One of the busiest times of the year, so let's run out of stock.

Coca-Cola vending machine, Science World, Vancouver

The period between Christmas and New Year is always busy at places like Science World. Children are out of school and many parents get a break at work. So, parents, and grandparents, are looking for ways to entertain youngsters. On December 29, Science World was packed. There were standing room crowds for all of the shows and more children running around than I've ever seen at the place.

You'd think that both Science World and Coca-Cola, the provider of this vending machine, would know that there would be a big demand for drinks and stock up accordingly.

Coca-Cola vending machine, Science World, Vancouver (Detail)

But at 2:00 pm this was the display that greeted customers. Coke Zero and Barq's Root Beer were the only drinks on offer.

I wonder how much revenue was lost due to running out of stock?

Thermos® Evidently sometimes it's a trademark, and sometimes it's not.

In Canada, Thermos® is a registered trademark of Thermos LLC. But evidently not everyone at Miniso knows that. Of the three vacuum containers that Minso sells, one uses the Thermos name. (Without the ®.)

On the other hand in Canada it is possible find Thermos products for sale that use the Thermos® name. 

"Genuine Thermos® Brand" travel mugs, Staples

What is likely to happen? Well Staples is in the clear, but if and when Thermos® gets wind of this infringement Miniso will get a tersely worded legal letter demanding that the firm, "cease and desist" using the Thermos name.

Almost close enough really doesn't count

As Wham! says, "If you're gonna do it, do it right". LEGO tries had to do the right thing, but then it drops the ball.

Message printed on the inside flap of the LEGO shipping box.

This message is printed on the inside flap of the shipping box. And it makes perfect sense. At this time of year I would guess that over 1/2 of the orders from LEGO's online shop are presents. Santa is bringing a few LEGO goodies for everyone under 10 in my family.

Shipper's address on the shipping label

But then the shipping label says LEGO. In know what you're thinking, "It's in tiny letters. What kid is going to notice that?" The answer, every single kid who is hoping for LEGO.

So LEGO, please change the name of the shipper. Instead of "LEGO Brand Retail", how about "LBR"? Help me keep a secret or two.

Not really all that useful, or recyclable

The well-known recycling symbol was created in 1970 by a US graphic designer, Gary Anderson. Since its creation it has been in the public domain and is now used all over the world.

Recycling Symbol
(Source: http://www.recycling.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/recycling-symbol-icon-outline-black.png)

I recently received an order from LEGO and the empty space in the box was filled with this inflatable packing material.

Sealed Air's "Fill-Air Extreme"

Now the packaging has the recycling logo on it, but inside the logo, where you usually find a number to indicate the type of material, you find the phrase "Store Drop-Off".

Sealed Air's "Fill-Air Extreme" (Detail)

This means that the manufacturer does not identify the material used, and household recycling schemes will not accept it. So, the consumer must take it to a store and hope that the store accepts this particular packing material.

If you go to the website how2recycle.com you are redirected to https://www.plasticfilmrecycling.org, a site that is produced by the American Chemistry Council.

So, on the face of it the industry is making this easily recyclable, but in reality a few of the firms involved in the process have a vested interest in increasing the amount of plastic film used. More plastic equals more sales. Or am I just being a cynic. 

The "Flexible Film Recycling Group of the American Chemistry Council" states that its goal is to double recycling of polyethylene (PE) film to two billion pounds by 2020. I have two observations. 

1. That is a hell of a lot of plastic film. 6 pounds per person in the USA. 
2. That is a rather audacious goal. 

If the intent is to reduce the amount of plastic film that goes into the garbage, then making it easier to include film in municipal recycling programs would be a good start. And perhaps instead of increasing the amount recycling, industry could also focus on reducing the amount used. 

Tell me it's just a coincidence

The Face Shop retail store, Pacific Centre, Vancouver, BC

I saw this retail store at the Pacific Centre in Vancouver. My first thought, based on both the name and the colours used, was that this was intending to be a knockoff of The Body Shop.

The Body Shop retail store, Caneland Central Shopping Centre, Mackay, Australia
(Source: https://www.canelandcentral.com.au/-/media/retail/au/caneland-central/stores/the_body_shop8250.ashx?as=0&mh=1130&hash=06BC96E060E75862E1E02C1BB4DBC9CC2B1D7C05)

And if you compare the appearance of retail stores by The Face Shop and The Body Shop the similarity will become even more obvious.

The Face Shop is a South Korean beauty company that was founded in 2003. The Body Shop is a UK-based beauty company that was founded in 1976. 

 

In addition to "Small size with good plasticity" a rather unexpected difference

When I saw this building set at Miniso, I thought that it looked like a standard LEGO knock off. 

"Big Ben" building set from Miniso

At $7.99 CAD, 346 pieces, and 14 centimeters tall it looked like a much smaller version of the LEGO set. (The LEGO set is $299.99 CAD, contains 4,163 pieces, and stands 60 centimeters high.)

LEGO "Big Ben" building set, #10253

Source: http://jaysbrickblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/LEGO-10253-Big-Ben-Front-View.jpg

But when I started to build the Miniso set I was very surprised by the size of the pieces. 

On top - Original LEGO blocks
On bottom - Miniso blocks

The Miniso blocks are over 25%smaller than the equivilent LEGO blocks.

This is the first time I have seen a copy of LEGO where the blocks are not the same size as LEGO's blocks. Why would Miniso do that? And then not give any hint about the reduced block size on the packaging. Unless of course that is what "Small Size with good plasticity" means.

Solving a long-standing problem (Or rather a long "falling down" problem)

Every year at Christmas time, we build a gingerbread house. The kits come with all of the pieces for the house and a bag of icing that you use to "cement" the house together.

Gingerbread House Kit
(Source: https://createatreat.com/products/gingerbread-house-kit/)

The usual problem we have is that it can be hard to hold all of the pieces together in the correct position while trying to assemble the house. And inevitability the pieces fall apart before the icing sets. 

The manufacturer, Create a Treat, now offers a pre-built version of the gingerbread house that solves the assembly problem.  

Pre_built Gingerbread House Kit

But the pieces of gingerbread are still so hard that you could break a tooth just trying to eat a piece of it. So, a dramatically increased shipping cost to solve a problem with a product that is almost impossible to eat.

Hiding the country of origin, and the order of the ingredients

Tin for Biskwi Butter Cookies from Dollarama

On December 11, 2017, I wrote about these cookies and how a "Danish Style" cookie could be made in Poland. Well it turns out that there is a little more information available about the cookies if you are at the store when the shelves are being restocked. They are actually made in China.

Shipping carton for Biskwi Butter Cookies from Dollarama

And it is not only the country of origin that is disguised, so are the ingredients. Despite the product's name, Butter Cookie, butter is well down the ingredient list.

INGREDIENTS: Flour (Wheat), Sugar, Palm Oil, Margarine, Palm Oil Shortening, Butter, Whole Egg, Whey Powder, Coconut, Ammonium Bicarbonate, Sodium Bicarbonate, Artificial Flavours.

So, both the amount of butter and the country of origin appear to be rather over-sold by Dollarama.  

Tide, it's always packaged in orange, except when it isn't.

Tide's color is orange. For decades Tide has been known for its orange packaging. It makes life easy for consumers as they know that they can just reach for the orange package of detergent and it will be a reliable choice.

And the detergent section at this Safeway store it is almost a complete wall of solid orange, but in a variety of different types of Tide detergent.

Tide section, Safeway, West Vancouver

But not every type of Tide detergent will benefit from the traditional orange packaging. The purclean variety of Tide is promoted as the, "1st plant-based detergent with the leaning power of Tide".

Tide purclean™ is a formula made with 100% renewable wind power electricity* and is made at a site that sends zero manufacturing waste to a landfill. It is also formulated to be free of dyes, chlorine and phosphates. The formula contains water, plant derived surfactants, coconut derived cleaning agent, plant derived processing aid, bio-derived enzymes, mineral based enzyme stabilizer, pH adjuster, chelant and fragrance.

• 1st plant-based detergent with the cleaning power of Tide (65% plant-based)
• USDA Certified Tide liquid laundry detergent
• Formula made with 100% renewable wind power electricity
• This product is made at a zero manufacturing waste to landfill site
• It is designed free of dyes, chlorine, phosphates or optical brighteners

*The same facility also uses steam power; electricity represents approximately 50% of total energy used. (Source: https://tide.ca/en-ca/shop/type/liquid/tide-purclean)

Tude "purclean", Safeway, West Vancouver

But this variety of Tide is aimed at a segment of the market that is more environmentally conscious. And if Tide is trying to make the point that its manufacturing processes are "clean and transparent" the non-orange bottle is likely an important part of the branding message.

One would be so lonely, but still helpful

In 2014, it was reported that the number of mobile devices on earth exceeded the number of people.

But even though there are more mobile telephones than people, there are still lots of people who rely on pay phones. The problem is that as the number of people who rely on pay phones declines, telephone companies will be increasingly tempted to remove them. 

Telephone booths, Waiting Room "A:, Horseshoe Bay Ferry Terminal, West Vancouver, BC

These pay phones are in one of the waiting rooms at the BC Ferries terminal in Horseshoe Bay. I wonder how much business these pay phones get? I've never seen both in use, and I see someone on one of the phones every fourth or fifth trip.

Who knows how much longer they will remain in place, but for the ever declining number of people without a mobile telephone, these are essential. 

100% Pure New Zealand (Butter)

New Zealand has an interesting position in the world. It is known for converting sunshine and rain into tourist visits and agricultural products.

While New Zealand is known for its exports of wine, dairy products, lamb, and forest products, Peter Jackson has also contributed enormously to both the reputation and economy of New Zealand with his eight Lord of the Rings and Hobbit films.  The films sparked a huge boost in tourism.

100% Pure New Zealand logo
(Source: https://farm1.nzstatic.com/visit/images/fbshare.jpg?&v=134)

New Zealand dairy industry was dealt a severe blow in 1973 when the UK entered the EEC. (The EEC later became the EU.) The UK was formerly the biggest export market for New Zealand's dairy exports and overnight the UK market was eliminated. (One reason why New Zealand dairy farmers are looking hopefully at the market opportunities created by Brexit.)

While Canadian diary cows spend a large part of their lives indoors, New Zealand cows are outside all year round. Some people feel that grass-fed cattle produce both better meat and better milk. And this is one of the selling points of this butter from New Zealand.

Kiwi Pure Butter packaging at Safeway, West Vancouver

The butter is not cheap, about four times the price of Safeway's house brand butter, but it is "Kiwi Pure" and "grass fed", claims that no Canadian dairy can make about its products.

 

Kiwi Pure Butter display at Safeway, West Vancouver

So, will consumers pay the higher price for "grass fed" New Zealand butter? If any consumers are likely to, it is the people who shop in this Safeway in West Vancouver. The neighbourhood has among the highest per capita incomes in Canada. At the very least, the product is in the right place.

PS Did I buy it? No, I bought butter to make the old family shortbread recipe and doubt if I could taste the difference.

Where does my mind go?

Top 100 Baby Purees by Annabel Karmel

My first and fleeting thought when I saw this book cover was that it was about eating babies, and as Flanders and Swann said, "Eating people is wrong". 

I know that my first thought was rather silly, but the problem for marketers is that any misunderstanding of their branding or promotional material will probably happen. Much of this can be prevented, but for many marketers the misunderstandings are the result of carelessness.

One of my favourite mistakes was on the sign for a children's consignment clothing store. The sign on the front of the store lacked any punctuation and resulted in a rather different meaning that was intended by the owners.

Sign outside Kid's Exchange store
(Source: http://www.businesspundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/kidsexchange.jpg)

I'm not sure if this place is still offering the "kid sex change", but if it does the prices have probably gone up.  

What's next, Vegemite?

Nutella Christmas Tree Ornament, Safeway

Nutella Christmas Tree Ornament, Safeway (Detail)

I saw this at Safeway on December 17th. Evidently you are supposed to hang a small jar of Nutella on your Christmas tree. Given that four of the jars are missing from the display, some people think this is a good idea for an ornament.

I've never seen anything so bizarre. But it is Christmas time and retailers will try to sell the strangest things, and luckily consumers will buy most of it.

Another weird advertisement placement (Or just sloppy production?)

Advertisement on the BBC Ashes webpage
(Source: http://www.bbc.com/sport/live/cricket/41784723)

Advertisement on the BBC Ashes webpage (Detail)
(Source: http://www.bbc.com/sport/live/cricket/41784723)

Another English-language website with an odd advertisement. I found this advertisement on the BBC website for the Ashes, a biannual cricket match between Australia and England.

In this case the advertisement is by Walmart and the descriptive copy for one of the four products featured in the advertisement is in French. I suspect a piece of sloppy product information management on the client side.

Sorry, I don't read Korean, but it does look like a lovely TV

Advertisement for LG OLED TV on BBC website
(Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/business-42386893)

I am officially perplexed. I saw this advertisement on the BBC News website. (It was adjacent to an article on the ongoing weirdness of the Bitcoin market.)

I think that the non-English text is in Korean, a language that I don't understand. But I can't understand why this version of the advertisement, with almost no English text, is on an English-language website.

Either a weird piece of creative, or a rather ill-advised media buy. Either way, someone's not doing their job.

What about barefoot?

These days product packaging includes plenty of warnings. Some are to protect the user. This includes the warning on a children's Batman costume, "PARENT: Please exercise caution -- FOR PLAY ONLY: Mask and chest plate are not protective: cape does not enable user to fly." (Source: http://www.nytimes.com/1997/03/05/business/warning-maybe-too-much-of-a-good-thing.html)

Other warnings are there to protect the product from damage in transit through mis-handling.

Transportation warnings on side of appliance packaging

Now these warning make sense, but many of them would only be understandable by someone who had experience working in a warehouse. The next one is a bit puzzling.

Transportation warning on top of appliance packaging

This was on the top of the box. I assume it means don't stand on the top of the box, but my pedantic side says that it is only a warning about standing on the top of the box with shoes on. What about standing on the box while barefoot?

Yes, I know that I'm being a bit ridiculous, but in the US someone will complain to the manufacturer after damaging the appliance and their defense will be, "But I took my shoes off!". 

Starts out well, but finishes badly

Hello Kitty remains a phenomenon. You can find the feline on everything from dolls and stickers to airplanes and toasters (And toast)

Hello Kitty toaster in action
(Source: https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51L9844-jUL._SY300_.jpg)

This is how the Hello Kitty toaster is supposed to perform.

Hello Kitty toaster

The problem is that, like many licensed products, the expectation does not match the reality. And over time this toaster's performance deteriorated to the point where Kitty was just a blob.

Toast from Hello Kitty toaster

A bit disappointing, but not really a big surprise. It is a cheap appliance made in China.

A kiwifruit by any other name

"Kee Wee" kiwifruit packaging 

"Kee Wee" kiwifruit packaging showing country of origin

The kiwifruit, also known as a "Chinese Gooseberry", is a fruit native to China. It is called the kiwifruit because farmers in New Zealand were the first to cultivate the fruit on a commercial basis.

For years New Zealand farmers were able to keep their methods secret, but since 1970, when kiwifruit were first commercially produced in Italy, more and more countries have emerged as suppliers.

Now, according to this bag of "Kee Wee" from Oppenheimer the fruit could come from any of five countries; Italy, Greece, Chile, New Zealand, or the United States of America. Why the additional countries? Probably two reasons, seasonality and price. We expect to have all fruits and vegetable in the stores year round, and growing seasons don't always cooperate with that goal. Producing in five different countries means that there is a greater likelihood of fresh fruit at any time of the year.

But regardless, most of us will still call them kiwifruit and associate them with New Zealand.

A new display in one of my favourite windows

Display window for "The Room", Hudson's Bay Company, Vancouver, BC

Display window for "The Room", Hudson's Bay Company, Vancouver, BC (Detail)

Every time I pass by this display window, located inside the vestibule at the Seymour Street entrance to the Hudson's Bay Company store in downtown Vancouver, I stop in to have a look and often take a photo.

The window is about 8' wide x 8' high x 4' deep. (2.5 metres wide x 2.5 metres high x 1.25 metres deep.) The thing that I like is the simplicity. The background may be interesting, in this case gold-coloured metal foil, but the mannequin's pose is simple and the focus is on the clothing. 

That is what a display window should do, focus on the product and with luck inspire the customer to make a purchase.

"Danish Style" from Poland? (Well actually from China!)

"Danish Style" Butter Cookies, Dollarama

Postscript (December 23, 2017) - Although the firm that makes these cookies does manufacture some of its products in Poland, today I discovered that these particular cookies are actually made in China. 

One of the Christmas traditions around our house is a tin of butter cookies. In the past they were always from Denmark.

But in these days of globalization Denmark is no longer the only choice for "Danish Style". These butter cookies are made in Poland, but they are "Danish Style".

And why does Dollarama buy it's "Danish Style" butter cookies from Polish supplier? I think that the key is in the name, Dollarama. In 2017 you can't get "Danish Style" cookies from Denmark, sell then at $2.50 per 300 gram tin, and still make a profit.

Interestingly, the country of origin is not mentioned anywhere on the tin. It just says "Imported by Dollarama". A search for the company name reveals that Biskwi is a Polish baked-goods firm.

Will consumers think the cookies come from Denmark? Probably, and when it comes to making the sale that is really all that matters.

Postscript (December 23, 2017) - Although the firm that makes these cookies does manufacture some of its products in Poland, today I discovered that these particular cookies are actually made in China.

There's one born every minute

Gift card display, Staples, Vancouver, BC

Canada Revenue Agency warning, Gift Card Display, Staples, Vancouver, BC

I guess that this sign is a reaction to fraud, or attempted fraud, involving gift cards. The two certainties of life are death and taxes. No one really looks forward to a call from the "tax man". (And why is it always a man?)

But any relationship involving money will be subject to fraud.  Scammers will impersonate an agent from the Canada Revenue Agency and attempt to get people to pay them then amount that is supposedly owed to the government.

Western Union transfers were a common means of extracting money from the unsuspecting in the past. Evidently the methods of choice have expanded to include prepaid credit cards. But this notice was posted on a rack that was mainly gift cards. If someone purporting to be from the Canada Revenue Agency called and said that I needed to pay my tax bill with a gift card from Boston Pizza or Cactus Club Cafe I think that I might smell a rat. But I'm sure that some gullible individual would fall for that ploy. There really is a sucker born every minute.

Someone has lost the plot

Display of fidget spinners, Staples, Vancouver, BC (December 4, 2017)

Price sign for "Fidget spinner, assorted", Staples, Vancouver, BC (December 4, 2017)

Price signs for "LED Fidget Spinner" at Staples, Vancouver, BC (December 4, 2017)

The party is well and truly over. The fidget spinner fad is long since over. By the time kids went back to school in September none of them wanted a fidget spinner anymore. But Staples is filled with fidget spinners at prices that appear to be unchanged since the summer.

Date on "fidget spinner, assorted" price sign, Staples, Vancouver, BC (December 4, 2017)

These signs either went up on August 7, 2017, or July 8, 2017, but since Staples is an American firm I assume that the signs are dated August 7, 2017.

The peak time for fidget spinners was April through June, 2017. Anyone thinking that they can get the full retail price for this fad product six months after the peak is deluding themselves.

A cute name

Package for "mistle toes" socks

My daughter is getting these socks for Christmas. I saw the product name and thought it was a rather cute, and slightly silly, name for Christmas-themed socks.

At this time of year brands need every advantage they can find to stand out in the crowded world of retail. And "mistle toes" but be just the trick.