I’ve been using the same brand of tissue paper for years.

Recently I noticed the price had gone up. At the same time, the rolls looked thicker. My first reaction was to defend it: maybe they compressed two rolls into one, maybe it lasts longer, maybe it’s thoughtful packaging.

But once I started using it, I realized it wasn’t “thicker.” It was inflated. Full of lint and air. One pull and it exploded into confetti dust in the air, flakes on the floor. Because it was softer, I ended up using more each time, and it still didn’t feel clean. In the end, I paid more, enjoyed less, and worked harder.

A few days later, I bought a pack of TimTam I hadn’t touched in a while. The moment I opened it, something felt off. The plastic tray inside had changed. The center divider was thicker. The box that used to fit ten biscuits now held nine.

It was well designed. I’m sure there’s a perfectly reasonable explanation prepared somewhere. But I stood there for a second thinking haven’t we seen this trick before? Didn’t we already live through this twenty years ago? Why does history feel like it’s replaying itself?

The disappointment came quietly.

Because what gets consumed is not just quantity. It is trust. It is that faint expectation that at least the brand would be straightforward.

The most sophisticated part of a consumption trap is not that it deceives you. It’s that before you even realize it, you have already defended it on its behalf.



—— XC Scribbles · 壹佰壹拾肆 CXIV 🧻