Wave of mutilation ends as Best Buy, Sony and Microsoft take a stab at clamshell-free packaging initiative
By Laura June 
posted November 15th 2008 9:36PM
posted November 15th 2008 9:36PM
It looks like Amazon started a trend last week when they announced their "Frustration Free Packaging" initiative, which boils down to the elimination of clamshell-style packaging for a lot of their top-sellers, and the introduction of more eco-friendly materials, like good old-fashioned (recycled) cardboard. According to The New York Times, a number of other companies, including Best Buy, Sony, and Microsoft are joining the club in eschewing heavy duty materials in favor of less aggressive ones. Anything that reduces our level of annoyance with the retail experience while pitching in to help out our increasingly threatened Mother Earth is something we'll gladly get behind. And we're pretty sure our dentist will agree.
I, for one wonder what effects this could have on unboxing vids. But yes, I've cut my hand so many times thus spoiling the glee of unpacking a shiny new gadget. Well, Good move but long time pending.
Irony is having to buy a new multitool on vacation and then having to buy a cheap pair of scissors just to get into the packaging.
There's something wrong when you need a knife to get into the packaging of a knife.
Adderz:
"They are (were) one of the worst companies, its only because they put so much effort into TELLING everyone theyve made changes, other companies just do it and you hear barely a thing."
That statement is funny in more ways than you'd imagine, but I'll pick out two:
1. Amazon and Microsoft (tentitavely) change less than 1 % of their product packaging and make a big story out of it, with promises to change more later. After reading that the first thing you do is slamming Apple for doing too much "eco PR"? Apple has been improving -all- of their boxes in the same direction (smaller and easier to unwrap) for several years.
2. Greenpeace singled Apple for more than a year not because Apple's products were worse for the environment but because Apple refused to talk about their future plans. Now you critizise Apple for doing exactly what Greenpeace asked for (give out more information).
Greenpeace are bullies. I appreciate their intentions but they go about it like a bunch of kunts.
LOL you're so funny.. most of the accessories are in those packages so that the people buying them can properly see them.. and the ones with the OS are opened so EASILY so there's no issue with that..
The whole point of those plastic packaging is so people dont rip them open and steal the products in the store. That's why it became popular
Oh god "increasingly threatened Mother Earth", Seriously guys......I think you have had too much of the KoolAid. The only threatening mother earth is the sun exploding in 5 billion years, a blackhole entering the solar system or the moon, a comet or a asteroid slamming into us.
I think the big idea behind the "invention" such stupid package is itself stupid. If someone tries to steal some products they can still take it easily in their jacket or whatever. Even if the package does prevent stealing there are other options which have the same effect. As an example, in our local electronic store they put small parts in a container which can only be opened at the cashier. As it has a rf band inside so it cannot be taken outside and the container itself is then reusable. A simple effective solution without extra waste.
Those blister packs need to be COMPLETELY eliminated. I'm not a wacko enviro-nazi, but it
is so wasteful! Remember when CD's first hit the shelves? They were inside a huge cardboard
box that usually ended up in the waste can just outside the store where you got it.
Same thing needs to happen to these blister packs. I carry a VERY sharp SOG Trident knife
and that thing makes for easy opening of those, but good grief! Just like trying to open a bottle
of Tylenol...you get a headache from the experience.
Your dentist does NOT approve... he has a mortgage to pay! Less broken teeth = less money for me!!! NONONONO frustration free packaging! Listen to Dr Groggle, DMD!!
"Mother Earth is something we'll gladly get behind" huh? You fruitcake whacko. One thing people are SICK AND TIRED of is this green crap. I refuse to watch anything NBC or Weather Channel anymore. Too much green crap and how WE are to blame for someone that is not even happening. www.discussglobalwarming.com/blog for the TRUTH.
Also, that clamshell packaging is yet another in a series of FLAWED products the consumer has to put up with. I dont know who designs this crap but there are plenty of people out of a job who could probably do 100x better at designing stuff. What, did these companies outsource DESIGN to India and China too?
Wake up people. Not only were you fleeced by Obama, you've been fleeced by just about everything else.
I agree to a certain extent about green this and green that. Too many companies are making "green" products now that are exactly the same as before, but green (e.g. Seagate's "green" hard drives, wtf?).
As for the rest of what you said, do you happen to have an AM radio talk show? Look dude, there are no scientists left that say global warming is not influenced by humans (excluding those that happen to do studies sponsered by gas companies and big agriculture, yes all those damn cows farting all day does have an effect).
P.S. Yelling doesn't make it any more convencing.
There are few scientist left that won't agree humans influence weather/climate, that's NOT the same as saying the global warming theory is supported by all of them.
Oh and the idea of 'green' HD's is that they use half the power and/or sacrifice some minor performance points in favour of using less overall power, which might be only 1Watt per HD but with the billions of HD's on the planet it all counts up, but on the other hand civilised nations give people the choice of green electrical power so that would defeat the need of 'green' electrical devices if people opt for that.
Oh and sometimes 'green' devices are made with less polluting manufacturing techniques, although I don't think that applies to HD's.
I stuck my cock in a clamshell once because I thought there was a mermaid inside it. It didn't quite work out as planned.
While you guys may think this is great, that plastic keeps a lot of honest people honest. Our microsd cards used to be in plastic packaging. Now they're in flimsy cardboard stuff which can just be ripped open instead of cut. And a lot of our cases are coming in cardboard, so when dumbass customers decide they're going to try stuff out without asking an employee, they don't bother opening the package correctly, they just rip it open so we end up having to sell the case as open item.
Clamshell packaging became popular with retailers because it helped to reduce "shrink", the retailers term for items that are lost or stolen from stores.
The logic was that the larger clamshell packages were harder to sneak into a pocket or purse, and would thus reduce theft.
Amazon of course doesn't have to worry about thieves running out the front door with merchandise, so it is easy for them to move to more environmentally friendly packaging without incurring increased operating cost from shrink.
In recent years Best Buy and many other retailers put most of their small, high value merchandise behind lock and key, so the large clamshell packaging became a mute point.
Warehouse style retailers (Costco, Sams Club) still rely heavily on clamshell packaging to reduce shrink. I hope these guys are inspired to make the same moves as Amazon and Best Buy, even though it will be more expensive for them to do so.
I have a pair of those special package openers - identical to the picture in the post.
Best cheap Christmas gift EVER. The thing is worth it's weight in gold.
Well, I am sure that the retailers will begin to charge more to cover the cost of theft! Does anybody care about the increased amount of wastewater produced and electricity needed to make the paper board cartons versus the clamshells? Hmmmm!
It's about time! How many times have I been in my car trying to open one of those clam shell packages and end up slicing my hand? Too many to count!