Okay, folks. Show of hands: have you ever found yourself frustrated, annoyed, or even angry because your favorite writing utensil has mysteriously “disappeared?” I know I have experienced all of the above emotions throughout my time in the workforce, and according to a recent survey conducted by Paper Mate, 100 percent of respondents actually ‘fessed up to having swiped a pen from a coworker. Even Czech president Vaclac Klaus was caught “stealing” a promotional pen from a news conference in Chile last year (see our post from April 2011 for more information)!
Additional shocking results from Paper Mate’s study: out of the 1,000 Americans interviewed as part of the phone survey, 22% admitted to stealing pens deliberately!
So, why, with the extreme number of pen thefts, are writing instruments consistently ranked as the second largest category in the promotional product world?