Saturday, February 18, 2012

Out of Kleenex

I'm not exaggerating, I'll bet I spent ten minutes trying to find simple white Kleenex.  Facing me was a grocery aisle of colored boxes and a variety of prices.  There were the......

  • Everyday Tissues.  Soft, strong and absorbent.  Perfect to have on hand.  Available in a variety of sizes and colors.
  • Cool Touch Tissues.  The only tissue that releases a cool sensation to soothe a sore nose.
  • Ultra Soft Tissues.  For colds, allergies and noses that just want extra comfort.
  • Lotion Tissues.  Softness with a delightful touch of lotion.....this one is the most soothing tissue.
  • Expressions Tissues.  Unique box designs to help decorate any room of any home.  Choice of 10 box designs. 
  • Anti-Viral Tissues.  Specially treated middle layer that kills 99% of cold and flu viruses in the tissue within 15 minutes.  
Wait.  There's more........  

The new Auto Pack Everyday Tissue, perfectly packaged to fit in the door pocket or wedged between the seats or visor.  These come in three everyday box styles, the Brooklyn, the Harlem, the Manhattan, and the Soho. 

The Ultra Soft Tissues, for those times you need a little extra TLC, come in 8 box designs, Blooms Hydrangea, Blooms Hosta, Blooms Lilac, Blooms Daffodil, Blooms Rose, Ogee Birch, Ogee Hydrangea, and Ogee Earth.  The Bloom boxes are floral designs, the Ogee boxes are curvy swirly designs.       


The Lotion Tissues, when you have the sniffles and sneezes and your nose gets sore, also come in 8 box designs, the Water Lily Dune, Water Lily Blush, Water Lily Frost, Water Lily Daylight, Water Lily Iris, Ebb and Flow Dune, Ebb and Flow Moss, and Ebb and Flow Frost.

The Expressions Tissues, designed to make a strong decorating statement, comes to us in 10 natty patterns, the It's a Hoot (an owl), Lace, Hexahedron, Electric Daisies #3, Spectrum, Leaf It To Me, Fantasy Avenue, Noir, Pixels, and Hopscotch.

The Anti-Viral Tissues are available in only 4 designs, Looking Glass Azure, Looking Glass Leaf, Looking Glass Hyacinth, and Looking Glass Honey.

It gets even wilder...........we can go to www.kleenex.com and actually design our own box of Kleenex.  How flamboyant is that.

Grocery shopping can be frustrating for those of us over sixty.  Many, like me, are not ever going to waste our money on a pretty box of kleenex.  All we want is something to blow our noses in and toss in the waste basket.

P.S.  One piece of personal experience advice:  The Lotion Tissue is not the one to clean your eye glasses with.  It will smudge and smear your lenses till hell won't have it.

Timeline of the Kleenex

1920s - Up until now there was no such thing as a facial tissue, until Kleenex came up with a way for women to remove cold cream from their faces.  Kleenex was born on June 12, 1924.
1930s - Kleenex Company received umpteen letters from consumers saying that the facial tissues worked great for colds.  This meant that both men and women could benefit from the Kleenex.  The company responded, and that was pretty much the end of the handkerchief.
1940s - Paper restrictions during World War II limited tissue production, but not the spirit of the company.  During the war, they used the same tissue material for sterile dressings for our wounded soldiers.
Little Lulu
1950s - After the war, America entered an era of optimism.  Celebrities and innovative leaders endorsed Kleenex.  Even Little Lulu became part of their advertising campaign.
1960s - To stay on top of the game, Kleenex moved their CBS advertising from evening to daytime programming to coincide with daytime television popularity.
1970s - Kleenex introduced new styles and designs to keep up with latest trends.
1980s  - Kleenex Brand celebrated its 60th birthday.  It introduced its first scented tissue and the Bundle Pack.
1990s - Popular specialty packages brought new line of Expressions.
2000 - Kleenex now being used in over 150 countries.

Until my Mother's dying day, she preferred the lady's pretty hankies that were washed so many times the edges frayed off.  God bless her soul for teaching me, by example, to choose the no-nonsense approach to life.