By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD
My wife’s Avon order arrived the other day and… Okay, I confess, the order wasn’t just for her, but mostly. The only Avon product I deign to use is their Care Deeply Lip Balm. It is the ideal combination of firmness and moistness.
Some competing products tear your lips off as you apply it, whereas others go on like lip gloss—not that I have any direct personal experience in that realm, but it’s what I think lip gloss might feel like.
Anyway, the Care Deeply Lip Balm came with a protective, plastic seal holding the cap on; a heavy, protective, plastic seal. I had never thought that necessary, but a nice safety touch nonetheless. I looked closely for a “pull here” tab or a perforation in the plastic, but alas there were none.
So I used the closest tool available—my fingernail; the plastic won. My wife then attacked it with great zeal and aplomb — using the closest tool she had on hand, quite literally: her nail; she won.
As she gleefully tore off the protective plastic she was dismayed to discover that the seal and label were one in the same! As a result, once you “open” it, you lose all identification as to it’s contents.
This results in two practical concerns. First, it could cause confusion in the event that other tubular products from Avon are similarly packaged: what’s in which tube? Secondly, when it comes time to reorder, how are you going to know what to order?
You might buy more of the same if you liked it, or something different if you didn’t. But with the identifying label AWOL, either option will be hard to do.
In the picture above: On the left, the product as it was packaged. On the right, the product once it was opened.
What were they thinking? Perhaps they weren’t!
On the bright side, at least I’ll know when I am about to run out!
Read more in Peter Lyle DeHaan’s Sticky Series books, including Sticky Customer Service, Sticky Sales and Marketing, and Sticky Leadership and Management featuring his compelling story-driven insights and tips.
Peter Lyle DeHaan is an entrepreneur and businessman who has managed, owned, and started multiple businesses over his career. Common themes at every turn have included customer service, sales and marketing, and leadership and management.
He shares his lifetime of business experience and personal insights through his books to encourage, inspire, and occasionally entertain.
