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Does make ya wonder though how this same thought hasn’t gone through somebody’s mind in that company.

And if it has, why has no action been taken?

Not graham crackers, but a simular cracker packaging problem was solved by Ritz FreshStacks.

Just copy the paper tissues.

L.

Couldn’t agree more. The cardboard packaging works fairly well to keep the crackers intact, but once the crackers leave the box and are left in their weakened state… all packaging (and crumbly) hell breaks loose.

No fun.

Ok, thank you. Ridiculous Honey Made packages suck.

Try opening one while holding a baby. IMPOSSIBLE .

Yes, but you’re forgetting the fact that graham crackers are better after they are stale.

Trader Joes sells some of the best graham crackers I’ve ever tasted, and they are in a resealable plastic container.

Invest in a pair of scissors.

When I will get old, my best friend will be the scissors.

99% of the packaging cannot be opened easily by old people… What a shame…

Thank you! This has been a frustration of mind for so long. It’s comforting to hear that others were having the same problem as well.

I too have resorted to using scissors, but it doesn’t always work well. Besides, this should be designed to be much easier to open by hand.

I think it first hit me when I found the “blue chips” at our local Target and noticed they had a resealable bag after I already cut the thing open.

So many uses.

Ditto Trader Joe’s Kettle Corn. Although this is less of a problem because once you open the bag it’s instantly gone anyway.

Very dangerous being half a block from Trader Joe’s, btw.

Thank you! This has been a frustration of mind for so long. It’s comforting to hear that others were having the same problem as well.

We’re talking about crackers. Not the economy, not the environment, not education, not poverty, not crime, not [insert a million other things here]. Crackers ?

I second the TJ’s graham crackers… they’re awesome and probably much closer to what they originally were before the industrial bakeries began churning them out. But I could see a 1 year old liking the ones he’s used to…

Would it be that hard for them to pack them in some sort of Ziploc type sleeve? I can imagine that parents who could easily open them and who could take them along w/out having to then use a Ziploc would be willing to pay more for the product in excess of the actual packaging cost. Say it costs $0.25/box to switch… wouldn’t many people pay and extra $0.50 for the convenience and less waste?

@Jamis:

Why don’t you make your own graham crackers? They’re super simple and then you can make them how you want (more molasses, less honey? More cinnamon?) It takes longer to let the dough chill / relax than it does to mix it or bake it (probably 10 mins to make, 15 mins bake…i tend to chill ‘em for an hour or so to let the dough settle).

Also, they’re way better than any store bought ones (although the TJ ones are tasty).

Ditto for Pancake mix boxes – cut a flap in the package, and the flap always get’s stuck on the inside.

If you don’t think you can apply scissors to the situation you are just looking for reasons to fail.

Maybe you need to find the most beautifully designed scissors in the world. Put the whole 37s team on it!

I think a more interesting take on this would be to examine the ethics and policies of cost and shipping concerns vs. usability. Between the customer and the bottom line, the latter tends to win out.

Or you can get really opinionated and just declare that all snack food should be bunny shaped: http://www.annies.com/bunny_grahams

Do take notice of the new (to me) open-top-and-reseal “Chips Ahoy” packaging.

I love this blog, but when i read this entry, i got the distinct impression i was reading something by Andy Rooney. This entry was one of the most crotchety i ever recall having read.

Damn, this post really hit home… had me laughing, because I thought this only happened to me. My 3 year old daughter would absolutely scream if I broke a graham cracker as I delicately tried to extract it from the stupid wrapping. It was like playing operation on a box of crackers. I am going to have to look into the Trader Joe Grahams as well.

@Ian, Oh how I miss Trader Joe’s

Broken or not, they taste the same.

@Emily, on the flip side, why not point out that instances where there has to be a better way than how it’s always been done. Identifying these opportunities and solving them = progress.

When Sargento and Kraft can progress and put zip closures on their bags of cheese, then why can’t Nabisco do so on their graham crackers? If Keebler were smart, they’d pounce on the opportunity to grow their market share by realizing that with the toddler demographic and their parents, functionality is a bigger selling point than taste.

Doesn’t it seem like graham crackers go stale the moment they interact with air? Maybe they need an oxygen pure environment? Or the other way around? I need to try a brand with a re-sealable bag.

Take some advice from the Europeans, they have McVitie’s Digestive Biscuits. I learned about them through an English industrial designer we have at work; he would always invite me for tea and biscuits. I can safely say that they are the tastiest “crackers” I have ever had.

Not only that, but I also found a funny video to go along with them. These things sound creepy, but really are the best.

I seem to recall getting all excited when I was little about tearing into the wax paper that some brand (or probably generic black and white box) used to package my graham crax in. I suppose pining for those days is futile, but I’m gonna go pour myself a glass of milk right now!

You should see how smashed up they get in suitcases of American expats…. ;)

In the UK, you often can purchase cookies/biscuits in branded tins. These tins are reusable and fairly air-tight. That doesn’t help with the initial opening of the packaging though…

Is it possible more thought has gone into it than you think? I don’t live in the US, so haven’t experienced this packaging, but I know research has been done to show that if packaging makes a “crackly” sound the perceived contents taste better (fresher).

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