The Economics of Everyday Things
00:17:18 · Sergio Leite, Zachary Crockett, Stefan Habif
[00:17:18] S7: I worked many years on that in my life. That same nozzle, instead of carrying one color of toothpaste, it has multiple channels inside, separated by a wall. You run, let's say, green color. In other channels, the blue color. In other channels, the white color. And then the filling machine is able to fill at the same time those colors in the tube. We fill, and immediately that toothpaste has to stand still. It cannot be runny. It cannot move around. So you close the tube, you get your stripes inside. [00:17:54] S2: Even the toothpaste tube itself is the result of years of tinkering. From a sanitation standpoint, it's much better than those jars from the eighteen hundreds. But consumers still gripe a lot about not being able to get the last dabs of product out. Colgate spends a lot of time trying [00:18:12] S3: to minimize consumer waste. It is designed to make sure that you can get the most product out of your tube. In our laboratory, we're using pressure gloves that enables us to measure the force it takes to get the paste out. So we're able to design the right tube with the right paste with the right size orifice to be able to maximize the experience for the consumer. It's really important to make sure that everybody can do it. You might have somebody who has arthritis. You might have somebody with a different strength like a kid.
00:18:12 · Stefan Habif, Zachary Crockett
[00:18:12] S3: to minimize consumer waste. It is designed to make sure that you can get the most product out of your tube. In our laboratory, we're using pressure gloves that enables us to measure the force it takes to get the paste out. So we're able to design the right tube with the right paste with the right size orifice to be able to maximize the experience for the consumer. It's really important to make sure that everybody can do it. You might have somebody who has arthritis. You might have somebody with a different strength like a kid. [00:18:53] S2: Sergio Leite and Stefan Habif know that for most people, toothpaste is just another product in the bathroom cabinet, a commodity that could be easily replaced by their main competitor's product. But for them, it's also a marvel of engineering, science, and modern health. [00:19:12] S3: I would hope that people have a bit more respect for that little product that's there. You just put it at the bottom of your drawer. You don't think twice about it. There are many people, brilliant people, scientists, passionate people, people in the factory that have made this product just for you. And this product is a great contributor to your health and your well-being. So please be nice to it and use it with a bit of respect and love. [00:19:49] S2: For The Economics of Everyday Things, I'm Zachary Crockett. This episode was produced by me and Sarah Lilly and mixed by Jeremy Johnston. We had help from Daniel Moritz Rappson. And thanks to listeners Jeff Sawyer and Brian Minajee for suggesting this topic.
00:19:49 · Zachary Crockett, Peter Miskell, S5, S8, S6
[00:19:49] S2: For The Economics of Everyday Things, I'm Zachary Crockett. This episode was produced by me and Sarah Lilly and mixed by Jeremy Johnston. We had help from Daniel Moritz Rappson. And thanks to listeners Jeff Sawyer and Brian Minajee for suggesting this topic. [00:20:13] S4: I'm speaking to you from The UK, which I think we pride ourselves on being the home of bad teeth. We kind of invented a lot of these problems and exported them to the world. [00:20:26] S2: The Freakonomics Radio Network, the hidden side of everything. [00:20:32] S5: Who knew Walmart Business could help boutique bed and breakfasts elevate the guest experience? Teri knew. She uses Walmart Business to get the items she needs for all the properties she manages. [00:20:41] S8: I'm in charge of creating an amazing stay for every guest in 12 different properties, which I do through food. Like gluten free bagels for the hillside property or low sodium saltwater taffy for the Bayside one. [00:20:52] S5: And when she needs more than just groceries, Walmart business has her covered too. [00:20:55] S8: From mini fridges to mini shampoos, I can get it all in one place. [00:20:59] S5: It's Walmart, built for your business. [00:21:01] S6: Who knew?