A photo from Whole Foods of plastic containers of pre-peeled oranges on sale caused a Twitterstorm.
There are some major inconveniences in life.
Then there are created “first-world problems” so ridiculously absurd that people sometime decide they have simply had enough.
The latter was the case when Whole Foods, a grocery store I don’t typically shop in, posted photos of oranges on sale for $6 per pound.
And yes, the oranges were packaged individually in environmentally-unfriendly plastic containers because they were pre-peeled. Twitter user Nathalie Gordon posted a photo and a perfect tongue-in-cheek response:
If only nature would find a way to cover these oranges so we didn't need to waste so much plastic on them. pic.twitter.com/00YECaHB4D
— Nathalie Gordon (@awlilnatty) March 3, 2016
I have to agree. They even make a simple plastic tool with an oddly-shaped end to make peeling an orange easier. But as long as the orange is in that thick peel that God put around them, the fruit is protected.
After Gordon posted her comment, something truly remarkable happened.
Whole Foods decided to respond…by ditching the idea.
“These have been pulled. We hear you, and we will leave them in their natural packaging: the peel,” the chain tweeted.
Some people were offended by the criticism and promptly criticized it, claiming there are people who have conditions like rheumatoid arthritis who may well have difficulty peeling an orange.
But Whole Foods was ready for that response, too:
“Orange and tangerine slices have long been a staple favorite in our stores, and we’ll continue to offer them along with other sliced produce options for customers who are looking for added convenience,” Whole Foods Market Senior Media Relations Specialist Liz Burkhart said.
I’m not sure what percentage of Whole Foods customers have arthritis or any other condition that makes peeling an orange difficult. I suspect, however, that the percentage is probably low, because I suspect that many of the people who have arthritis are older and, therefore, more likely to be on a fixed income. For people on a fixed income, paying $6 per pound for pre-peeled oranges would have to be weighed against paying the ever-increasing bills for the various medications they are prescribed for their various ailments.
Suddenly those $6-per-pound oranges don’t look so attractive even to those who’d genuinely benefit from them.
That’s a guess on my part, of course. I don’t have arthritis…at least, not yet. But even if I did, I wouldn’t even consider paying that much for oranges. The pre-sliced variety, or even orange juice (with pulp) would have a much better shot of making my grocery list.
But maybe that’s just me.
Can anything get worse than THIS?!
Sometimes we face issues that are truly issues – better safety performance on technology, such as cars, airplanes,etc., or faster methods of communication, which we seem to have now. But pre-peeled oranges, buried in plastic? That is insane. Utterly, completely insane. The height of laziness. I know some few might struggle with an orange, but how many can that be? And why wouldn’t those few obtain that tool to use? Really, this isn’t the real issue. The real issue is using MORE plastic!