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. )
I miss having fresh milk in glass quart bottles left at the front door by the milkman.
When I was a kid growing up in NE Oklahoma, they just walked in your back door and put the milk in the fridge for you. They carried away the empties.
They still had delivery in upstate NY in the 70s; but, they left an insulated box.
Now we have big box milk sellers who blame their customers.
I love progress.
why don’t you just pour it into a separate container and discard the jug?
Actually, you gave me a great idea. What if I could bring my own container to the store and get it filled up? That way it goes directly into my container of choice – no additional container needed.
I wish I could do this with other things: just skip the store’s container and use my own.
I think you can do that with bottled water in some stores. They charge you to take their filtered tap water away in your own container. Progress… I love it.
I heard that this is saving a ton of gas and is greener, etc. They did a segment on it on NPR. I think I’d be willing to learn how to pour a new milk container to help the environment.
What a great country we live in! You have a choice to buy the cheaper milk in the “sucky” container or pay more for milk in the traditional container.
When are you going to address the issue of coffee maker caraffes (spelled right???) … I can’t pour my coffee without it spilling on the counter!!!