We like shopping at Costco because it’s convenient and has great prices. There are occasions where an item we like to buy sometimes vanishes from the shelves but overall we can usually find what we need.

One staple that has remained the same (infuriatingly so, actually) at Costco is milk. Costco’s Kirkland-brand milk (as well as Wal-Mart’s) comes in containers that are by far the worst-designed I’ve ever seen. Rather than the traditional milk container with an angled spout, the Creative Edge Design Group-designed “milk pitchers” are squarish with a minimum of curves (so as to maximize their stacking ability). The result is a container that buckles when milk is poured, resulting in the milk running down the side. In all the many Kirkland milk containers I’ve used, not once have I avoided spilling milk all over the place.

I discovered a message now being stamped on the top of the milk. “Tilt and pour slowly,” it says. So, now spills are apparently our fault because we’re not doing it right.

Yes, the new containers allow big box stores to get more milk into their trucks and freezers. The downside is that the extra milk often winds up on the buyer’s table or countertop. So who is it really seeing the savings here? I’m all for making the process of milk delivery more efficient (and more green), but this container is too flawed to make it worthwhile. Back to the drawing boards, folks!

(I see the New York Times, Huffington Post, and various blogs have covered this. )