Have you tried to buy a toothbrush lately?
I had to buy one today, so off I went to my local supermarket, wandered past the "bananas" (which are where Dave said they would be!)and then arrived at the wall of toothbrushes. Staring at the stacked display of Reaches, Whiteners, Brighteners, Tartar Controllers, Gum Massager's and Maxi Flexers I began to get really stressed out; I had "toothbrush claustrophobia."
Why do I have to have such a large number of toothbrushes to choose from? My supermarket had 51 different types (yes I counted!) It's just a bloody toothbrush! Surely they all do much the same thing?
It's not liberating to have such a wide range of toothbrushes to pick from, is a bloody pain. Not to mention the 83 different shampoos, 68 shower gels, 42 deodorants, 77 washing powders, and 87 breakfast cereals I have to choose from.
If this an effect, what the hell was the cause? Is there really a market amongst us consumers for that many flavors, colors, and sizes of toothbrushes? Or is it more to do with bored marketers who get their jollies by blindly rolling out ever more products?
I remember hearing someone once say that in today's society, we have to make more decisions in a single day than a caveman did in a lifetime. And by giving us such a wide variety of products to pick from, each choice tends to be laboured and time consuming as a result. And that is just at the supermarket.
Anyone else have the same experience to me?
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