tissues
I'm sitting here, watching a little television, checking various websites, staring out of the window.
I have a little hayfever sniffle going on, so I reach for a handful of tissues and I'm reminded of a customer this morning who bought four boxes of Kleenex Man-Sized tissues.
These are substantial tissues, usually bought by men, (surprise, surprise), but sometimes bought by women for their husbands or fathers. Not for themselves. Never for themselves.
We women tend to buy the "prettier" tissues. The Aloe-Vera; the Silk Touch; the Velvet texture; the coloured or scented tissues.
Yes, I'm a "pretty" buyer too. Although I avoid the scented ones, I sneeze enough already thankyouverymuch.
Yet I'm beginning to think this may be false economy.
These tissues come in family packs, jumbo packs, occasionally 10% extra for the same original cost. But they're small. And flimsy. One good blow and each tissue is done for, you need a second one for the finishing wipe up.
With hayfever and a constantly running nose, one tissue just isn't thick enough. The slightest hint of wetness and it disintegrates. (Ditto todays supersoft toilet papers).
So you reach for the box and pull out two or three. With a heavy cold, such as the one that recently swept through Adelaide, (I hear the other states had it too), a new box of tissues containing 250 or 300, can be emptied in less than a week. Unless you've bought the extra long and thick variety, where one tissue is often enough, but the box contains far fewer tissues. For a higher price. (unless they're on special).
So often when there's a cold around, women customers buy boxes of flimsy tissues by the bagful.
Why don't we buy the man-sized tissues? There's fewer tissues, but they're larger, thicker and much less likely to disintegrate. So you only need one and the box should last at least as long as the flimsy ones that are used two and three at a time.
Open out one of these and they're men's hanky sized. Large enough to cover both mouth and nose to properly contain a sneeze, lessening the chance of spreading the germs around.
The longer & thicker variety are longer than the regular ones, but not wider, the men's ones are big square tissues.
Is it solely because we like to see the pretty boxes in our bathrooms or bedrooms?
Flowered boxes for the bedroom, marine designs for the bathroom, little ducks or teddy bears for the kids?
(Why has no-one designed a box with pots and utensils? For the kitchen?)
Is it because we're women we are somehow convinced that our sneezes and colds are somehow more dainty than the great honking noseblows that are heard from our menfolk?
I've decided that when my current supply of tissues is used up, (there's only ten boxes left), I'm going to buy the man-sized box. Just to see if it does last as long as the jumbo box of flimsy little ones.
I have a little hayfever sniffle going on, so I reach for a handful of tissues and I'm reminded of a customer this morning who bought four boxes of Kleenex Man-Sized tissues.
These are substantial tissues, usually bought by men, (surprise, surprise), but sometimes bought by women for their husbands or fathers. Not for themselves. Never for themselves.
We women tend to buy the "prettier" tissues. The Aloe-Vera; the Silk Touch; the Velvet texture; the coloured or scented tissues.
Yes, I'm a "pretty" buyer too. Although I avoid the scented ones, I sneeze enough already thankyouverymuch.
Yet I'm beginning to think this may be false economy.
These tissues come in family packs, jumbo packs, occasionally 10% extra for the same original cost. But they're small. And flimsy. One good blow and each tissue is done for, you need a second one for the finishing wipe up.
With hayfever and a constantly running nose, one tissue just isn't thick enough. The slightest hint of wetness and it disintegrates. (Ditto todays supersoft toilet papers).
So you reach for the box and pull out two or three. With a heavy cold, such as the one that recently swept through Adelaide, (I hear the other states had it too), a new box of tissues containing 250 or 300, can be emptied in less than a week. Unless you've bought the extra long and thick variety, where one tissue is often enough, but the box contains far fewer tissues. For a higher price. (unless they're on special).
So often when there's a cold around, women customers buy boxes of flimsy tissues by the bagful.
Why don't we buy the man-sized tissues? There's fewer tissues, but they're larger, thicker and much less likely to disintegrate. So you only need one and the box should last at least as long as the flimsy ones that are used two and three at a time.
Open out one of these and they're men's hanky sized. Large enough to cover both mouth and nose to properly contain a sneeze, lessening the chance of spreading the germs around.
The longer & thicker variety are longer than the regular ones, but not wider, the men's ones are big square tissues.
Is it solely because we like to see the pretty boxes in our bathrooms or bedrooms?
Flowered boxes for the bedroom, marine designs for the bathroom, little ducks or teddy bears for the kids?
(Why has no-one designed a box with pots and utensils? For the kitchen?)
Is it because we're women we are somehow convinced that our sneezes and colds are somehow more dainty than the great honking noseblows that are heard from our menfolk?
I've decided that when my current supply of tissues is used up, (there's only ten boxes left), I'm going to buy the man-sized box. Just to see if it does last as long as the jumbo box of flimsy little ones.
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I've been known to break out the bedsheet in emergencies :P
ReplyDeleteWV = sniff PMSL
Yes - those 'man' size boxes are best value and most useful, now if they only came with aloe vera softening ...
ReplyDeleteI buy MAN tissues, and sadly I'm the one who does the louder-than-loud sneezes and nose blows in our house. My husband is astounded how much noise and snobble come out of me when I have a cold.
ReplyDeleteMan tissues are for man colds - however they can double for kitchen towel when you run out. Have you tried the extra long kleenex? they're somewhere inbetween.
ReplyDeleteJayne; my mum used to keep very old bedsheets just for this purpose. The softer the better.
ReplyDeleteHa Ha @your WV. sniff, how appropriate.
Ann O'Dyne; maybe we should email the company...
Toni; I'm the honker in our house too, hubby is a sniffer, yuk! It's amazing how much fluid comes from a hayfever struck nose.
Pandora; I've tried the extra long kleenex, but only at work when I've taken a couple from the service desk. I haven't actually ever bought a box.
I'm an aloe vera tissuer but rarely use them for anything other than blotting lippy.
ReplyDeleteI'm seriously pissed with Safeway for dropping the man-size because now I have to make a special trip to Coles. Aloe beside my pillow and man-size on top of the fridge for the big sneezing stuff.
ReplyDeleteI come from a long line of 'blowers' (!!?) and we have a box of tissues in every room of the house. Whatever's on special for us.
ReplyDeleteBaino; I don't think I even own a lippy anymore. A couple of chapsticks and that's all.
ReplyDeleteJahTeh; Check your Safeway and see if the store has customer feedback forms. these are for customers to fill out and send to management with compliments or complaints. A strong complaint might see man-size tissues back on their shelves.
Kath; I have one box in the bedroom which lasts forever because I don't seem to need it in my sleep; another on the table right next to me, this is where I spend most of my time, so that box gets emptied faster. If I'm in the bathroom and need a tissue I reach for the toilet paper roll. I used to buy the cheapest generic tissues, but I wasn't happy with the sandpaper effect on my upper lip with the last cold I had.