I hate Clam-shell packaging!

from JoeUser Forums
Argh, though I have the joy of finally getting to pick up and bring home my new toy (see this article: Almost like a Christmas miracle... Xbox 360 arrives), that joy has to be tempered with the hassles of opening up the packaging that some of the accessories came in.

I picked up an extra wireless controller (if I had wires I'd wind up having my new "toy" pulled into the floor when my wife or kids walked through the area without watching out for cords) and an extra rechargable battery. Both of which unfortunately came in that silly clam-shell packaging that is virtually impossible to get into without cutting your hands on the sharp edges or without tearing up a pair of scissors.

Many folks here know I'm not a fan of a particular group of politicians, but I'd almost sell my soul to the devil and vote for a straight Democratic slate if one of them promised tomorrow to outlaw this onerous packaging.

I know it is designed to protect the contents from the possibility of theft in the stores, but it goes well above and beyond the call of duty in that regard. Once you get the package home you either need a blow torch or perhaps a pair of garden sheers or tin snips to open the darn things. Why must it be so difficult to get into the items you purchased, and just as importantly why must we waste literally tons of this plastic crap which rarely, if ever, finds it's way into the recyling systems?

I hope at some point the people that invented this crappy packaging find their hands scratched and cut up by this stuff. I swear it's pure evil in the form of a plastic package.
1,285 views 6 replies
Reply #1 from JoeUser Forums Top
Samples of my arch-enemy when it comes to packaging can be found here: Link
Reply #2 from JoeUser Forums Top
WOW! I totally agree with you!!! Everytime I get something in clam-shell packaging I curse the gods (right after I'm done tending to the various scratches and battle wounds on my hands)
Siege of Centauri
Reply #3 from JoeUser Forums Top
Man, you've pretty well covered one of my biggest pet peeves. Glad to see that I'm not alone here. You get an insightful for this one. Death to Clam-shell packaging!!!
Reply #4 from JoeUser Forums Top
Holy shit dude... clamshell packaging is a scourge to the modern world on a scale that shrinkwrap can only dream of. It is the supervillain of all packaging.

I hate the fact that you can't really return something in that packaging if you've opened it(if you got the wrong component for instance.)
Reply #5 from JoeUser Forums Top
I hate the fact that you can't really return something in that packaging if you've opened it(if you got the wrong component for instance.)


Very true. That ability to tell that a clamshell has been opened is a big part of the reason retailers love the stuff. They consider it "tamper proof" and then don't want to be responsible for something once you've opened it.

It's a huge problem if you are buying electronics/computer equipment and then try to return stuff to a retailer like say CompUSA. They don't want to accept the open merchandise, and many times the manufacturer (companies like Belkin as an example) will insist that you take defective equipment back to the store. It's a catch 22 for customers who are told they can't return opened equipment and then are told by the manufacturer to deal with the retailer for returns and exchanges.

I wish this stuff would seriously be outlawed. There are plenty of other far more reasonable packaging methods that can be just as effective in helping to prevent thefts, but are no where near as dangerous to handle by a purchaser and no where near as bad for the environment once the package needs to be disposed of.
Reply #6 from JoeUser Forums Top
There are variations that would even work(like having it be able to click closed and seal it with shrink wrap. It would be relatively hard to open the package at the store, but it would be easy to open at home and reclose if you need a return or to put something away.