Does anyone else out there hate those clear plastic packages with the heat-sealed rigid edges? 

They’re impossible to open without a knife or scissors and you have to be very careful to avoid scraping or stabbing yourself while opening.  A few companies seem to have gotten the message and put perforated panels on the back, but these seem to be in the minority.

I’ve observed that there are only really two strategies for opening these packages.  You can use your knife to cut around the edges or you can cut the edges off with scissors.  Each has its own particular perils.  If you use the knife, you have to be very careful not to slip and cut yourself, and the packaging often requires a good deal of force, so if you do slip you can cut yourself pretty badly (like I did to my thumb a couple of months ago, cutting both the thumb and scoring the nail quite badly; the nail has only recently grown back to a semi-normal state).  If you cut the edges off with scissors, you have to avoid stabbing yourself with the pointy end of the plastic shard that’s created from the outer edge of the seal. 

Really, I’m surprised that no one has been sued over these silly packages.  From a product liability standpoint, they seem like they’d be a losing proposition in these litigious times.

Hmm…  a new idea just occurred to me.  Clamp the package to a workbench and cut the perimeter with a Dremel.  At least that would (hopefully) avoid the need to put hands upon it until it’s completely open.  The only downside is that cutting plastic with a Dremel requires care to avoid burning/melting the plastic onto the cutting wheel.