Every year, Muhlenberg students get an email from Office of Residential Services that says the best thing they can do for their walls is use Command Strips. So every single year, I trek to Target and spend at least $30 on these ridiculous plastic hooks and wall adhesives to make my room look beautiful. Fast forward three months: everything is falling down, I've gone through two whole packs of hooks, and I'm $40 in command hook debt.
Dear 3M,
Why are you trying to overcharge me for cheap pieces of plastic? These hooks are many things: small, easily broken, and OK on a limited number of wall materials. What they are not is reasonably priced. I ask you, 3M, why are you doing this to me? I have gone through five hooks alone on the exact same place on my wall trying to hang up some Christmas lights. They have fallen down every day for the last five days. They aren't even that heavy! What kind of a sick joke is this?
I recently did some math, 3M. I recalled how many times I'd bought each type of command hook/strip, and added them up (to the best of my ability). I've approximated that I've spent, at least, $150 on command strips in the last four years. Here are some other things I could've gotten for that $150 I spent on hanging up posters in my room: a Fitbit, a Nutri bullet, a BB-8 droid, a toaster oven, a Bose stereo, or a 16GB iPod Nano.
What really hurts me, 3M, is that my college is buying into your bullshit. Not only are we left with very few alternatives, we're recommended by people that I trust to purchase your overpriced hooks. Or else be fined. You are leaving me with very little choice!
I am starting a revolution, 3M. I'm asking any company with a competing product to UP THEIR GAME. The only reason you can get away with this is because there is no company offering anything close to what you're offering, so you can charge whatever you want. I'd say I have an 80% success rate with your product, but that 20% is enough to make me furious that I had to pay $8.99 for 12 adhesives because your total revenue last year was over $30 billion.
3M, I have bought your post-it notes with fervor for years. But where do we draw the line? I'm not angry, 3M. I'm just disappointed.
