scalpel of a fingernail to get the backing off. Another certified PITA!

Hey, hey, hey! Only us PROfessional PITAs get to certify things as PITAs. Non-PROs only get to allege that they are PITAs.

Great to read you again, Sho-Rin!! Hope all is well with the job.

 

[auntiehill]

I'm ashamed to admit that I actually injured my wrist last week---by trying to open a jar of spaghetti sauce.

Although, I think that says more about me than the jar.....

 

[RobertVA]

Some of modern packaging is certainly too hard to get into. Decades ago you could easily and reliably separate the sealed end of the bags cookies and chips (biscuits and crisps to some) came in. Now bond is so tight the plastic is prone to ripping, making it difficult to reclose the package to preserve the rest of the food for later.

Typical bread packaging is better than it used to be. It used to be wrapped in plastic sleeve that was folded and sealed at both ends with an adhesive backed paper label. It was necessary to work at the edges of that label for a while to get it off.

I contend it's wasteful the way some frozen food is double bagged with a printed outer bag an an additional clear inner bag.

 

[Mary Ann]

Ever tried to take a Barbie doll out of its packaging? It takes a degree in civil engineering and a couple of stiff drinks.

 

[Judy Waxhorn]

I keep a dremel handy with a carbide cutter for depacking electronic items.

It is the only way sometimes.

 

[Owain Taggart]

I didn't even know there was a term for it, but yeah, those things are very frustrating.

I bought a pair of these scissors awhile back, and they work great for opening clamshell packaging:

http://www.leevalley.com/US/gifts/page.aspx?p=59398&cat=4,104,53217&ap=3

As for jars:

http://www.leevalley.com/US/gifts/page.aspx?p=44271&cat=4,104,53217&ap=8

 

[Whoa Nellie]

Ever tried to take a Barbie doll out of its packaging? It takes a degree in civil engineering and a couple of stiff drinks.

Sounds about right.

Warmest Wishes,
Whoa Nellie

 

[chardman]

Am I the only one who, in nerdish anticipation, dyslexically mis-read the title of this thread as "Warp Rage"?

 

[auntiehill]

As for jars:

http://www.leevalley.com/US/gifts/page.aspx?p=44271&cat=4,104,53217&ap=8

I need one of those!

 

[Owain Taggart]

Well, that's why I added it when I saw your post