The original title of this post was: "When an idea slowly becomes obsolete". I was planning on writing about an idea I had to make it easier to carry those plastic grocery bags from the store. The bags become heavy and the handles cut into your hands causing some pain and reduced circulation. The obsolete part comes as more and more cities are beginning to ban the plastic bags due to the impact on our environment.
So, what happened? Well, my Google search for information on the idea led me to a place I did not want to go . . .
The dreaded website of the guy who not only beat me to it but has a product already out there for people!
His product, above, is called "Shopping/Grocery Bag Carrying Handle" - not a lot of creative naming there, but hey, at least he's in the market! If you don't want his handle, go to his main site - Wupen Walking Sticks - if you are a fan of walking sticks, he's got a couple of nice ones . . .
My idea was a little different. It was plastic and more of a half cylinder to cradle the bags. My customer was the grocery stores - they would buy these cheap and give them away to their customers as a service. In my wildest of dreams, this patent would become as prevalent and profitable as the coffee cup sleeves you get at Starbuck's. Haven't we all thought about retiring on that one?
So, is this idea obsolete? Are plastic grocery bags a dying breed? What do you think?
I could still go after this idea. You know, get my own unique patent and battle it out. I'll have to come up with a pretty good argument for the retailer as they work on pretty slim margins. I'll bet plastic grocery bags will be around for a while yet - after all, what will we use to clean up after the dog?
Hmmmm.
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