Half a croissant, on a plate, with a sign in front of it saying '50c'
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E-Z Off Straw Wrappers

Unwrap these straws with one pull.
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THE PROBLEM

Unwrapping a drink straw can be strangely difficult. There are a bunch of different methods, but these are probably the two most popular:

1) You can tear the wrapper off using both hands 2) You can bang one end against a hard surface to break the other end free (my success rate here is about 80%, and I usually do this when I only have one free hand to unwrap the straw)

The worst part of unwrapping a straw is when you have people waiting behind you at a movie theater counter, or a Starbucks, and the wrapper just won't come off easily. Moreover, your hands are dry, which makes it especially hard to grasp the tiny edges of the straw wrapper. Eventually you get it, but not before the wrapper is ripped into three or four pieces.

THE SOLUTION

If they placed a red pull tab (like you often see on packs of gum) that you could use as your fail safe "go-to method" it would make straw unwrapping a little easier. The other methods would still work, but this would be just one extra way to unwrap a staw.

thefullrob, Mar 14 2005

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       I thought the proper procedure was to open one end, wait until an annoying person is in range, and then blow through the straw to remove the wrapper.
supercat, Mar 14 2005
  

       You're not talking about paper-wrapped straws, are you?
contracts, Mar 14 2005
  

       I'm talking about both paper and plastic wrapped straws. I admit that it's not a very big problem, but I still think there could be an easier method to unwrapping a straw. Personally, I like it best when the straws are in a dispenser and already unwrapped.
thefullrob, Mar 14 2005
  

       I think that you're looking at the problem the wrong way. Perhaps it would be better to graft or grow on the top lip of any regular fast food consumer a lip extension incorporating a permanent plastic straw, so that all the consumer need to do get at his 400 fl oz coca cola is shut his or her mouth and suck like billyo. This elimination of the unwrap stress will indubitably make the world a calmer place and waste from straws will be almost completely eliminated.
calum, Mar 14 2005
  
      
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