I love Marmite. I love the Marmite jar. I love peanut butter. I detest the Sun Pat peanut butter jar. Why the difference?
Well firstly I should ask what the similarity is. The similarity is that they are both almost impossible to empty completely with a knife because of their shape.
What is the difference?
The Marmite jar is iconic. It has been the shape it has since the 1920s and derives from the shape of the original pot which was an small earthenware pot, similar in shape to the kind of French casserole dish called a 'Marmite' (pronounced MAR-MEET). I had always assumed that this was where Marmite obtained its name but the Marmite website simply says that this may be where Marmite gets its name from.
Back to the point. The Marmite jar was conceived long before the idea was ever likely to have entered the mind of a marketing guru that there could be difficulties getting the last of the contents out of the jar. Indeed recently the Company introduced an ‘upside down’ squeezy jar with the specific objective of getting the contents out of the jar more easily.
On the other hand the Sun Pat jar is relatively recent. If my memory serves me correctly Sun Pat peanut butter originally came in a slightly tapered jar which was wider at the top than the bottom. More recently the jar you see above was introduced. A jar which it is almost impossible to empty with a knife. Think about it. If you create a jar which when thrown away (or cleaned for recycling) still has, say, 2% of its contents inside then that creates a percentage increase in sales equal to the amount left in the jar. Or to be exact the difference between the amount left in the new jar and the amount left in a jar which can be emptied to a greater degree.
OK so this was a pretty arcane posting. But it doesn’t alter the fact that I just don’t like the new Sun Pat peanut butter jar. So why do I buy it? Because the Coop where I shop doesn’t sell its own brand. Perhaps I’ll start going to Tesco for their home brand.
