Maybe you can help me with the following dilemma that is complicating my day. In fact, I’m begging for someone to explain this to me.
The other day I went shopping for socks. Actually, to be perfectly honest, my wife was going school-clothes shopping and I asked her to pick me up some socks, since mine are starting to resemble cheesecloth, or a fishing net. I also asked for a laser blaster and a DeLorean.
She bought me socks. Okay, one out of three – I can live with disappointment. I surveyed the spoils of war shopping and found my package of six pairs of socks, happily wrapped in cellophane. I took them to my dresser in preparation for sock-drawer reloading and could not miss the fact that the package had a Zip-loctm seal at the top.
Now, this brings up several reactions. To wit:
1.) Is this a selling point? “Honey, I know those nice woolen socks over there will keep my feet from bursting horribly and aromatically out of their fabric prison, but look! These socks have a stay-fresh seal on them!”
B.) Who the hell would use it? Is there someone out there who puts the package of socks in the drawer, takes out one pair, and then re-seals the bag so that the next pair he takes out will still have that “fresh-from-the-package” smell?
iii.) I would guess that adding that seal would add to the price of the packaging. Maybe not a lot, but enough so that adding up the cost of several billion packages of socks from Acme Sock Corporation could severely impact the quarterly bonus of Acme Sock’s CEO. How do they go about recouping that money? Do I want to know?
So there it is. Can anybody shed some light on this subject? I would be very grateful – enough to send you a free box of Scotch tape, still with that “fresh-from-the-package” smell.
August 22nd, 2007 at 5:54 pm
Don’t make waves, wolf. At least they haven’t started putting socks in plastic jars with those inductive heat seal covers on them the way they do peanuts and, I found out today, soap for carpet cleaners. It could get worse!
August 22nd, 2007 at 6:56 pm
I can’t figure it out. It makes no sense whatsoever. I’m confused. Mystified. There is no order. No rhyme. No reason.
1.), B.), iii.) ??
August 23rd, 2007 at 7:51 am
montucky: That wouldn’t surprise me in the least. I am already hardened to the sight of Windex in a “sealed for your protection” bottle - presumably to make sure that you are drinking pure Windex, not some contaminated crap.
August 23rd, 2007 at 7:53 am
MissPriss: Thank you for at least giving it some thought, though I’m afraid I can’t reward you with the Scotch tape today.
What - you don’t like my numbering system?
August 23rd, 2007 at 12:35 pm
I will let you guys in on the secret. The stores are tired of moms and dads ripping open bags of socks to see if said sock will fit the little rug-rat. SO the stores have come up with the idea that if we put zip locks on the bags maybe the parents will use it instead.Which is cool since I know that I don’t trust an open bag of socks, you don’t know where that sock has been…….
August 23rd, 2007 at 12:55 pm
Ah - we have a winner for the Scotch tape. And now I don’t trust any bags of socks, since we don’t know whether or not the bag has been opened and the contents applied to various forms of bipedal locomotion (i.e. stinky feets.)
Once again, my wife saves the day. You’d think she’d get tired of that, wouldn’t you?
August 23rd, 2007 at 3:34 pm
Rebecca- and here I thought they were trying to cut down on shop lifting by making it easier to only steal part of the product…
August 23rd, 2007 at 4:30 pm
I’m afraid I haven’t got an answer for you, Wolf. I only buy one sock at a time…saves me the trouble of losing the other one.
August 24th, 2007 at 7:14 am
wordvixen: I’m confused. If somebody steals half of a pair of socks (yes, that’s a long-winded way of saying “one sock” but I like it better) isn’t that still shoplifting and just as damaging?
August 24th, 2007 at 7:16 am
Pinhole: So you’re the one taking out half of the pair and then re-sealing the bag!
I’ve also heard that socks mate for life, and when you only buy one, the other is doomed to a life of loneliness and despair. You should rethink your shopping habits.
August 24th, 2007 at 3:27 pm
Wolf- I was thinking in terms of the multi-pair packages, steal one pair, but then the store still has two pair left… Though with Pinhole involved, maybe it’s just innovative salesmanship rather than shoplifting.
August 28th, 2007 at 2:01 pm
wow, is this real.
anna
August 28th, 2007 at 6:26 pm
Yup! This is the kind of thing that keeps me up nights. Thanks for visiting!