The Essential Costco Item That Literally Everyone Struggles To Open

We face so many challenges in the morning: waking up, the ever-present threat of stubbing one's toes in the dark, finding an adequate and nutritious breakfast. But the simple act of pouring milk from a container into coffee or cereal (ignoring the fact that, for some, milk doesn't belong anywhere near cereal) should not be included on that list. And yet, that's what many Costco buyers have claimed about the chain's popular yet confounding Kirkland brand gallon jugs of milk. 

The problem is that the pull tab under the Kirkland jugs' cap often does not function properly. The tab is intended to remove the plastic seal over the mouth of the jug, but it often detaches without lifting the seal or pulls up only part of the seal, requiring buyers to remove it by hand. As a result, customers have taken to Reddit to vent their frustration over this apparent and perverse design flaw.

"I pop it with a knife... I'll lose the battle without it," wrote one weary user. Another expressed an equal level of dismay over the tab: "It won't budge if you do not pull from the edge." Most users confessed to using some kind of tool or sharp edge, including knives, spoons, pliers, and even chopsticks. "It shouldn't be this complicated, but it is," wrote one clearly exhausted proponent of pliers. Is there a foolproof way to fight the Kirkland milk jug tab on its own terms? Redditors have a few ideas.

When it comes to besting the Kirkland milk jug tab, Reddit users have offered a wealth of homemade solutions. Some rely on pure brute strength. "Shove a butter knife... right through the middle and jiggle it around enough to shove the tab away to make a pour hole and good to go," wrote one user. Others advise a more technical approach: "Insert a knife under the seal. Then while still under the seal, push down on the handle, using edge of the spout as a fulcrum. The seal will pop off." 

However, not everyone appears to struggle with the Kirkland milk jug in equal measure. "You just pull it off from where the plastic tab meets the seal. That's the strongest part. I've never had a problem with it," noted one user. Others prefer to simply bemoan the situation ("Why can't they actually expand the tab on the side that you can use to lift it? So much easier that way!") or ruefully accept that they have been thwarted by a plastic jug. "There's just something about having to use a tool that makes one feel like they failed," wrote another in the closest thing to a howl into the void as one can get on Reddit. All this to say: Kirkland brand products may be successful and popular, but on occasion, they also make you work to enjoy them.