《牛奶可乐经济学》"Milk Cartons vs Soft-drink Cans: A Study in Economical Shapes"

Ohhhhh, Im here to write my first reflection.

To arouse my curiosity, Jeanie asked me why milk is sold in rectangular containers while soft drinks are sold in round ones. Though she had indeed explained it to me, I was eager to know more details. Not surprisingly, I turned to the page about this most famous example as soon as I got the book.

Firstly, I want to paraphrase what I have read. Often, milk is displayed in the refrigerated cabinet while soft drinks like cola are stored on the open shelves. In this case, there are extra costs for shopkeepers to store the drinks. Obviously, cylindrical cans waste space in the corners, so they are less economical than rectangular cartons when storing. As a result, according to the cost-benefit principle, which is the key element of the first chapter, the rectangular milk cartons save space which is more valuable than that of cylindrical cans.

This is a brand new perspective to me. I have never thought of the connection between the shapes of containers and economics. I dont know whether this example is accurate and correct or not (I saw many reviews saying that the authors description is not professional enough). I cant deny that such an example compels me to continue reading to figure out many daily phenomena that seem to be trivial but actually really matter in the sense of economics. By the way, I love the writing style since its easy to understand without obscure words, giving me the impetus to finish reading.

In a word, the book is great so far.