Can toilet paper explain the welfare of the U.S. SERIOUS!!!

[ron komorowski]

I'm upset. Laugh a little but it's not funny. I bought my regular toilet paper. Walgreens Big Roll (brand). I'm looking at it and something doesn't seem right. Next day...I look again..."Son-of-a-..." I said....they took a half inch off the width!!!! I might need that half inch!!!

Well the point is the economy is in such trouble, our products are being downsized as sneakily as they can because of inflation and fuel costs. BUT CAN'T THEY LEAVE THE DAMN SIZE OF THE TOILET PAPER ALONE???

I mean c'mon now!!!! Toilet paper has been the same size for years! Now what does this tell me? The American standard of living is going down and may never come back. All these products downsizing aren't going to get bigger if the economy comes back!

Last time Walgreens made a product smaller the big name they compete with did the same thing a few weeks later. The toilet paper sits next to the largest brand Scott tissue.

Well...maybe I'm all upset over nothing. You buy a box of cakes or other food the portions in the box is much smaller than a few years ago; inflation is to blame. Maybe American asses won't be as fat? (We do have the fattest asses in the world) So maybe we don't need toilet paper as big anymore in the U.S.?

What does this have to do with entrepreneurs? It is now time to realize that when even the toilet paper changes, business plans, models and expectations must change too, and realize how hard it is to introduce a new product or business WHEN EVEN THE TOILET PAPER MARKET IS STRUGGLING!!! Never would I have thought!!!

Ron Komorowski
Inventor of Handi-Straps
Handi Straps Lifting System Home

[sauer13]

Yes it is all a little scary; however, I am convinced that all things run in cycles. I believe that the "secret inflation" of consumables is really a reflection of the energy crisis we are currently experiencing; also, I am sure that innovation will open new markets that will wash away the pains of the current recession.

An example would be the internet revolution during the nineties helping the USA and the world move past the slowing economic growth at the time.

Danny

[ron komorowski]

I hope your right Danny....but we never faced a real energy and food crisis like this...there was always plenty for the whole world. Maybe some places couldn't get food, but the world had enough.

Today we don't. We have to stop cutting trees and polluting the environment too. It seems to me we have "used the earth" up enough...and enough is enough so our standard of worldwide living will have to sacrifice.

When the "cuts" reach as far as toilet paper, we may say something has really changed all the way through and probably can't come back that far.

I have said for a year, this is not a normal U.S. recession, a part of a typical economic cycle. You see, the U.S. economic cycle is broken. It has cracks and holes leaking it's "fuel" out of the country. I don't think things are that hot in Europe either...we just got hit first.

As entrepreneurs we need to know these things...so we can see the turns in the road ahead and we don't crash.

Ron Komorowski
Inventor of Handi-Straps
Handi Straps Lifting System Home

[Aletheides]

Isn't this a common problem for companies and their products ? Though I could imagine they would be doing it more now to cut costs.

[jshua]

hahahahaha thats a good one i have also noticed this and thats the recession for you!

[ron komorowski]

I have a product on the market and I have studied products and their history for a long time. That is my main interest.

I think the worst thing you could do is sneakily make a product smaller. It is like tricking the consumer and almost stealing. This would be the best way to lose your loyalty from the consumer.

Times are tough...bite the bullet like everyone else, a company can always define their delivery system and light a fire under employees to get more work out of them in rough times.

The mind behind these rolls of toilet paper will make every one of their customers mad...especially the fat ones.

Maybe it is good though, when even the toilet paper gets shortened the country will realize it is time to try and strive as hard as we could, atleast as hard as in the Great Depression.

What I am scared of is after 9/11 the entire country all started working harder; afraid of losing their jobs, stepping up more to face the challenges of a threatened nation, and just the shear competition within made American workers produce more.

We should have been flying high now from this effort, instead the economy has NEVER been good since the dot com bust. The record low interest rates forced a good economy which was backed by useless paper, false worth.

I said then we can't force an economy with such low interest rates and masking the real problems, we will pay later; and so we are just like I said.

Atleast today all the problems are on the table instead of just being swept under the carpet like 5 years ago.

Ron Komorowski
Inventor of Handi-Straps
Handi Straps Lifting System Home

[chrispalko]

I hope they don't go too skinny with the TP rolls. Who knows what will happen then?!

No, but seriously, I wasn't aware of this and it's a very good observation.

[Squandered Halfpints]

Half inch off the width. Hmmmm.... my hats off to the minds behind this, good move. They prob. made a substantial cut in their expenses, are producing less waste, and may have increased their shareholders wealth. And I don't think they'll lose that many customers, other than you Ron. As a regular user of TP, I wouldn't be upset at all. In my worst situations my "material" doesn't come any where near the ends width wise. I wouldn't even notice. Sorry if that was graphic, but I tried to keep it clean. I don't see this move as a sign of an troubled economy, but rather a more efficient economy.

[ron komorowski]

Half inch off the width. Hmmmm.... my hats off to the minds behind this, good move. They prob. made a substantial cut in their expenses, are producing less waste, and may have increased their shareholders wealth. And I don't think they'll lose that many customers, other than you Ron. As a regular user of TP, I wouldn't be upset at all. In my worst situations my "material" doesn't come any where near the ends width wise. I wouldn't even notice. Sorry if that was graphic, but I tried to keep it clean. I don't see this move as a sign of an troubled economy, but rather a more efficient economy.

I respect your opinion ofcoarse but the point is when you go to a deli or restaurant the portions are much smaller, the packages in the grocery contain less for the same price, our vehicles are getting smaller (a good thing), our paychecks are smaller, our vacations shorter if at all, and the way we can take care of our children has become less.

I am no fan of American greed. I always felt we have too much in the world and we are too lucky but the point that matters to me is this:

Has the U.S. become lazy? Stupid? Too cocky and now we are getting our asses kicked in global markets? Too many lawyers looking to sue driving up insurance costs knocking commerce for a loop?

We need to get off our asses once again and work HARD. we need to feel urgency and get SMARTER and innovate. Why is it we can find ice on Mars but we can't pull our own damn energy sources out of the ground cleanly? Lazy? Stupid? Or both?

So American's standard of living has gone down. All the way down to toilet paper though? That is DEEP...this means real trouble to me if we even need to cut back on toilet paper. Toilet paper has been the same size for YEARS.

This just shows me the welfare of the United States is in trouble. It is these little signs that will tell you sometimes more than the numbers on Wall Street too. I hear once in a while that the illegal aliens know more about the state of the economy than Wall Street and the news. Another issue that can relate to this one.

Ron Komorowski
Inventor of Handi-Straps
Handi Straps Lifting System Home