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UNIT 7. PRODUCTS

Pre-reading activities

1.What do you usually pay attention to when you buy some product? How often do you buy anything if the package of the product is just bright and attractive?

2.Were you disappointed when you found out that the product itself didn’t correspond to the package? How often?

You may use in your answer the following words and word-expressions:

to buy smth., to be disappointed at, to be dissatisfied with, to be surprised at, to be indifferent to smth., to correspond to, a good design, creative design, to influence one’s choice, to be of the highest quality, the first impression, to purchase.

Reading

Have you ever had any problems opening modern packages? What problems? Describe your feelings at that moment.

Read the text and say if the packaging problems can be solved. Think of possible solutions.

WRAP RAGE

Packaging is the science, art and technology of enclosing or protecting products for distribution, storage, sale, and use. Packaging also refers to the process of design, evaluation, and production of packages. It is one of the most important criterion of the product popularity among customers. But…

Surveys show that intense frustration and even injury caused by modern packaging is on the increase, especially amongst seniors. Seventy per cent of over 50s admit to suffering cuts, sprains and bruises to fingers, hands and shoulders as a result of “wrap rage”, a new term used to describe the irritation and loss of self-control experienced when struggling to open wrapping.

In recent years manufactures have been under increasing pressure to keep food items sterile, to provide child-proof packaging for dangerous or toxic household cleaning products, to protect products during transport and to reduce in-shop shrinkage due to pilfering. At the same time, they are forced to keep costs to a minimum. As a

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result, packaging has become ever more resistant to fingers, nails and even teeth. In their frustration with blister packs and welded plastic which defeat all attempts to be pulled, torn or even cut with scissors, consumers resort to stabbing with screwdrivers, twisting with pliers or slashing them with knives. At best, the product inside the packaging is at risk; at worst, it is hardly surprising that according to the statistics over 60,000 people a year are injured by the packages in Great Britain alone.

Some of the most common triggers of wrap rage are processed cheese packages, tightly wrapped CDs, child-proof tops on medicine bottles, and milk and juice cartons. Ring-pull cans are particularly problematic for arthritic fingers and delicate skin. Even wrestling to remove price tags from items bought as gifts can raise blood pressure, and unnecessary overpackaging is as a red rag to the ecologically-minded bull.

However it seems there’s light at the end of the tunnel. Manufactures are listening to customers` complaints, and some have begun to research and invest in more consumer-friendly packaging. The bottom line is that if they don’t react, they risk losing sales if customers simply stop buying products with packaging that offers too much resistance.

Vocabulary notes:

frustration – an annoyed or impatient feeling that you get when you are prevented from doing what you want;

packaging – 1) the boxes, bottles, plastic etc used for wrapping products so that they can be sold. 2) the activity of putting products into containers so that they can be sold in the shops.

wrapping – the paper, plastic etc that is wrapped around smth.

child-proof – 1) (adj.) – smth. that is designed so that children can’t use it, open it, or hurt themselves on it. 2) (verb) – to make smth. safe for children, or unable to be damaged by children.

resistance – 1) the ability not to be affected or harmed by smth., especially a disease or a drug. 2) refusal to accept smth. new such as a plan, idea, or change.

to be at risk – to be in a situation in which smth. unpleasant or dangerous could happen to you.

price tag – 1) a label on a product that says how much it costs. 2) the cost of smth. very big and expensive.

complaint – a written or spoken statement in which smb. says he is not satisfied with smth.

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bottom line – 1) the amount of money that a business makes or loses. 2) the most basic fact or issue in a situation.

Discussion

1.What is wrap rage?

2.Who suffers from it?

3.What triggers it?

4.What are the underlying causes of it?

5.What could be done by the manufacturers to decrease the number of the customers` complaints? Can you offer your solution to the problem?

Vocabulary

I. Give English equivalents to the following words and word-combinations.

Товар, предметы для долговременного пользования, упаковка (2), жалоба, объявление, реклама, преимущества (2), инновация, разочарование, снижать цену до минимума, потребитель, ценник, «красная тряпка для быка», свет в конце тоннеля, производить, производитель, покупатель, инвестировать во чтото, основной момент, снижать (терять) продажи, конкурент, позволить что-то себе, отвергать (отклонять).

II. Give Russian equivalents to the following words and word-combinations.

Unique selling points, advertisement, customer profile, benefits of the product, target customer, innovative, high quality, to be manufactured, to launch the product, competitor, turn smb. down, turnover, to get backing, to withdraw the product from the market, raw materials, marketing strategy, to set the price, to be more expensive than, advertising, fast moving consumer goods, consumer durables, to motivate, advertising agency, fashionable, marketing tool, to advertise, modern brand image, television campaign.

III.Fill in a preposition where necessary:

1.Many of the competitors are much more aware … the importance … innovation.

2.At the same time, the manufacturers are forced to keep costs … a minimum.