Companies are beginning to pare back their product lines, standardize their packaging, and replace complex discounting and rebates with plain-vanilla pricing. Without the clutter, people can actually begin to make intelligent decisions once again. It all began in manufacturing. The cost savings just on inventory were tremendous. After simplifying how their products were made and moved, companies are now beginning to streamline the product lines themselves.
Customers love it.
Life for most families in late 20th-century America is rushed, harried, and often overwhelmingly stressful. With more and more decisions to be made over work, raising kids, tending parents, joining HMOs, investing for retirement, etc., anything that simplifies life is a blessing. This is one move by Corporate America that will be welcome everywhere. The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. All rights reserved.