Product Focus: New bulk Rit containers

So, Rit dye.

You'll find a lot of differing opinions on Rit and other union dyestuffs in the theatre industry--some folks love them, others hate them, and everything in between. Whether you are positively or negatively inclined toward such dyes, the fact is, in many theatre dyeshops across the country, you find a stock of Rit and/or Dylon and/or Tinfix, and you need to be familiar with using them to the best of their abilities because it might be all you've got in a pinch. As such, we stock the whole Rit range and the first thing we discuss in my dye class is union dyes.

In addition to the small packets of powder and bottles of concentrate that you can buy in grocery stores and fabric shops, Rit sells larger quantities to industry through their Professional Line in 1-lb. and 5-lb. jars of powder, and 5-gallon pails of liquid concentrate. My aim here isn't to discuss the merits and faults of union dyes; it's to solicit opinions on Rit's new packaging of their industrial powder dyes from those who use them. I don't use this blog as a platform for rants or whining, so please don't infer that tone or subtext from this post; I'll cop to being personally dissatisfied with the new packaging, but what i really want to hear is how others feel about it. Is it just me? Is there some advantage to the new packaging that's escaping me? Is there some justification for the change i don't know about? Etc.

Let's look at the range of Rit powder packaging and compare.

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ETA 9/30/08: jaguarx13 had the excellent suggestion of a letter-writing campaign. Should you wish to participate, the contact information for the company is here:

Rit Dye/Phoenix Brands LLC
300 Atlantic Street, 11th floor
Stamford, CT 06901
203-975-0319
866-794-0800

I suggest a traditional paper letter, as I've still received no response--not even an autoresponse--to email.