Maybe placement only matters in this case because I open Minute Rice’s Ready to Serve brown rice the same way each time.  If I changed my habit, there would be no problem.

Humor me, though, and set that aside for a moment.  Let me ask: Why is the coupon always printed opposite of the place to open the packaging?  Look to the picture and see my repeated tear pattern.

Sure, I can tape these up and bring ’em to the store to use, but it seems like a terribly odd choice for placement of something that is supposed to perpetuate my use of the product.  It lets me imagine that the packaging designer thought ‘Here’s a coupon, but I don’t really think you’re going to use it, so I’ll put it in a silly spot.’  More likely, I imagine, it means the packaging development process involved earnest desire but no real-world testing.