A good friend of mine once spilled a gallon of milk in his car. If that ever happens to you, head directly to the car wash. Do not stop on the way. Once that milk smell sets in, it never goes away and it is not pleasant. According to the New York Times, milk spilling has become a big problem due to a change in the classic milk carton.
Wal-Mart and Costco are rolling out new milk jugs. The difference is that the new jugs are square and made of recyclable plastics. This makes them stack-able and compact in trucks and on shelves. These jugs are less expensive because of easier shipping and the elimination of milk crates.
The downside of the new jugs is that it is taking consumers some time to get used to them. People are having difficulty not spilling milk during the pour since there is no spout. Sam's Club has even been offering in-store classes on how to pour from the new jugs. I suppose you could always transfer your milk to a glass container with a spout if it were that much of a problem.
Have you tried the square milk jugs yet?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
6-30-2008 @ 6:27PM
love2cook said...
I like this jug. It uses less space in the frige too. I only spilled if I had to pour into a smaller cup, like a narrow sippy cup, other then that no problems.
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6-30-2008 @ 6:32PM
Tim said...
Maybe this is a sign we're ready for bagged milk? Or maybe a better option would be to sell bag-in-box milk like they sell wine in?
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6-30-2008 @ 7:17PM
sanman said...
Stop in tomorrow for a tutorial on how to get ketchup out of the bottle...Wednesday begins a two-part series on opening plastic clamshell packaging...And friday brings us to a close with the proper way to squeeze toothpaste out of a tube...
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6-30-2008 @ 7:27PM
W. Graves said...
I could care less about the rest of the benefits, stackability rocks!
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6-30-2008 @ 7:37PM
christine said...
I really liked it when I tried it. They fit better in the fridge, too! My husband, on the other hand, really hated it. Oh well.
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6-30-2008 @ 7:49PM
totoro said...
Plastic containers have never had spouts. Have people never bought orange juice, or milk for that matter, in plastic containers before? The one in the photo is new, but come on-liquids have been available in plastic containers for decades. People need lessons on how to pour?
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6-30-2008 @ 8:52PM
Melissa said...
I like it! I like that it fits in the door of the fridge a lot. I like that the weight is more evenly distributed, too. The round jugs were hard on my wrists.
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6-30-2008 @ 11:03PM
ESC said...
We've been getting these milk jugs from Costco for over a year now. Neither myself or my husband has had any major spill issues. I'm worried that the fact that people will need CLASSES in order not to spill their milk is a sign of the end times...
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6-30-2008 @ 11:24PM
KF said...
I have not seen the new containers yet, but, I have to remark on the spilled-milk-in-car problem. I concur, it's the worst. If you spill milk in a car carpet and just think it dries and you can forget about it, think again. And in summer? You better just scrap the car. Otherwise you'll be like a bad Seinfeld episode, when the body odor funk could not be eliminated from his Saab.
I confess that when I had a particularly bad break up with a nasty ex boyfriend, my sister and I, young and not interested in taking the high road, took a pint of milk to his beloved car and poured in on the carpet in the back of the car, and shut the car. It was a hot summer weekend. His fault for not collecting my keys in advance. I smile at the pure, foul, dairy funk which surely awaited him soon thereafter.
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7-01-2008 @ 1:41AM
Brad said...
I know a lot of people that stopped buying milk at some stores because they changed to this container (and I don't blame them). I know from a packaging view the benefits of this container, but I can also see how bad it is.
My Sam's Club here stopped stocking this new one and went back to the regular gallon containers. I wonder the reason why.
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7-01-2008 @ 10:00AM
fistpittingnork said...
I haven't seen anything like this in OKC. It's hard to tell, and doesn't look like it from this pic, but are these in any way transparent? I really prefer to be able to see my milk.
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7-01-2008 @ 10:12AM
kassie said...
Hmmm, I buy my milk in glass returnable bottles. My husbands milk comes in paper cartons. Our soy milk all comes in paper cartons too. I don't think this will impact us at all.
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7-01-2008 @ 3:15PM
oisanteria said...
If you need to attend a class to learn how to pour milk into a container, you need to kill yourself before you end up reproducing or becoming president if you haven't already.
-oisanteria.com
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7-02-2008 @ 9:45AM
Leslie said...
When I was in grade school (1960s) a local dairy had milk in the bag inside a box (like wine) and it was awesome. We loved getting the frothy milk each morning in our glass. I'd love to have that option available again!
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7-03-2008 @ 9:33AM
bobby said...
These things are horrible to drink out of. I end up getting milk all down my chin and on my shirt.
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7-03-2008 @ 4:04PM
jmarsh said...
i'm never drinking milk again.
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7-04-2008 @ 1:58AM
Matt Z said...
One thing I dont' understand...
If they Dutch Boy can put a collapsable spout in their square paint cans...why can't they do it with these?
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7-07-2008 @ 2:26AM
leigh said...
Are they opaque!?!? I've been complaining about the transparent milk jugs for YEARS because the vitamins they fortify the milk with are light-sensitive and they sit in those fridges at the grocery stores under constant light until they are bought. If these are opaque, they make me want to snuggle Sam's Club and CostCo. I would buy em. (Yes, I get excited over weird things, as do most foodies I suppose) WANT!
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7-07-2008 @ 6:30AM
Skip said...
Jul 1st 2008 5:52PM CARDBOARD CARTONS?????
I haven't seen milk in a carton in 10 years...
Did I wake up in a time warp???
Is the new jug in the picture a single gallon???
SKIP
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7-10-2008 @ 4:45PM
lisa baer said...
We had a testing in our offices, our results are in-
See link
http://www.womeninpackaging.blogspot.com/
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