Frustrated shopper calls out baffling product at craft store: 'Drives me nuts'

We've all encountered useless products at the store, but some are worse than others. One Redditor was frustrated with the material they found at a craft store and shared their experience on r/Anticonsumption.

What's happening?

The user posted a photo with the title "The craft stores are at it again."

The image showed a clear plastic bag full of pine cones. In the background, you can see other seasonal holiday decoration materials.

The product seems simple and obvious, but according to the original poster, that's exactly the problem. "Instead of encouraging people to go touch some grass, we'll just put something people can pick up from the side of the road in a single use plastic bag and charge $$ for them," they said. "They didn't even go through the effort to put that overpowering cinnamon scent on them."

Some commenters pointed out that this could have been for sale because pine cones aren't readily available outdoors in the area, but the original poster shot that idea down in a comment. "I'm in Michigan," they said. "We live in the city, but you can literally go to any given park to find pinecone. I get that some people don't live in pinecone climates, but the fact that so many stores have them around here is crazy."

Why is this product a problem?

As the original poster pointed out, pine cones are available for free to anyone willing to go outside and pick them up. Selling them encourages buyers to waste money.

Should companies be required to help recycle their own products?

Definitely 👍

No way 👎

It depends on the product 🤔

They should get tax breaks instead 💰

Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

Beyond that, the plastic bag itself is an issue. It's a problem for the buyer to get rid of the excess packaging, and plastic is a pollutant that disintegrates into microplastics in the environment or emits methane in a landfill. Left where wildlife could find it, it could be ingested by an animal or a creature could get stuck in it, or it could trap water and breed mosquitoes.

Of course, the real problem isn't just one plastic bag. The real problem is the innumerable plastic bags that are sold every year as packaging for millions of unnecessary products. The damage adds up.

What could the company do about this?

If a craft store is going to sell pine cones, it could at least sell them in biodegradable packaging, like paper bags or cardboard boxes. This would be a viable option for areas where pine cones aren't readily available and for clients who are unable to gather their own. Alternatively, since this is a creative brand, it could lean into its clients' interests and use packaging that can be repurposed, such as boxes or cloth bags printed with directions to turn it into its own craft project.

What can I do about plastic waste?

As always, the best way to reduce plastic waste is to avoid buying plastic products and products wrapped in plastic. If you want to use pine cones, the ideal way to get them is from under a pine tree.