As she described the product over the phone, I envisioned four memory sticks, lined up either in a row, or two-by-two, in that thick seamed-around-the-edges-and-need-heavy-duty-kitchen-scissors-to-cut-it-open-and-even-then-you're-going-to-hurt-yourself kind of plastic that everything is packaged in these days. And I envisioned that packaging to be roughly 5x7".
Boy, was I wrong.
I have witnessed excessive packaging before. I once ordered a small stationery item for work--a hole punch, or a stapler, I think. It was packaged in its own small box, but that was then shipped (and by shipped, I mean local delivery) in an 11x14x8" box filled mostly with crumpled paper (I was so glad it wasn't packing peanuts). Ridiculous.
When I saw the goodies on my desk today, it was a little bit like that all over again. The four flash drives were indeed packaged in that thick seamed-around-the-edges-and-need-heavy-duty-kitchen-scissors-to-cut-it-open-and-even-then-you're-going-to-hurt-yourself kind of plastic. But that plastic was also sealed in between two layers of roughly 9x12" cardboard.
Srsly?!
Flash drives generally range from 1.5-2.5" long. People marvel at these tiny little objects--these tiny little pieces of circuit board that hold more bytes of information than my first laptop did. Technology has always been about being sleeker, thinner, and more compact than the preceding model.
So, why do these same companies not seem to show the same attitude towards the packaging they put these products in?
Okay, not all companies.
I've always appreciated the compact, only-what's-necessary packaging of my Apple products (one more point for them).
But they are the exception, not the rule.
It just seems so backwards.
Dear SanDisk,
Please stop packaging items
the size of my thumb
into cardboard
the size of my laptop.
Sincerely,
Tech-Savvy but Eco-Friendly
2 comments:
I could be wrong, but I would guess those are specially packaged for Costco, because I have seen that sort of things there with lots of products. The way their displays are, you don't have little tiny packages of any kind. Is that so people can't steal things very easily, or so people don't miss the great deal? Who knows. I agree - it's ridiculous.
Oh, I have no doubt that it's Costco-specific. I have seen other stores selling memory sticks without any packaging at all. They're in clear plastic bins (at the front counter, mind) like penny-candy. It's great. I get the theft logic, but if the former is somehow possible, then surely Costco and SanDisk can come up with a feasible middle-ground alternative.
Post a Comment