Blunden’s crucible

Recently, Tesco changed the packaging of their Coleslaw. Not exactly front page news and I suspect their motivation was driven by a desire to reduce the amount of packaging they use – or was it cost saving, I can’t decide. The outcome either way is that I can now no longer tell when my coleslaw goes beyond the use-by or best-before date.

The reason? Tesco used to provide a plastic clip-on resealable lid over the thin cellophane film that sealed the coleslaw from the outside world and on the lid was printed the use-by date. They have removed this lid and printed the use-by date on the thin film. The problem is that the film disintegrates when you try and remove it and so you end up throwing it away (thank goodness for clingfilm), together with any clues toward the use-by date of the aforementioned coleslaw. The experience is a specific problem with ‘wet’ products like coleslaw but it has made me wonder about other products and the way the use-by dates are presented.

Here is another example. Can anyone tell me what the use-by date on this label actually means?

Is the consumer really meant to understand this?

For those unable to read the label it says “Best Before End L8210(D)1″.

Well, that’s crystal clear. I thought perhaps it means 8th of Feb 2010 but I have another wrapper with the code L8095DE1 and before you ask I haven’t owned this product since 1995!

So we have one example where the packaging is the problem and the other that simply defies explanation. To me the coleslaw example is a problem with context of use. The same ‘print on cellophane’ technique is used for labelling the best before date on Tesco bacon. It isn’t a problem here because the cellophane is slightly thicker and in any case, if it falls in to the bacon it doesn’t make a mess. Thin strands of cellophane dipping in coleslaw is a problem.

These are not problems that are going to take either Cadbury’s or Tesco’s to the wall in the immediate future but I wonder how much administrative overhead has gone in to dealing with complaints and providing free replacement product? There could even be direct losses from people who switch product (Twirl) or stop buying altogether (Coleslaw).

Clearly there has been no customer research in either case and probably because there was no business case or compelling reasion to do so. But as a colleague recently told me: “when the going gets tough, the tough get measuring” and identifying avoidable costs in a business and then applying solutions is what next year will be all about.

I look forward to the return of the hard plastic lid on my coleslaw and to eating my Twirl safe in the knowledge that it has not gone off. However, I am not sure when this will be.