Wrap Rage and Amazon.com

[tdvance]

Some time ago, in some thread on "inventions that shouldn't be" or something like that, I and a few discussed what Amazon calls "clamshell packages" that require a circular saw to open. (ok, that's an exaggeration, but I went to Home Depot and got some heavy duty scissors, made for cardboard and the like, which are just perfect for the task).

So, check out the home page of Amazon.com which by a strange coincidence is...

amazon.com (http://amazon.com)


for their take on (and new program to eliminate) wrap rage (have no idea if it will make any significant impact....).

Well, getting rid of "clamshell packages" would be a big plus I think.

[weatherc]

Some time ago, in some thread on "inventions that shouldn't be" or something like that, I and a few discussed what Amazon calls "clamshell packages" that require a circular saw to open. (ok, that's an exaggeration, but I went to Home Depot and got some heavy duty scissors, made for cardboard and the like, which are just perfect for the task).

So, check out the home page of Amazon.com which by a strange coincidence is...

amazon.com (http://amazon.com)


for their take on (and new program to eliminate) wrap rage (have no idea if it will make any significant impact....).

Well, getting rid of "clamshell packages" would be a big plus I think.Bolded by me.

I think it may be an exaggeration, but not by a whole lot. I hate those things. I also hope they get rid of them before I am a senior citizen, otherwise I may never be able to get them open.

[Fazor]

My g/f found this thing (from that evil Pampered Chef catalogue) that is suppose to be able to open those packages easily, yet won't cut you. It's basically a little plastic handel with a very tiny nub of a blade (looks like the corner of a razorblade). Suprisingly, it does a great job of opening the plastic.

Not suprisingly, like every time I get access to "safety" blades that aren't suppose to be able to cut you, I tested it on my arm. As it turns out, it can cut you, if you try. :)

[PraedSt]

I also hope they get rid of them before I am a senior citizen, otherwise I may never be able to get them open.

One of the first things I noticed was that they said it was a multi-year project. Grrrr....

[weatherc]

One of the first things I noticed was that they said it was a multi-year project. Grrrr....Well, they do sell an awful lot of stuff. I can see why it would take a while.

[LotusExcelle]

I once nearly opened up an artery on a clamshell package. Those things are deadly.

[geonuc]

Good for Amazon.

If they follow through.

[PraedSt]

Well, they do sell an awful lot of stuff. I can see why it would take a while.

Me too, but maybe for a different reason.

First, I think a lot of the 'badly packaged' products have short shelf lives; toys for instance. These could be repackaged by next Fall. Second, and most importantly, the number of stock items makes little difference: repackaging design can happen in parallel. The only operational road-block I can think of is the number of design firms in the world.

So I think the main reason why this is a multi-year project is that it's much easier on cash-flows. Specifically, the cash-flows of their suppliers, who'll likely be paying for most of the work. No-one wants to spend money quickly, especially in the teeth of a recession.

[mugaliens]

I thought that's what my "Sawsall" was for...

[geonuc]

I thought that's what my "Sawsall" was for...
Do please remember your safety glasses. ;)

[Moose]

I'm fairly arthritic, so those packages are just miserable to open. I now use box cutters to cut a circle all the way around the package, inside the seams, so I can simply pop the product out without wrecking my fingers.

[mugaliens]

I now use box cutters to cut a circle all the way around the package, inside the seams, so I can simply pop the product out without wrecking my fingers.

And if that doesn't work, there's always dynamite.

Seriously, I've occasionally damaged the contents of packages that appear to have been built to resist steamrollers and small thermonuclear weapons. I grew tired of returning damaged goods, so these days, I only buy things that are fairly indestructible, like dirt. Unfortunately, I think there's a plastic shortage going around, as most of the bags of dirt I've bought disentegrate upon sight, leaving a mess in the back of my truck, and epitomizing that verse in the Bible, which I'm planning to appeal, as I feel that "dirt to dirt" is more appropriate, since that's what we sprinkle on our loved ones' caskets before burying them under six feet of it.

Where was I going with this? Oh, yeah, back to the store to buy more dirt.

No, wait...

...it's 1:20 in the morning, so that won't do.

Instead, I'll finish with this brilliant observation: Making bullet-proof package containers makes about as much sense as this post, as A) We humans don't tend to open our packages with bullets, and B) I couldn't think of a B. I told you, it's 1:20 in the morning. No, wait - it's 1:24 - how could I have been so far off when I read the time? Now it's 1:25 - what the heck is going on?

Oh, yeah - time flies when you're having fun.

:lol:

Now it's 1:26...