Square Jugs

Have you tried the square milk jugs yet?

We have and they are difficult to use without spilling. I bought milk at Sam’s Club this week and they have gone to these new jugs.

The difference is that the new jugs are square and made of recyclable plastics. This makes them stack-able and compact in trucks and on shelves. These jugs are less expensive because of easier shipping and the elimination of milk crates. I did some research. The jugs allow 50% more milk per cubic foot of storage. They eliminate the need for milk crates which must be returned and washed before reuse. Instead the new cartons are wrapped in shrink wrap pallets that stack. Sam’s says they can put 224 cartons in the same space as 80 of the old ones. Instead of 5 deliveries a week, the same amount of milk can be delivered in only 2.

The bottom line is that labor costs are cut, 60-70% of water use is saved, gas is saved and they claim it will knock 20 cents off the price of a gallon.

The downside of the new jugs is that it is taking consumers some time to get used to them. People are having difficulty not spilling milk during the pour since there is no spout. Sam's Club has even been offering in-store classes on how to pour from the new jugs. I think that they should have taken a little more consideration of the consumer and fixed the difficult pouring with a better spout. That would have complicated the design but it would show consideration for the people buying the product. There is an opportunity here for a smart designer.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/06/29/business/milk-jug3/index.html

This to me typifies what we will experience with the green movement. Yes there will be savings. It is for a good purpose if it conserves resources. (It's dubious if its sole purpose is to reduce CO2) but it will come at the cost of inconvenience and a lower quality of life. I’ll hold judgment whether that’s good or not.