Going for Closure

There are so many choices in life. At the grocery checkout, you have to answer the question, “Paper or Plastic.” At the Drive-Thru, “Do you want to supersize your order of fries?” Then there’s “Coke or Pepsi? White wine or red?” Some choices are life-changing. Some are made as a matter of course. Some choices are made without even knowing it. 

One of the big decisions retailers have to make is about a very tiny, inexpensive product component. It’s a little thing that is a $10-million-a-year business. The question is, “twist tie or plastic clip?” According to a Bloomberg BusinessWeek article, “Twist-Ties vs. Plastic Clips: Tiny Titans Battle For The Grocery Aisle,” the rivalry has been going on for half a century. 

It’s unlikely that a customer would choose a product solely because of what is used to seal the bag. The Arnold Bread Company made the switch from plastic clip to twist tie to meet customer preferences. It’s also a way to save money  Plastic clips will set you back a whopping $2.15 per thousand. Twist ties are a bargain at only $0.80 per thousand.

The bag clip was created in California and was first applied to bags of apples by hand. The company, KwikLok, still the largest producers of plastic clips developed automated machinery to apply the clips. Bedford Industries in Minnesota is the largest producer of twist ties. Their salesmen work hard to convince retailers to use one type of closure over another, but both agree they will probably continue to be rivals for a long time.

So, which is better? According to a salesman for Bedford, twist ties give a tighter closure and are better for bread packages, keeping bread fresher. Twist ties can be more difficult to untwist, or to figure out which way to twist them to get them open. Who hasn’t twisted away at a bread wrapper only to discover you’ve made tighter? The paper covering is easy to grab and manipulate when it’s flat, but once it curls around the little wire inside it can be tough to open and close.

Plastic clips seem to be the choice for rolls and buns. The plastic ties have more surfaces to grab and stay flat use after use. If the plastic is too sturdy, though, it can be tough to manipulate around the plastic bag opening. Bag size has an impact on getting a good close. If there are gaps in the bag, food won’t be as fresh. Also, the edges of the plastic clip can tear bags, further hampering a tight close.

With so many important decisions in everyday life it hardly seems worth taking any time at all to ponder the question, “twist-tie or clip?” It’s not the product, but what it can do. The article didn’t give the reasons why customers preferred the twist tie on Arnold’s bread. But listening to a customer on little things can make a big difference to sales and customer satisfaction. And that’s not a little thing at all.

Photo Source: Evan-Amos / Wikimedia