Shifts in technology and cultural
evolution often change what sorts of products are relevant at any
given time. Normally this is seen in fashion trends or the kinds of
electronics we use. Digital media, smartphones and cloud computing
have made plenty of things obsolete in the last few years. People
these days are using less paper than ever. But this doesn't just
apply to offices. It's also beginning to have an interesting impact
on the kitchen, and a product most of us would consider a household
staple- the paper napkin.
A recent marketing study found that
only 56 percent of consumers purchased paper napkins in the last six
months, as opposed to 86 percent for paper towels. The logic is
simple: many of us, especially in younger demographics, realize there
is nothing paper napkins do that paper towels can't. So why get both?
Paper towels will remain an essential part of every household until
the day we no longer spill anything. Turns out we can wipe our greasy
fingers and mouths on them too. Instead of spending our money and
kitchen space on a product with limited use, we're getting more
utility out of something we all stock up on.
Nobody is lamenting the fall of the
paper napkin in homes. We aren't eating at home as much and we're
sitting around the table even less. Even on the rare occasions when
we have friends over for a proper dinner party, paper napkins have
never been in fashion. Any event worth breaking out the nice flatware
calls for cloth napkins instead. In fact, paper napkins only became
popular in the 50s since they were cheap and disposable as opposed to
cloth napkins that needed to be washed and ironed. Nowadays,
disposable cloth napkins are a thing too.
Style experts view paper napkins the
way audiophiles treat cassette tapes- inferior to vinyl records
despite their popularity and hardly sad to see them go. So the next
time you run out of napkins and question if you really need to
restock, you're not alone. It's all right to double down on paper
towels instead.
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