Waste, waste, waste. That’s almost all you ever hear people talking about on the streets and in cafes. Whether it’s wanting to eliminate the use of plastic by replacing straws with pasta in Italy or coming up with new plastic recycling ways, there are all sorts of small steps that we can take to make Planet Earth a cleaner, healthier, greener place to live on.
However, one area where some but not enough progress has been made is in the packaging of certain products. It is mind-boggling how much plastic packaging can be used for even the tiniest things. All to make them look attractive and make us want to buy them. There’s so much packaging that you could almost build a fort out of the trash!
To show you just what we mean, Bored Panda has collected some of the most egregious examples of unnecessary packaging designs found in the dark corners of the internet. So scroll down and upvote the pics that make you fear for the future of the world. Send your pals the link to this list so that they realize what a big problem product packaging is as well. And share any ideas for possible solutions to the waste management crisis in the comments.
Scroll down for Bored Panda's four interviews on the topic with experts, including with Greenpeace's Graham Forbes, the Global Project Leader for the Plastic-Free-Future.
“For years, companies have sold people on disability — the notion that we can use something once, for a few minutes, then simply throw it away,” Forbes explained. “The problem is, we know now that there is no such thing as ‘away.’ Less than 10 percent of the plastic waste ever made has actually been recycled, with the vast majority ending up in our oceans, landfills, or incinerated — polluting communities around the globe.” Scroll down for the full in-depth interview.
This post may include affiliate links.
I Received A Large Package From Amazon Today
During Their Mating Season, The Masking Tape Must Be Separated To Avoid Unnecessary Violence
I Love It That Stores Really Care About Making Sure Your Products Arrive In One Piece, However, I Ordered A Candle!
Forbes from Greenpeace continued: “Companies are still stuck in this outdated business model that uses unnecessary packaging and puts the onus on the consumer to clean it up. It is up to all of us to demand accountability from these companies that continue to churn out throwaway plastic. It's time to demand systems of reuse rather than polluting throwaway packaging.”
My Dell Order Of Six Ink Cartridges Arrived Today
If the owner fails to build a cardboard castle of this, they are a soulless monster...
It May Look Like Our Designer Roo Is Hibernating, But This Is Just The Packaging Used To Protect The Eco-Friendly Light Bulbs
That industrial butcher paper is 100% recyclable, and bio-degradable. Shred it to bits and add to compost.
Destroying The Planet One Apple At A Time
Fifty pence for a single Apple? No wonder Brits are all skinny. Here in America apples go for $2.40 a dozen. (£0.50 is about $0.85 each.).
Some British supermarkets take the packaging waste problem very seriously. For example, Waitrose has impressed its environmentally-conscious shoppers by offering them the possibility of buying food and drink without any packaging.
The Packaging Of Lol Dolls
Gas Station Packaging For One Dose
This Is How Our Shop Received 700 Disposable Screws. Individually Packaged, With Plastic Thread Protectors
It took me a good second for me to get that. Lol
Load More Replies...It's a one night stand with an insurance that you'll never see the guy again.
Load More Replies...The staff who packed these items may now be found in various institutions, staring mindlessly at the nearest wall.
I can understand the thread protector, but not packing them all individually.
Because tiny things need big packaging so they don't get lost, as easier to count, etc. And the thread protector is there to protect the threads. It could be a major problem is the threads are damaged and don't work properly. Unfortunately, this is probably necessary. Can't have tiny things falling all over the place in a shop or factory environment.
Well yeah, but then sell them by the 10s or something at least!
Load More Replies...As a media blaster lots of company's just send this along to my job where I have to unpack all of it to do each piece. I always send things back out the way they come so I don't have to deal with trash or customers saying it wasn't protected. If the companies unpacked that before sending to me it make my life easier and their bills less because I have to count the unpack an repack time into the job. That's at least an hour and half when it could be a ten min job for me. Also you can just send the packing back to original companies to reuse or dispose of. "Screw" it.
They should reimburse for the work hours involved in opening those.
This happens when you do not check the description. Most distributors offer two different kinds of packages. One for comsumers aka hobby builders which are the single packages you see in the picture. the second option is the "reel" option for companies which order in bulk. You need to tick the bulk option otherwise you end up with the single packets. it happened to us once when we ordered electronic components from a distributor for the first time. our purchaser did not know about that option and we received 500 SMT CPUs in dividual boxes instead of all 700 on one reel. It was an unpacking nightmare.
Disposable screws probably are the same as normal screws except that they are packed indiviually to make a genreous contribution to the plastic soup.
This is likely for screws that can be damaged if they are knocked together. Some kind of expensive stainless steel.
That means that customers can fill their own containers with a whole range of Waitrose products, such as rice, cleaning materials, wine, beer, etc. from various dispensers. This not only helps the environment but is good for your wallet as well because product prices drop by around a seventh as a result. Of course, this means that we won’t get to build any forts with all the unnecessary packaging. But some sacrifices must be made for the greater good.
I Decided To Try Use Less Plastic So I Ordered 4 Re-Usable Straws, This Is The Amount Of Packaging They Came In
Dear Amazon, Please Explain Why You Need All This Packaging To Send Us Little Label?
Why are you ordering from amazon something you can pick up at home depot/wallmart on your way home? That's where it all went wrong
2 Boxes Of Tea... 30+ Feet Of Bubble Wrap
“By utilizing reusable bottles, bags, or containers, we can start to build the systems that we want to see from large companies. Ultimately, large-scale systemic change will depend on companies like Nestle, Coca-Cola, and PepsiCo changing their business models to reject throwaway plastic packaging. By rejecting throwaway culture, we can move them in a better direction quickly,” Forbes said, adding that those readers who want to learn more can read Greenpeace’s reports here and here.
Amazon, I Don't Think The Box Was Big Enough
Excessive Packaging For A Battery I Ordered Online
My New Insurance Refuses To Pay For Meds I’ve Been On For Years. My Doc Gets Free Samples And Gives Them To Me. This Is The Packaging For 15 Days Of Pills
Bored Panda also talked to Kara Pochiro of the Association of Plastic Recyclers about the topic. According to Pochiro, “packaging often has a variety of uses that the general consumer does not realize such as protection and preservation.”
“If consumers purchase products and packaging made with recycled content, this will encourage companies to use more recycled content, can boost demand for that material, and increase recycling rates,” Pochiro explained, suggesting that customers recycle and conserve to help the environment. “Consumers play a big role in the success of recycling programs. They need to recycle and buy products and packaging made with recycled content.”
Back in 2018, more than 40 British companies, including the UK’s largest supermarkets, Coca-Cola, Nestle, Procter & Gamble, and others, vowed to cut plastic use within 7 years.
Reuters notes that these companies promised to eliminate unnecessary single-use plastic packaging in the UK by 2025. There’s still a long way to go until then (unless you’re reading this in 2025, in which case, hello, future Pandas!) and this is just one country. But it’s a strong start.
Ordered A Bulk Order On Amazon From A Single Seller. They Sent Each Item In Their Own Individual Envelope With Their Own Individual Tracking Number - 50 Items In 50 Envelopes
wow that's crazy for more than the excessive packaging part . I wonder how many items were lost in the mail out of 50 i
I Picked Up Three Months Worth Of Anxiety Medication
Each lot of 28 tablets came in it’s own little tub which came in an individual box each with a set of instructions. I emptied all the separate tubs into one tub and it’s not even full.
I Love Your Products, Dr. Perricone, But Please Sort Out The Wasteful Packaging
Andrew Almack, the CEO of Plastics for Change, had this to say to Bored Panda: “Removing unnecessary plastic requires companies to redefine their supply chain. They have to do RnD while keeping in mind challenges like the visual appeal of product packaging, the durability of alternatives, sustained supply of alternatives, costing and manufacturing.”
According to Almack, customers are a ‘force’ that can bring about change in the market. “It is important for customers to purchase and use products made by businesses that focus on sustainability. When people start buying from eco-friendly businesses, the demand for such good would increase and ignite other players to cater to this trend which could be done by a simple change in current company policies.”
He continued: “Being more conscious about our throwaway culture is where one should surely start. Simple changes to eliminate single-use plastic go a long way: avoid gum and plasticware, reuse storage containers and use razors with replaceable blades.”
Today In Excessive Packaging
This Much Packaging For This Small Of An Eco Friendly Product No Less. This Is Just So Laughably Bad
All This Non Recyclable Packaging Used To Send Copper Tubing. 20 Envelopes For 20 Pieces When All Could Easily Fit Into One
Furthermore, Bored Panda interviewed a spokesperson from the Alliance to End Plastic Waste: “Everyone agrees: plastic waste does not belong in our oceans, or anywhere in the environment. And despite the many benefits of plastic to health, safety, sustainability and convenience, plastic waste has become a challenge in parts of the world because it is not managed properly.”
The spokesperson went on to say that “to help address the challenge in a globally coordinated and transformative way, over 40 companies around the world, from across the plastics value chain – companies that make, use, sell, process, collect and recycle plastics – have joined together with a clear mission: to help end plastic waste in the environment.”
They continued: “The Alliance to End Plastic Waste has pledged 1.5 billion dollars over the next five years to develop, accelerate and bring to scale solutions to minimize and manage plastic waste, catalyze investment, engage communities and promote solutions including reducing, reusing, recovering, and recycling materials. Alliance efforts will be implemented in a coordinated way with support and resources from both the public and private sectors, facilitating comprehensive, meaningful and lasting change that will help end plastic waste in the environment.”
Sephora At It Again For A .05oz Concealer
Oh Good! My Battery Arrived
50 Feet Of Paper For 1 Bag Of Kitty Litter
Buddy Bought Two Mini Cast Irons From Amazon
I Ordered Three Pairs Of Drumsticks From Amazon. They All Showed Up Separately In Boxes Way Bigger Than Necessary
Amazon... Really?!
All This Packaging For This Little Item
sometimes they need to use that much of packaging so your tiny item won't be lost between all other parcels.
“We Want Less Plastic” Plastic Straws Individually Wrapped In Plastic Then Put In A Plastic Bag
Why are you buying plastic straws in the first place? Confused. Maybe I’m missing something.
I Ordered A Custom Eyeshadow Palette
Note: this post originally had 54 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
Its funny to me that so many people are acting like ordering online is somehow worse than going to buy it locally. All the reasons of availability/brand aside it still takes trucks to bring that s**t into the local stores...you still have to drive round trip... Also nothing stops the local stores from creating a online store to streamline purchases. Not to mention the amazing customer service/return policy Amazon offers...hell they will even extend the warranty of items they sell to 90days. My mother bought a couch that had a defect and when i contacted the seller they said it was over 30 days so no warranty, kicked it to Amazon and got a email the next day saying they would refund or replace. Its hard to see how a local store could compete. Also Walmart put more mom and pop stores out of business than any other chain but i dont see the hate for people shopping there.
I have a problem when someone orders 2 packs of tea or one pack of button batteries... those things are available everywhere, are small and affordable. If you have a disability, fine. But I bet most of those posts are from lazy people.
Load More Replies...Just a thought- it's not the shoppers fault that the item arrived with so much excess packaging
JUst a thought: It is the shopper's fault that companies keep on using excess packaging if they keep ordering from them. Write negative reviews on those webshops.
Load More Replies...Why are people acting like it's terrible to order online? Not everyone has a perfect life. Buying online and getting it delivered is a godsend when you're disabled, elderly, sick, dying, have mental health problems, multiple kids, no car, you work unsociable hours, or a whole host of other problems.
or you just like to shop online why we have to need an excuse to shop online
Load More Replies...Where I live you have to pay more for shipping if the box is bigger, that motivates businesses to send everything it the smallest box possible. So that helps a bit. Of course there is still sometimes unnecessary plastic wrap around things.
My theory is there is ridiculous circumstances that encouraged the businesses in this post to use large boxes. It's the only explanation I can imagine.
Load More Replies...I'm working as a packer for a car part dealership and we don't actually Have packages that are small enough for some of these items. Reason being that they wouldn't go through the machine that wraps them in plastic bands. Also the invoices would not even fit on the package What I do is fold the flaps of the box over to create a small space in the middle, then use a bit of wrapping foil as protection. We also have bubble-lined bags but they are only available until a certain time before they have to be ready for delivery. Also when ordering as a private buyer you would never get one of those because of insurance reasons. The mailman would just toss it into the mailbox without any signature proving that you actually got your stuff
I'm sure many of these products can be special orders directly from physical shops. It should not be a problem to find similar products that can be purchased directly from shops. We should all consider what we by online. Its shipped from the other side of the world and has a huge carbon emission.
Well I worked in shipping before, packing stuff. And yes it was policy to put in lots and lots and even more packaging for two simple reasons: 1 the companies processing and delivering packages don’t handle things with care, not one bit, I’d say even the opposite and 2 a lot of customers are unbelievably fuzzy and will demand refunding/ resending if just the direct packaging of the product has a dent or something even though the product itself is in perfect condition. So companies just want to make extra sure so they don’t have more work afterwards...
Apparently a computer decides the box size based on the most efficient way to pack the truck.
I wonder if Amazon workers are silently protesting their working conditions by doing this. It's giving the company a constant load of bad press, much more than the way they treat their workers ever does.
I don't know about all of their workers but the ones I see in the Seattle area are treated VERY well. They have some of the nicest offices in the area. I'm guessing the people in fulfillment might not have it as nice.
Load More Replies...Wasteful not only to the people who can trash it but more to the environment.
When you think of all the people trying to do their bit for the environment by recycling and then you look at the unnecessary waste from company's, it's like fighting a losing battle.
What's especially tragic is how many times plastic was used for padding to avoid damage to the item(s) ordered, when paper could have been used instead. A material than can be recycled 100% of the time instead of a material that is only recycled 10% of the time.
I am disabled and for the most part can do my own shopping but sometimes have to do internet shopping. %90 of them over package and Amazon is the worst culprit of them all.
People are giving others grief for ordering things online... but there are a hundred reasons why someone would choose that over shopping locally. For me, I have a disability and use a power chair. Shopping in stores is a nightmare as I usually need someone with me to reach things, and life isn't designed for people in a seated position. It's much easier to get things to be delivered. So before you label people lazy or wasteful, just remember that we are not all the same!
So, is it a habit for people to comment at everything online? You don't know what was the issue that they had to order these things online. If they pass while grocery shopping or walking down the street to home from work, you'd think they won't grab, say, that packet of battery? Can't y'all just keep those hateful comments that are so baseless to yourself? Be an a*s, sure, just stop spreading the hate vibe.
I really do understand when someone orders something online that they simply can't get offline. But a battery??? I hate getting parcels because the delivery is terrible, so I have to pick up the parcel from Godknowswhere, shlepp it home an up to the foruth floor and then I am sitting on tons of packaging that I need to get rid of. It's so much easier to just pcik up something on the way home.
everyone complaining about packaging here but if there wasnt enough packaging and s**t got broke...people would be just as pissed. i would rather them over package and my stuff get to my house not broken than it get there broken.
Yes, I know Amazon is notorious in this regard but I just got a book from them that was tossed into the box with the other items, loose, and it looked pretty dog-eared - fortunately it wasn't a gift.
Load More Replies...lol, tomorrow Bored Panda will have a post about how annoyed people are to receive damaged items in the mail from Amazon.
And if whatever you bought gets damaged, because they didn’t use 50 feet of wrapping, you raise hell...
I don't think it's too much to ask the shipper to use common sense when packaging.
Load More Replies...So many of those small articles which are available locally, but ordered online, tells me that these people are too lazy to go to their own local store. You can't tell me that all these people are disabled. I love shopping locally, my favourite family-owned supermarket, will even try to get me an item not in stock, if it's locally available. Thisexcess packaging by, for instance, Amazon, is really disgusting!
I just received an order of 6 items from Amazon that all came from the same seller but came in separate boxes... While we're at it though, I can't seem to figure out why you can go into CVS and buy 1 item yet walk out with a receipt that is longer than your arm.
Here are some good reasons to visit a brick-and-mortar store. Things are going to be shipped one way or another - and what if the B&M store is within walking distance, or on public transit? Besides, shopping IRL means that what you see is what you get. You hear stories about people getting something entirely different from what they expected when ordering on-line, such as ordering a cheap chair only to find out it's for a doll house. Also, when you do B&M shopping, you get what you seek immediately
Also, I suspect for the small items in big boxes, it's not to protect the item, but is to make the box uncompressible and packable. Think if they had 1000 different size boxes, imagine the puzzle of getting that to fit into the truck. So, the have a tiny non-fragile thing in a box, but might be putting 4 20pound boxes on top of it. That's the problem. They need to find a different way to transport these small, non-fragile items (and people need to stop buying them - who buys two tea boxes to be delivered!!??)
They do it because we allow it. I ordered something online and got so much packaging that I didn't order online again except on rare occassions. That was about 12 years ago. I assume you all did the same, and the companies did surveys to find out why, then fixed their packaging issues, right? Hah, hah. Almost nobdy thinks ahead to the collective result when they make decisiosn in their lives as far as I know. And I just don't get it.
Something changed on this website and now the "up arrow" and "down arrow" keys are behaving quite badly. Most annoying.
How come people even survived for so many millennia before online shopping? ;-)
It is as if all these companies who send their products to customers get bonuses by the packaging material and the transport companies if they use huge boxes and tons of wrapping material
Pretty sure the text should read "disposability," not "disability."
I've been on the other side of the problem where an item was poorly packaged and wrapped and came in broken, or in some cases, didn't come in at all (stolen). There are many crafters that can use cardboard and packing peanuts or poppers or butcher paper. Also, check on youtube--many great things can be made with waste materials. I kid you not, there are youtubers who make furniture out of cardboard, paper, and glue. You may end up finding something to make with all that stuff and start a great hobby.
I have ordered more to get a full box and things were sent individually.
HMMMM I WONDER WHY WE HAVE PLASTIC AND OTHER TRASH IN OCEAN. HMMMMMMMMM SUCH A MYSTERY.
Biggest reason I do amazon is Kindle and no store has the f*****g s**t I need everytime. Also some things aren't even sold in the usa so ordering is mandatory :/
I order from amazon all the time for several reasons - when the price is lower than my local walmart or whatever, and because, yes I have health issues and the more i go to the store, the more pain and exhaustion I feel. It doesn't help that it took me 30 min to get home the other day and it was only 5 miles from the store to my house (there's a lot of construction going on). I do, however, try to make it to where I get one shipment for multiple things. I rarely buy just one thing. When you check out, you can see how many things will go in one shipment or if they have to come from different warehouses.
This whole article reinforces why you should shop local. If you don’t care about saving local businesses, maybe the effect on the environment will do it? (If you can buy local, that is.)
Stop ordering a single battery or s**t like that online and go to a real store. It's not just the packaging but also the gas and pollution it takes to bring that battery to your home!
Usually they do this when the item isn't available locally.
Load More Replies...I need a stone. Wait❗I'll ask Amazon to send one to me! 😊 I'm smart!!!!
https://www.amazon.de/GABIONA-Nordseekiesel-30-155-80-155-250/dp/B00QKE83OA/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?__mk_de_DE=%C3%85M%C3%85%C5%BD%C3%95%C3%91&keywords=stein&qid=1571924310&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzRjVFTEFCN1kzNlBVJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwOTI1NjQyMjdRT1g5RkI0VUpZUiZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNTU5MDczMzIzSlI3Q1IwS1hOQiZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU= ------------- https://www.amazon.com/Lifetop-Painting-Kindness-Smooth-Surface/dp/B07GZJ7YHW/ref=sr_1_15?keywords=stone&qid=1571924327&sr=8-15
Load More Replies...Unpacking in general is exhausting. The toys, the furniture, the appliances...
I think a lot of it has to do with convenience, ours and theirs. I worked for a company that shipped, they got a flat rates from the carrier for certain size boxes, so in order to appease the carrier they used unnecessary packaging, otherwise the rates fluctuated and became inconvenient, having to weigh and measure every single box going out the door. As long as we continue to pay $10 shipping on a $5 battery, nothing will change.
AMAZON and QVC are helping, and doing a fine job, at destroying the environment. I too, have received single lipsticks in boxes which would happily accommodate six or even twelve house bricks. Oh, not forgetting the bubble wrap, of course.
The only thing I learned from this is that people need to stop buying so many easily found products online. Go outside people! Talk to REAL PEOPLE
Drive all around my small town wasting fuel and time looking for something that can easily be purchased online in three clicks and economically delivered to my door by a company that drives by my home every day anyway? Yeah, that makes total sense.
Load More Replies...Walmart delivers in our area so I used them. Once. The amount of wasteful packaging just to safely and cleanly deliver the products made me a bit ashamed of my unwillingness to shop myself. All liquids in plastic bottles were shrink-wrapped to prevent possible leaks from getting on the other items, etc. I complained directly to Amazon about the oversized boxes and now nearly everything comes in a bubble wrap envelope.
as for small items, I understand they need to package it to larger boxes so it's easier to be passed around to dispatcher until it reached safely to the buyer. furthermore, it's quite hard to label really small items with the details they need like addresses and whatnot. although I also understand there are various reasons why ppl would have to resort to buying online for hard to get items, perhaps the only way to deal with this problem is not to buy small items online?
So everybody should be restricted to what is within Birkenstock distance of their homes? Real nice elitism you've got there, Karen.
Load More Replies...I know you had good intentions when posting this but all these things had to be shipped to the store in the first place
Load More Replies...And if the closest store where you can get SD cards is about a hundred kilometers away, the public transport is bad so you gotta drive your car there, except you work full time so you gotta do it during the weekend, but the closest store is still small and only open for a few hours on Saturdays. You're exhausted from work and would rather not drive 200km to get one sd card when the same post delivery that brings you your bills etc could just deliver it to you. You do understand that not everyone lives in big cities and not everyone has the same things available that you do?
Load More Replies...Its funny to me that so many people are acting like ordering online is somehow worse than going to buy it locally. All the reasons of availability/brand aside it still takes trucks to bring that s**t into the local stores...you still have to drive round trip... Also nothing stops the local stores from creating a online store to streamline purchases. Not to mention the amazing customer service/return policy Amazon offers...hell they will even extend the warranty of items they sell to 90days. My mother bought a couch that had a defect and when i contacted the seller they said it was over 30 days so no warranty, kicked it to Amazon and got a email the next day saying they would refund or replace. Its hard to see how a local store could compete. Also Walmart put more mom and pop stores out of business than any other chain but i dont see the hate for people shopping there.
I have a problem when someone orders 2 packs of tea or one pack of button batteries... those things are available everywhere, are small and affordable. If you have a disability, fine. But I bet most of those posts are from lazy people.
Load More Replies...Just a thought- it's not the shoppers fault that the item arrived with so much excess packaging
JUst a thought: It is the shopper's fault that companies keep on using excess packaging if they keep ordering from them. Write negative reviews on those webshops.
Load More Replies...Why are people acting like it's terrible to order online? Not everyone has a perfect life. Buying online and getting it delivered is a godsend when you're disabled, elderly, sick, dying, have mental health problems, multiple kids, no car, you work unsociable hours, or a whole host of other problems.
or you just like to shop online why we have to need an excuse to shop online
Load More Replies...Where I live you have to pay more for shipping if the box is bigger, that motivates businesses to send everything it the smallest box possible. So that helps a bit. Of course there is still sometimes unnecessary plastic wrap around things.
My theory is there is ridiculous circumstances that encouraged the businesses in this post to use large boxes. It's the only explanation I can imagine.
Load More Replies...I'm working as a packer for a car part dealership and we don't actually Have packages that are small enough for some of these items. Reason being that they wouldn't go through the machine that wraps them in plastic bands. Also the invoices would not even fit on the package What I do is fold the flaps of the box over to create a small space in the middle, then use a bit of wrapping foil as protection. We also have bubble-lined bags but they are only available until a certain time before they have to be ready for delivery. Also when ordering as a private buyer you would never get one of those because of insurance reasons. The mailman would just toss it into the mailbox without any signature proving that you actually got your stuff
I'm sure many of these products can be special orders directly from physical shops. It should not be a problem to find similar products that can be purchased directly from shops. We should all consider what we by online. Its shipped from the other side of the world and has a huge carbon emission.
Well I worked in shipping before, packing stuff. And yes it was policy to put in lots and lots and even more packaging for two simple reasons: 1 the companies processing and delivering packages don’t handle things with care, not one bit, I’d say even the opposite and 2 a lot of customers are unbelievably fuzzy and will demand refunding/ resending if just the direct packaging of the product has a dent or something even though the product itself is in perfect condition. So companies just want to make extra sure so they don’t have more work afterwards...
Apparently a computer decides the box size based on the most efficient way to pack the truck.
I wonder if Amazon workers are silently protesting their working conditions by doing this. It's giving the company a constant load of bad press, much more than the way they treat their workers ever does.
I don't know about all of their workers but the ones I see in the Seattle area are treated VERY well. They have some of the nicest offices in the area. I'm guessing the people in fulfillment might not have it as nice.
Load More Replies...Wasteful not only to the people who can trash it but more to the environment.
When you think of all the people trying to do their bit for the environment by recycling and then you look at the unnecessary waste from company's, it's like fighting a losing battle.
What's especially tragic is how many times plastic was used for padding to avoid damage to the item(s) ordered, when paper could have been used instead. A material than can be recycled 100% of the time instead of a material that is only recycled 10% of the time.
I am disabled and for the most part can do my own shopping but sometimes have to do internet shopping. %90 of them over package and Amazon is the worst culprit of them all.
People are giving others grief for ordering things online... but there are a hundred reasons why someone would choose that over shopping locally. For me, I have a disability and use a power chair. Shopping in stores is a nightmare as I usually need someone with me to reach things, and life isn't designed for people in a seated position. It's much easier to get things to be delivered. So before you label people lazy or wasteful, just remember that we are not all the same!
So, is it a habit for people to comment at everything online? You don't know what was the issue that they had to order these things online. If they pass while grocery shopping or walking down the street to home from work, you'd think they won't grab, say, that packet of battery? Can't y'all just keep those hateful comments that are so baseless to yourself? Be an a*s, sure, just stop spreading the hate vibe.
I really do understand when someone orders something online that they simply can't get offline. But a battery??? I hate getting parcels because the delivery is terrible, so I have to pick up the parcel from Godknowswhere, shlepp it home an up to the foruth floor and then I am sitting on tons of packaging that I need to get rid of. It's so much easier to just pcik up something on the way home.
everyone complaining about packaging here but if there wasnt enough packaging and s**t got broke...people would be just as pissed. i would rather them over package and my stuff get to my house not broken than it get there broken.
Yes, I know Amazon is notorious in this regard but I just got a book from them that was tossed into the box with the other items, loose, and it looked pretty dog-eared - fortunately it wasn't a gift.
Load More Replies...lol, tomorrow Bored Panda will have a post about how annoyed people are to receive damaged items in the mail from Amazon.
And if whatever you bought gets damaged, because they didn’t use 50 feet of wrapping, you raise hell...
I don't think it's too much to ask the shipper to use common sense when packaging.
Load More Replies...So many of those small articles which are available locally, but ordered online, tells me that these people are too lazy to go to their own local store. You can't tell me that all these people are disabled. I love shopping locally, my favourite family-owned supermarket, will even try to get me an item not in stock, if it's locally available. Thisexcess packaging by, for instance, Amazon, is really disgusting!
I just received an order of 6 items from Amazon that all came from the same seller but came in separate boxes... While we're at it though, I can't seem to figure out why you can go into CVS and buy 1 item yet walk out with a receipt that is longer than your arm.
Here are some good reasons to visit a brick-and-mortar store. Things are going to be shipped one way or another - and what if the B&M store is within walking distance, or on public transit? Besides, shopping IRL means that what you see is what you get. You hear stories about people getting something entirely different from what they expected when ordering on-line, such as ordering a cheap chair only to find out it's for a doll house. Also, when you do B&M shopping, you get what you seek immediately
Also, I suspect for the small items in big boxes, it's not to protect the item, but is to make the box uncompressible and packable. Think if they had 1000 different size boxes, imagine the puzzle of getting that to fit into the truck. So, the have a tiny non-fragile thing in a box, but might be putting 4 20pound boxes on top of it. That's the problem. They need to find a different way to transport these small, non-fragile items (and people need to stop buying them - who buys two tea boxes to be delivered!!??)
They do it because we allow it. I ordered something online and got so much packaging that I didn't order online again except on rare occassions. That was about 12 years ago. I assume you all did the same, and the companies did surveys to find out why, then fixed their packaging issues, right? Hah, hah. Almost nobdy thinks ahead to the collective result when they make decisiosn in their lives as far as I know. And I just don't get it.
Something changed on this website and now the "up arrow" and "down arrow" keys are behaving quite badly. Most annoying.
How come people even survived for so many millennia before online shopping? ;-)
It is as if all these companies who send their products to customers get bonuses by the packaging material and the transport companies if they use huge boxes and tons of wrapping material
Pretty sure the text should read "disposability," not "disability."
I've been on the other side of the problem where an item was poorly packaged and wrapped and came in broken, or in some cases, didn't come in at all (stolen). There are many crafters that can use cardboard and packing peanuts or poppers or butcher paper. Also, check on youtube--many great things can be made with waste materials. I kid you not, there are youtubers who make furniture out of cardboard, paper, and glue. You may end up finding something to make with all that stuff and start a great hobby.
I have ordered more to get a full box and things were sent individually.
HMMMM I WONDER WHY WE HAVE PLASTIC AND OTHER TRASH IN OCEAN. HMMMMMMMMM SUCH A MYSTERY.
Biggest reason I do amazon is Kindle and no store has the f*****g s**t I need everytime. Also some things aren't even sold in the usa so ordering is mandatory :/
I order from amazon all the time for several reasons - when the price is lower than my local walmart or whatever, and because, yes I have health issues and the more i go to the store, the more pain and exhaustion I feel. It doesn't help that it took me 30 min to get home the other day and it was only 5 miles from the store to my house (there's a lot of construction going on). I do, however, try to make it to where I get one shipment for multiple things. I rarely buy just one thing. When you check out, you can see how many things will go in one shipment or if they have to come from different warehouses.
This whole article reinforces why you should shop local. If you don’t care about saving local businesses, maybe the effect on the environment will do it? (If you can buy local, that is.)
Stop ordering a single battery or s**t like that online and go to a real store. It's not just the packaging but also the gas and pollution it takes to bring that battery to your home!
Usually they do this when the item isn't available locally.
Load More Replies...I need a stone. Wait❗I'll ask Amazon to send one to me! 😊 I'm smart!!!!
https://www.amazon.de/GABIONA-Nordseekiesel-30-155-80-155-250/dp/B00QKE83OA/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?__mk_de_DE=%C3%85M%C3%85%C5%BD%C3%95%C3%91&keywords=stein&qid=1571924310&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzRjVFTEFCN1kzNlBVJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwOTI1NjQyMjdRT1g5RkI0VUpZUiZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNTU5MDczMzIzSlI3Q1IwS1hOQiZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU= ------------- https://www.amazon.com/Lifetop-Painting-Kindness-Smooth-Surface/dp/B07GZJ7YHW/ref=sr_1_15?keywords=stone&qid=1571924327&sr=8-15
Load More Replies...Unpacking in general is exhausting. The toys, the furniture, the appliances...
I think a lot of it has to do with convenience, ours and theirs. I worked for a company that shipped, they got a flat rates from the carrier for certain size boxes, so in order to appease the carrier they used unnecessary packaging, otherwise the rates fluctuated and became inconvenient, having to weigh and measure every single box going out the door. As long as we continue to pay $10 shipping on a $5 battery, nothing will change.
AMAZON and QVC are helping, and doing a fine job, at destroying the environment. I too, have received single lipsticks in boxes which would happily accommodate six or even twelve house bricks. Oh, not forgetting the bubble wrap, of course.
The only thing I learned from this is that people need to stop buying so many easily found products online. Go outside people! Talk to REAL PEOPLE
Drive all around my small town wasting fuel and time looking for something that can easily be purchased online in three clicks and economically delivered to my door by a company that drives by my home every day anyway? Yeah, that makes total sense.
Load More Replies...Walmart delivers in our area so I used them. Once. The amount of wasteful packaging just to safely and cleanly deliver the products made me a bit ashamed of my unwillingness to shop myself. All liquids in plastic bottles were shrink-wrapped to prevent possible leaks from getting on the other items, etc. I complained directly to Amazon about the oversized boxes and now nearly everything comes in a bubble wrap envelope.
as for small items, I understand they need to package it to larger boxes so it's easier to be passed around to dispatcher until it reached safely to the buyer. furthermore, it's quite hard to label really small items with the details they need like addresses and whatnot. although I also understand there are various reasons why ppl would have to resort to buying online for hard to get items, perhaps the only way to deal with this problem is not to buy small items online?
So everybody should be restricted to what is within Birkenstock distance of their homes? Real nice elitism you've got there, Karen.
Load More Replies...I know you had good intentions when posting this but all these things had to be shipped to the store in the first place
Load More Replies...And if the closest store where you can get SD cards is about a hundred kilometers away, the public transport is bad so you gotta drive your car there, except you work full time so you gotta do it during the weekend, but the closest store is still small and only open for a few hours on Saturdays. You're exhausted from work and would rather not drive 200km to get one sd card when the same post delivery that brings you your bills etc could just deliver it to you. You do understand that not everyone lives in big cities and not everyone has the same things available that you do?
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