What did people do before shrink wrap? I mean, I suppose the world got along just fine, especially since there wasn’t as much going on back then. But recently, with all of the advances in technology and in society in general, shrink wrap has been a really helpful thing to have around.
Suddenly, people found themselves making more money, and obtaining certain things became a lot easier. Before it was cheaper to produce a lot of stuff it was generally the well off that owned them. For example, it was usually people that lived by water who owned boats. Now, thanks to Craigslist and boat storage and pick-up trucks, you can own a boat even if your home is completely landlocked.
A lot of marinas, at the end of the season, provide a service where they shrink wrap your boat. True statement. I’m sure you’ve seen them around. It looks exactly like what I said: boats wrapped up in cellophane. This obviously protects the boats from harsh winter elements. Or, brand new boats will arrive wrapped in shrink wrap. They are completely protected from getting any kinds of scratches or nicks or stains on the precarious journey from manufacturer to salesman.
There are so many people that buy and trade boats in southern Florida that there are boat salesmen just like there are car salesmen. There are even neighborhoods where canals run along just like the streets and go up to the people’s houses just like their driveways. My cousin’s husband is one of these boat salesmen and when the new shipments come in he gets to release them from their chrysalis of plastic and be the first one to try them out on the water (aka test drive them, which may or may not be why he got into the business).
Airplanes also get their fair share of experience with shrink wrap. New airplanes are wrapped up, and so are ones that are out of commission. There is an entire airplane graveyard in Arizona, which just so happens to be the largest one in the world. Just miles and miles of these metal skeletons.
Some of those airplanes, though, or just there on sabbatical, and they are wrapped in shrink wrap to help protect them until they are brought back into service. It’s absolutely incredible that you can cover something in plastic and leave it outside for years and years and when you go back it will still be in good shape.
Christine James Blog 