23.01.03 The Times reported " American group Tupperware is to cut nearly 1,700 jobs as it closes its UK party sales business. The Orlando-based business is to concentrate on selling directly to shops or through alliance agreements with other businesses in the UK, rather than through parties in people's homes, the BBC reported. The move means 1,500 Tupperware demonstrators, 160 managers and 20 distributors will lose their jobs."
This reminded me that as a child my mother had dragged me a number of Tupperware parties and I wondered why the product has ever been sold in such an odd manner. I soon was engulfed in more junk facts about Tupperware than I ever wanted to know. For example Earl Tupper invented it and in 1946 his first consumer plastic products the 'Wonderlier Bowl' and 'Bell Tumbler'. I love those 1940s names.
According to www.tupperware.com: tupperware brand products marked the "start of a revolutionary post-war period in history. For 50 years, Tupperware brand products have closely followed rollercoaster trends from the suburban movement to the 60's feminist revolution to '90s "cocooning" continually adding a unique organizational touch to the lives and kitchens across the nation." Oh, ok, as long as plastic food storage containers played a huge part in social history.
"Despite their breakthrough nature, Tupper's products didn't sell well in retail outlets, primarily because consumers needed demonstrations in order to understand how they worked." At this point you start dispairing for humanity. I would have thought that putting the food in the box, thus dispensing with "unsightly open packages", then closing the lid was pretty basic.
In response to people finding this apparently simple task too taxing the first Tupperware Home Party was held in 1948 and by 1951 the "Tupperware Home Demonstration system" was working so well that all Tupperware products were taken off store shelves to be distributed in this manner. "The direct sales demonstration was a welcome diversion for women, whose involvement in the community mostly revolved around their family."
Selling Tupperware products via the party sales method was an appealing career for these women." No, it was one of the only careers available after the war ended. It sounds a depressing existence selling Tupperware, especially when your sales pack reads: "backyard barbecues became a favorite way for families and neighbors to spend leisure time. The new Tupperware products answered needs created by this popular pastime. The Party Bowl kept macaroni and egg salads fresh and cold outdoors, while The Pie Taker provided easy transportation for homemade desserts. The Dip 'N Serve Serving Tray functioned much the same way, making it simple to get chips and dip to and from the backyard or the picnic site." I am concerned that they have to spell out the uses for their products, and who comes up with these names? The Pie Taker sounds like a corny tabloid nickname for someone who steals from bakeries.
"The '60s were times of social upheaval with the family undergoing social changes... women actively pursued career opportunities and Tupperware filled the ensuing product niche with...the Traveling Desk, Drawer Organizers, and the Plastic Carrying Case." I am intreged, how does the Travelling Desk travel? Does it commute on a train or have little wheels?
Tupperware then branched out in kid's toys, so now you could fob your kid off with a lump of plastic made of the same stuff he was going to eat his TV dinner off of. Apparently the "Shape-O toy" - I kid you not - was"a fun-yet-educational design which challenged each stage of a child's development from functioning as a rattle for infants to promoting eye-hand coordination in toddlers.
Tupperware also kept pace with changing palates by offering storage products like the 'Mix 'N Stor Container' and the Tortilla Keeper for serving "ethnic dishes." Very PC.
"A career in Tupperware offered these new entrants to the workforce a flexible way to earn money and spend time with their children." For anyone who believed this statement and inflicted Tupperware parties upon their kids - I hate you.
In keeping with the "fast-paced '80s" the 'TupperWave Stack Cooker' was designed to make a "three-course meal for four in the microwave in 30 minutes allowing a busy population to have traditional family dinners." At least my mum did not buy one of those at the numerous Tupperware parties she went to. Honestly I don't know exactly what she bought as all plastic retangular boxy things look the same despite the fancy names.
The 1990's trends "reflected a renewed emphasis on the home and traditional comforts such as home-cooked meals" so Tupperware give us more stupidly named products all "made with Tupperware's signature quality and ingenuity." So we get the 'Peeler Plus', the 'Coffee House Set' and the Double Colander which combined "traditional kitchenware with a '90s sophisticated savvy." This is like the Cherokee Hair Tampons on South Park, all hype, completely useless, overpriced and if you think about it for a second really really gross.
By 1992 "nearly half of all Tupperware consultants held full-time jobs in addition to selling Tupperware products." I do not see this as being a good thing, it means they are so despirate for money they still have to sell plastic boxes as well as working 9 till 5!
The company introduced "Value for Time" classes and "Custom Kitchen Planning" demonstrations, "where customers learned about microwave cooking and food preparation, as well as ways to save money on their grocery bills, valuable cabinet space and time." My only response to this is that people are stupid.
Tupperware now reaches nearly 100 markets around the world, offering culturally distinct items such as the Kimchi Keeper, the Kimono Keeper and the Japanese Bento Box very PC. Additionally the Tupperware Corporation is a $1.1 billion multinational company which also sells "premium beauty, skin care, and nutritional supplement products" via it's 'Beauticontrol' (sic) franchise.
A more recent attempt to convince you to buy Tupperware is the current article on their site entitled "Heat up Your Valentine's Day with a Romantic Meal at Home. Valentine's Day is about love and romance. But often people become so preoccupied with everyday life that they find themselves scrambling at the last minute to cook the perfect meal and buy the perfect gift. Chef Tom Colicchio of New York City's Gramercy Tavern presents easy and practical plan-ahead strategies for your romantic Valentine's Day meal" which involves Tupperware!
Ann Summers' spokesman Kevin Barnes said he was keen to sign up any redundant Tupperware ladies. "Anyone who used to work for Tupperware is welcome to join Ann Summers. Our parties are very popular indeed and a unique experience." It would cetainly be a change of scene.
