I just read an interesting article over at Wired News about how difficult it is to get some of the plastic casings around products open these days.
The stubborn plastic casing around the Microsoft Xbox 360 faceplate seemed to laugh first at the kitchen scissors and then the steak knife that tried to penetrate it. When 14-year-old Daniel Mroue's attempt to open the thing with a long, serrated bagel knife failed, his parents became concerned.
Mroue's father, George, took over with a pair of box-cutters, which did the trick. But George Mroue also ended up with a wad of bandages shoring up the damage after slicing his palm open on a sharpened piece of plastic.
Retailers demand the hard-to-open packaging to avoid "shrinkage," or shoplifting, a problem that cost U.S. stores more than $10 billion a year or $25 million a day, according to statistics from the National Association for Shoplifting Prevention. They also want the item to be visible to customers and capable of withstanding the rigors of long-distance shipping from manufacturing plants in Asia.
I can sure relate to the difficulty of getting some of those plastic coverings opened! I've had a heck of a time opening many electronics items. I have a large pair of scissors that I use to cut most of them open. I tried the boxcutter method once but it made me very nervous! I've noticed that in Walmart, the SD cards are now locked to the metal display pegs and you have to ask for a sales person in order to buy one. The Tracfones are locked the same way. So I guess theft is a major concern in the electronics department there and in most other stores. It's a real shame because it would be much easier to get a good look at an item, plus it would be so much easier to get the item open when you get it home if the manufacturers didn't have to package them in these tough, theft-proof containers! And as for getting DVDs open, don't even get me started on that! Sheesh!
