Water bottleling company's R&D team...

[irwin]

from Mercurycenter (http://www0.mercurycenter.com/columnists/actionline/docs/action24.htm)
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Q Calistoga reduced the size of its delivery bottles from six gallons to five, but kept the same price. When I called to complain, the phone reps kept reassuring me that my cost did not increase. They simply would not admit the price of the water went up. To me, this is very misleading.
J.B.
Los Gatos

A The company doesn't dispute that its price per gallon has risen. ``It would be hard to change the container and keep that price the same,'' said Calistoga spokeswoman Jane Lazgin. The company claims to have put "three years of research and development" into the redesigned bottle.

All delivery customers were sent a letter announcing the change, Lazgin said. The decrease in size was mentioned, but Calistoga's marketing folks chose to stress the improved ergonomics of the new bottle, instead of the fact that customers would get 17 percent less product for their money. S.C.
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LOL! Since when does it take THREE years to develop a new shape for holding water?!

[ProMinx]

Well what else would a Calistoga R&D specialist really do with 3 years? "Umm...we could...nevermind"

[ArkiStan]

ever since the new ergonomic calistoga bottle was introduced into the market, there was a great reduction in the number of incidents where I accidently stick the bottle up my nose. It stings for a long itme when you get water up your nose.

[TheLoneGunman]

Originally posted by ProMinx
Well what else would a Calistoga R&D specialist really do with 3 years?

Design a pen that could travel to the moon!

[BrewMaster]

That has to be one of the most boring jobs ever! Just sit there with a piece of paper and pen and say, "uh, how about this shape?"

What I really wonder is what they were doing before those three years. Prior to this new bottle shape, those water bottles were the same size for probably the last 20 years. I think it took 'em 20 years just to find project for the R&D team.