On 04/30/09 07:05 pm 1D10T wrote:

Why in the world are many of them in 'camo' colors?

Examples:
The pruning shears I've lost several times in the last few days that are
leaf green and yellow. After dropping them they blend right in with the
vegetation.

Carpenter's pencils in natural wood. Found a great deal on a couple dozen at
the borg. At the end of the day several are invariably swept up with wood
scraps and sawdust.

I know this is a silly post, but what could the reason be for such stupid
colors?

About 50 years ago I read Vance Packard's book, _The Waste Makers_,
about planned obsolescence. The part that has always stuck in my mind
was about a manufacturer of potato peelers who wanted to increase sales.
Potato peelers do not wear out; the most common reason people buy a new
one is to replace the one they accidentally threw out with the potato
peelings. So what if we make our potato peelers look as much like the
peelings as possible? But, who will buy a potato peeler that looks like
potato peelings? So they put the indistinguishable-from-peelings potato
peeler in brightly colored packaging.

Perce