The perils of opening impossible packaging: FOUR IN TEN of us have suffered an injury while opening everyday goods

Two in three consumers have been frustrated by difficult packaging

One in 50 were forced to fetch a hammer to get to their goods



Hard clean: Oral B's Vitality electric toothbrush was one of the products which proved most difficult to open

It's difficult to hurt yourself with a toothbrush – and almost impossible with a crumpet.

But try tackling the stubborn packaging they come in and you could end up as one of the four in ten who have suffered injuries while opening everyday products.

Consumer champion Which? recorded the number of shoppers who have ended up maimed by plastic packs, cans or jars in the last two years.

The watchdog now wants manufacturers to ensure their items are simpler to open.

A survey of 2,000 people suggests two in three – 67 per cent – have been frustrated by difficult packaging.



Nine in ten found it necessary to use scissors, two in three resorted to knives and about one in 50 fetched a hammer to bash their way into a pack.

Some elderly people even waited to ask the postman to open jars, while around one in four said they had changed what they eat to avoid certain products.

Hard plastic moulded packs presented the greatest problem, while bottles of bleach and mouthwash, packs of crumpets and Brillo pads also created difficulties.

Perhaps most ironic of all was a pack of scissors sold by WH Smith.



A Which? spokesman said: ‘They’re held in place under the moulded plastic by a cable tie, which means you will actually need to use scissors to cut your scissors free.’



The moulded plastic clamshell holding an Oral B Vitality White & Clean electric toothbrush was described as ‘hellish’ to open.

Which? said it took ‘muscle and ingenuity’ to get at packs of Brillo Mr Muscle soap pads, which come with a peel off top.

And prising off the tamper proof cap on Listerine mouthwash while trying to break the plastic seal was difficult.



But Which? said its entire testing panel was ‘red faced with exertion’ trying to grip and pull apart a pack of Warburtons crumpets.

One shopper complained: ‘I’m a 30-year-old male who goes to the gym a lot... but trying to open the plastic wrapping on these just ends up in frustration.’



Key-opened corned beef cans, New Covent Garden soup cartons, bottles of bleach from Morrisons, Hartleys jam jars and razor packs were also difficult to get to grips with.