These Trickster Packaging Designs Were Filled With Broken Promises

6. Imagine Going for a Midnight Snack and Finding This Deceit

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One especially annoying example of big packaging manipulation is the cookie container trick. The ample measurements of the container initially point to a large number of cookies, maybe enough to fulfil several late-night appetites or share with family members. But when consumers open, they find a complex plastic construction meant mostly to generate empty space, housing just five biscuits. This discrepancy between real content and container size is not only unsatisfactory but also economically misleading and environmentally negligent. The too much plastic required to create this illusion not only adds to environmental waste but also costs the goods unnecessarily, which is eventually passed on to the consumer. While the manufacturer's approach may help to create first sales, this narrow view of packaging design always results in degraded brand reputation and lost customer loyalty. These dishonest behaviours rapidly become public knowledge in the era of social media and immediate information sharing, which results in long-lasting bad effects that could greatly affect the long-term viability of a business.