What are some package design features that you have discovered only recently, but which seem obvious in retrospect?

Ketchup bottles that are flat on the bottom and allow the ketchup toexit freely from the bottle.

Dish detergent bottles that don’t need to be flipped over, just open the bottom and squeeze.

Automobile gas caps are no longer needed – the door that opens on side of the car acts as a gas cap.

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Now if only the could invent self-sharpening pencils.

@elbanditoroso
You can just use mechanical pencils. They also have the advantage of not drawing thicker lines the longer you use them without sharpening.

Mechanical pencil ‘lead’ is too brittle and breaks too easily, because it doesn’t have the wood supporting in from flexing, like a pencil does. I’ve tried them.

edited spelling

I actually made the opposite observation.
With all the wooden pencils that I used, I constantly had the problem of the graphite tip just falling out, because the graphite had fractured within the shaft.
That was especially infuriating when the tip fell out right after sharpening (which happened quite often, too)

Covid tests often come with a feature that allows you to push a vial through the cardboard box, having it standing up for ease of inserting the sample. I realized this after I’d used at least twenty athome tests.

If you like that little spike…buy some Elmex toothpaste and have your mind blown.

The tubes don’t have the directions on it? I never read the direction on how to open, because I know to poke the hole with the cap, my mom taught me that when I was a child, but I’m assuming there is directions too.

I can’t think of anything recently, but I was really glad when mayonnaise, ketchup, and mustard went to squeeze bottles. Many of them have flat caps to turn them upside down so the condiment is ready to quickly squeeze out, but I don’t like to store them upside down, because I think it’s an accident waiting to happen. I only put it upside down when it’s the last couple of times, to get the last bits.

Oreo cookies now have a resealable feature that you can access the cookies without pulling other the plastic tray. It’s much better than it used to be. The English muffins I like have a similar feature now.

Don’t know how to explain it without a picture. But there is a particular cardboard carton (that usually holds shelf stable milk, broth or soup), that has a small cap that you turn to open.

It took me about two packages to realize that there is a serrated thing under the cap that pierces the foil when you turn the cap.

I threw out two boxes thinking the package had been tampered with. Ha!

Did a quick google and found a Reddit thread on this type of seal. :P

I bought a short electrical connection recently that was unnecessarily encased in thick impenetrable plastic.

I recently gave my daughter both my Bose headphones while on a vacation. I haven’t gotten them back yet and was ready to purchase new Bluetooth headphones for hiking or the gym. I found a pair of Jabra Elites that I have had for years that came with something.
I used them and was pleasantly surprised at the sound quality and control options.
Much to my surprise they had a nice little case to hold them. Turns out it is a charging case too.
Brilliant!