1) My segment is straw users worldwide, from restaurateurs to wholesale companies.
2) Simone Devane, Whitney Landsfor, Kim Gebhardt
3) Simone experiences this issue when she goes out to eat, the paper straws gets soggy but she does understand why it is being replaced from plastic straws. She says she need to deal with it but hates the soggy texture. Simone just deals with the issue and considering buying medal straw and keeping it in purse.
* Kim went to McDonald the other day to get a milkshake and Kim was upset and could not enjoy the milkshake because of the paper straw. Paper straws break apart in mouth and she would rather drink straight out of the cup. Kim was forced to use the straw even after complaining about it the whole milkshake, and she feels like the paper straw gets stuck to her lips. She would rather not use any straw rather than the paper straw and it made her McDonald experience, worse. Kim was upset that her cup was plastic, her top is plastic, but the paper straw is not the big fish. The paper straw does not serve the point, because the liquid is dissolving inside of the cup.
* Whitney states that she eats out twice a week and she almost never uses the paper straw. In fact, Whitney says she has a plastic straw inside of her purse just in case she needed to use it because she says the paper straw is gross and soggy. She experiences the issue twice a week and if she does not have her plastic straw handy, she throws away the straw given to her and the plastic lid provided with the cup just so she does not taste the paper straw.
4) All of my interviewers never use the straw, some claim to throw it away and waste the product itself. They either grab a straw of their own, or remove the lid and drink out of the cup straight.
5) What I learned in my interviews is that not only do the consumers hate the straw, but they are actually throwing away the straw wasting energy from the time it was made till it was thrown out. When our community wanted to end the plastic straws, they did not care about consumers opinion on the paper straws and now we are losing money rather than saving it.
6) Not only do I need to professionally design my invention, I need to start creating it soon to end the waste of straws that are never used. Clearly, there is not an improvement from the plastic straws and more plastic is being produced so not only do we need to recreate the straw, but also recreate the material plastic to make it less harmful to out environment and if that means putting an end to plastic forever, then I am for it.
Hey Mickel,
ReplyDeletein my previous comment I mentioned that I also hate paper straws. I am honestly not even surprised that Whitney brings plastic straws with her to restaurants, because paper straws ruin the whole drink for some people. I agree the quick change from plastic to paper straws was a little too quick for most consumers' liking. It ironically makes the rest of the plastic that is constantly used by restaurants seem worse.
Hey Mickel,
ReplyDeleteI really hate the paper straws too! It is impossible to use them for someone like me because I like to sip my drink slowly overtime rather than drink it quickly. However, I do believe paper straws are the best option for our environment right now. I know some places in Gainesville such as the restaurant Just Salad have bamboo straws, so this may be a better idea, even though they are a bit more expensive.