For all of the jokes about kids and teenagers eating laundry detergent packets for the “Tide Pod Challenge,” nothing is funny about how devastating and deadlyOpens in a new tab consuming detergent can be. It was a fad we hope isn’t about to make a return. And while we don’t know if Procter & Gamble is trolling us, or if they somehow failed to learn anything from the entire Tide Pod fiasco, their newest product absolutely looks like a box of wine.
Twitter wasOpens in a new tab quick to jump all over the obvious (seemingly to everyone except the company who makes it) look of Tide’s new Eco-Box, a “liquid laundry detergent designed for eCommerce.” Meant to be easily mailed to consumers “in a sealed, shipping-safe cardboard box,” it comes with a “sealed bag of ultra-compacted Tide” detergent, a more potent–and therefore more dangerous–detergent. Just like Tide Pods.hmmm looks familiar https://t.co/AsZpD7C1EGOpens in a new tab pic.twitter.com/ypmVaOtscZOpens in a new tab
— Sallee Ann (@salleeannruibal) November 8, 2018Opens in a new tab
Even the descriptionOpens in a new tab of how to use it sounds just like a box of wine:
To use, a perforated cardboard flap is peeled off to reveal a dosing cup and a new “no-drip†twist tap. To make dosing simpler on flat surfaces, the box includes a pull-out stand to raise the height of the box so the cup fits easily beneath the tap.
I’ll take one on the rocks https://t.co/gDXwzZAvLOOpens in a new tab
— Jacob Shamsian (@JayShams) November 12, 2018Opens in a new tab
Now in fairness to Procter & Gamble, detergent already comes in big, plastic bottles with spouts. Also the company’s motives seem to be sincere, both from a business sense and environmentally, as this product is ostensibly better for the environment.
The box of liquid @tideOpens in a new tab detergent contains 30% less H2O and is 4 lbs less than the regular 96-load jug and uses 60% less plastic. It’s good 4 the environment because it sends less packaging to landfills and it’s 33% lighter, consumes less fuel to ship. @ProcterGambleOpens in a new tab @EnquirerOpens in a new tab
— Alex Coolidge (@alexcoolidge) November 8, 2018Opens in a new tab
And yet….
I’ve never wanted to do anything as much as I want to fucking chug detergent out of this Franzia box https://t.co/LJiQre3WepOpens in a new tab
— Ryan Broderick (@broderick) November 12, 2018Opens in a new tab
Place this on a table next to a bowl of Tide Pods and it starts to look like a wine and candy buffet line. https://t.co/gs0rlMTqnTOpens in a new tab
— Michael Brown (@mdavidbrown) November 12, 2018Opens in a new tab
Read the room, you know? We really don’t want to hear a story about someone ending up in the hospital because they got drunk and accidentally tried to polish off a Box-o-Tide. Can’t Tide come up with a way to make their products appealing instead of appetizing?Do you think this is a good idea gone bad, or does this seem like a dirty way to capitalize on a past problem? Clean up our comments section with your thoughts.
Images: Procter & Gamble
