What is the purpose of a personal blog if not for ranting about inconsequential things that I find mildly annoying?

I’ve noticed a change in the plastic lids that cover the drinks the past couple of times that I got takeout from McDonalds. They appear to be a combination of the two types of lids you used to get at McDonalds — one for soda and one for coffee.

The result is, in my opinion, inferior to the original separate designs. I think I understand what they’re trying to do, to reduce waste by creating one type of lid that can handle all types of drinks. However, I’ve found the design to be lacking in two ways, both of which are very minor, easily overcome, and probably far outweighed by whatever benefits McDonalds and the world at large gains from it.

But I’m going to complain anyway.

Gripe #1: Stackability

Typically, I’m grabbing breakfast for Kim and I at McDonalds, which usually involves either coffees or orange juices or one of each. I don’t like to ask for a drink carrier at the drive-thru window because I can easily hold both cups in one hand by stacking them on top of each other and carefully gripping both cups while waking to the house. This worked pretty well.

Until now.

The new design of the cup lid includes a raised part near the edge of the lid, preventing the cups from stacking neatly.

This is slightly more difficult to carry around with one hand than the previous design.

Gripe #2: Symmetry

The old cup lid design, the one made for sodas, had a hole for the straw to slide in that was centered. This meant that there was no “front” or “back” to the cup; it was symmetrical and therefore ready to pick up and begin drinking through the straw, which was easily accessible in the center of the cup.

Now, you have to know which way the cup is facing before you take a drink, meaning you may have to manually rotate the cup to make sure the straw is accessible before you begin drinking.

How much anguish and turmoil were we spared by the original lid design by placing the straw hole in the center of the lid? What troubles await us in these harsh times ushered in by unwanted product design changes?

Conclusion

In conclusion, I felt like writing something in my blog on a rainy Sunday morning and this was the first thing I thought of. I don’t really care too much about the design of the lids on McDonalds drink cups.

But I don’t completely not care about it…