No Use Crying Over Spilled Milk

The proper way to pour the new milk jug.

Photo: Courtesy of Sam's Club

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A newly designed gallon milk jug is being sold in Wal-Mart, Costco and Sam's Club stores — to mixed reviews, the New York Times reports. This new milk carton is square and its spout is flat; it's a bit easier on the earth, but harder to pour.

Typically, a milk jug travels to your grocery store in crates, because the shape of the jug does not allow for stacking. These crates are heavy, take up extra room and must be washed after each use. They are also left in the delivery truck after the milk is dropped off, forcing the truck to make an extra trip back to the dairy. The new milk jugs are designed to eliminate the need for a crate and to allow truckers to store more milk in each truck, saving on fuel. With no crates, no water is needed for washing and no fuel for the extra trip. Because the new process is less labor intensive and more streamlined, milk also arrives to the store quicker, giving the customers a fresher glass of milk.

In the current economy, where food prices are consistently going up, the new milk jugs are a welcome surprise: on average they are 10 to 20 cents cheaper.

What's the downside? The stores promoting these new milk jugs are having a bit of a hard time convincing their customers that these jugs are worth the initial spills they might cause, due to their different shape and spout. Some stores are even showing their customers how to pour correctly: slowly.

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