Wrap rage

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Wrap rage (or wrapping rage or package rage) is the common name for heightened levels of anger, frustration and violence resulting from the inability to open hard-to-remove plastic packaging.^[1]

[edit] Origins

In 2006, Consumer Reports magazine officially recognized the "wrap rage" phenomenon when it created the Oyster Awards for the products with the hardest-to-open packaging.^[2] A story in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette about "wrap rage" was featured on The Colbert Report when host Stephen Colbert tried to use a knife to remove a new calculator from its plastic packaging, to no avail.

In the 1990s and 2000s, hardware and electronics products were increasingly packaged in plastic blister packages, because these packages made it harder for shoplifters to steal items. Small products that would be easy to put in one's pocket were often packaged in much larger blister packages that would be hard to conceal. Since this anti-shoplifting strategy would be defeated if shoplifters were able to open the packages in the store, the blister packs were often heat sealed so that they could only be opened with a knife or pair of sturdy scissors.

In 2009 CSB Commodities, Inc. introduced a solution to Wrap Rage. Invented by Steve Fisher in response to his mother's struggles with wrap rage, "The Zipit" is the world's first automatic clamshell opener for consumers.

Tools and implements used in attempts to open packages while under the influence of wrap rage are typically applied in a reckless and unsafe manner, and with the use of excessive force. Wrap rage may result in minor injuries, such as cuts, sprains and bruises to the fingers and hands or strains to the shoulder muscle caused by exerting excessive efforts in attempting to open packages. As well, if a knife or screwdriver slips while it is being used to pry open the package, a person could suffer cuts or laceration wounds. For the stiffest types of blister packs, the cut-open edges of the blister pack itself can cause cuts if a person's hand slips during the opening process.

In addition to personal injuries, wrap rage can result in damages to the goods. The least serious problems are damage to instruction manuals, CDs or warranty cards; more serious damage can be caused if a knife blade cuts the actual product. Merely opening some blister packs will render the contents un-returnable as stores insist on receiving returned goods in a saleable condition, which may be hard to meet if the blister pack has to be opened by force.

[edit] See also

• Air rage
• Computer rage
• Road rage

[edit] References