You can buy workable plastic containers with sealable lids everywhere for a few bucks each (ie Rubbermaid etc). Why are “Tupperware” containers considerably more expensive?
It’s almost like they’re the eqivalent of “Snap-On” tools (good quality and well engineered but very expensive tools that sell directly to mechanics out of a franchise owner’s van/track) for the kitchen.
This is what I mean
http://order.tupperware.com/coe/app/coe$www.welcome
Are they really that much better than the others?
You may not be old enough to recall that it was the only game in town at one time.
And the Tupperware party had the same problem as the Kirby vacuum cleaner - too many layers on the multi-tiered marketing structure, all getting a thick percentage added to each sale.
Now that the rest of the world has discovered people want storage bins, they are still riding their decades-long reputation with their customers. Must be nice.
Sorry, SotM, I don’t think it is that simple. There is a difference in quality. (Please note that I am not a Tupperware Distributor).
Now, I am not sure that the difference in quality is pronounced enough to justify the extra cost… or if my leftovers are important enough to spend that much money.
But there is a difference, both in how sturdy they are and, more noticably, how they resist stains.
Here at least, the majority of Tupperware™ comes with a lifetime guarantee.
Tupperware™ still manages to introduce new concept stuff about 6 months ahead of it becoming available in the major chain stores. The concepts mightn’t be totally original, they might have been around in exclusive, specialist stores for a while, but Tupperware™ is often the first to introduce them to a mainstream market at an “affordable” price.
It’s sold in a primarily social setting, and you have several weeks in which to pay for your purchase (this point has been stressed repeatedly at every Tupperware party I’ve attended, as has how many more $ in sales the hostess needs to get the next level of “thank you” gift).
And let’s not forget the convenience of having all of this stuff brought to your door.
I don’t personally believe that any of these things justify the price of Tupperware™, but they do to some extent explain why consumers are willing to pay the asking price (and it’s that willingness which allows the company to charge what they do). Consumers might realise that a huge amount of the cost price is going to pay commissions, but for the time being at least there’s a perception that the “added value” they receive makes paying the asking price worthwhile.
BTW - did anyone see the Oprah programme where she promoted a low-cost alternative to Tupperware™? Wonder what impact that will have on their sales.
Oh yeah - I own a Tupperware™ lunch cooler bag and one of their vegetable peelers, both of which were over-priced but of designs which are only now hitting the large retail chains. I don’t own any of their containers : 1) because I suspect they breed when you aren’t looking, and 2) because I don’t like the idea of storing my food in one of the few things likely to survive a nuclear holocaust.
And don’t forget – you can “burp” tupperware. That only has to be worth a little bit more money.
A couple of updates:
I can’t verify this is true since my wife does all the cooking, but she swears that only the Tupperware brand stuff allows you freeze things without them either cracking or falling apart.
I had the same price/ quality argument with her and am personally convinced Tupperware has somehow convinced everyone there stuff is better than the $0.99 store crap when it is really equivalent quality. She disagrees but refuses to put them through the Pepsi challenge and try them side by side in the freeze since she just KNOWS the brand X stuff will explode and make a huge mess (and waste all that food!)
Actually Yar, I use Gladlock ™ and they go from the freezer to the microwave just peachy!
No kidding. Since Gladware and the Ziploc version of Gladware came out, I refuse to use anything else. As far as I can tell, they’re about 90% as sturdy as Tupperware/Rubbermade/WhateverBrand is, and they’re CHEAP. 4 for $2.99 or something. As someone who regularly finds containers that now hold living science experiments in the back of my fridge, I can’t tell you how nice it is to just throw the whole #@$$@ container away without thinking “Crap, I just threw away a $10 Tupperware container.”
I’ve been using the Ziploc things too. They are a bit brittle when frozen, but they don’t explode. And hell, if one did, you are only out a few cents instead of the few dollars that Tupperware would cost.
Now, with a BIT of guidance, I’d be able to find a link and present it here. But, I still can’t figure that out. All I can do is say that wife and I read some articles about how Tupperware ( and most other plastic storage containers) contained a chemical that is released when they are heated up. Wish I had a cite, sorry I don’t. 
We threw out the plastic,and got Pyrex Storage containers. Me, I wanna die from having my Cellular Phone glued to my skull, not from freaking Tupperware. 
Cartooniverse
The seals on Tupperware are better than the cheaper brands. This doesn’t really matter for everyday use, but I find that it is really helpful at times to have a truly bombproof seal.