By 
It’s time for SanDisk to rethink its packaging. Oh wait, it already has.
Really, SanDisk? Is that much really plastic really necessary? I don’t mean to pick on this company specifically. Many electronic companies need to come up with better solutions to packaging, and some are working on it. However, they need to come up with something just a little better than this sad display before boasting about it.
Thanks for the photos, Phil Villarreal.
Comments
July 07, 2009 at 9:08 am PDT | Nick Aster writes:
Hilarious. God I hate those things. But here’s the deal: Companies do this because those little things are huge theft items at retail. It’s a major problem and so far that’s the solution. I would challenge 3p readers to propose packaging solutions for small things that can also address theft. Any thoughts?
July 07, 2009 at 9:14 am PDT | Jen Boynton writes:
Why not reusable packaging? You take the package up to the counter and they remove the big honking plastic for you and you go on your way with your little flash drive in your pocket.
July 07, 2009 at 12:43 pm PDT | Anonymous writes:
Plastic ain’t the devil.
July 07, 2009 at 13:30 pm PDT | Heather writes:
Here’s an idea – small items that are easy to steal and have no alternative packaging to plastic: sell them behind the counter. You walk up, ask for what you want, then pay and there you go, what you need and no theft! Microcenter keeps their flash drives and SD cards in bins at the register, you pick them up as you check out and add them to your order. If this is too hard, then I am all for reusable packaging that can be opened at the checkout and then reused (like thicker plastic boxes that video games are in in most stores).
July 07, 2009 at 13:43 pm PDT | Terrence Kelleman writes:
Packaging is a major concern for me as the owner and designer of Dynomighty Design. Sometimes it takes as long to develop the packaging as it takes to design the product! But blister pack is the worst, ever hear of wrapper rage?
I’ve always tried to use minimal packaging, and make it recyclable, recycled or reusable, but often we’d hear complaints from customers that our packaging was TOO minimal!
Its a fine line and all consumers are different – point well taken about the security – we’ve heard some concern that our Mighty Wallets are too small for some vendors! That some customers are stealing them.
Some customers complain that the Mighty Wallet pkg is too big, but they are only 1/8th inch thick in a recyclable transparent envelope that is just larger than the wallet to frame it and present the design. You can’t please everyone, but dynomighty will always lean on the side of “Less is More”!
what a great topic. Thanks
July 07, 2009 at 14:24 pm PDT | Anonymous writes:
Stupid Sandisk. If retailers feel it’s an item high in theft, lock it up or put it in the reusable plastic lockboxes customers bring to the register. Honestly, if someone wanted to steal that, having the packaging 8″ taller than it needed to be won’t stop them.
“often we’d hear complaints from customers that our packaging was TOO minimal! ”
Why would anyone say that?
Right now the in thing is to be green and recyclable. Who wants extra trash?
July 07, 2009 at 15:01 pm PDT | Chuck writes:
Packaging such as the ink cartridges come in, hard plastic that is removed at the counter plus a service person standing beside you in the aisle now that’s green and secure.
July 07, 2009 at 22:50 pm PDT | anon writes:
8 additional inches of plastic probably -would- stop “them”; takes more time, is more loud, think about it.
July 09, 2009 at 18:27 pm PDT | Dave writes:
Shoot the thieves in the head
July 10, 2009 at 6:07 am PDT | Nathan Rein writes:
Ha! I noticed the same thing!
http://flic.kr/p/6d9LJ8
August 07, 2009 at 15:04 pm PDT | DooN writes:
This is Costco we are talking about. I think the reusable packaging idea is by far the best, but it would require an infrastructure change that Costco would be loathe to implement.
As it stands the whole idea behind Costco is savings… buying in bulk in a scaled back warehouse environment to save you money. The small amount we may or may not be saving shopping at Costco is a pittance compared to the amount of money they ARE making by selling huge amounts of products for the manufacturer while offering little to the customer in the way of customer services or even getting your stuff bagged at the register.
They would have to rethink the whole layout of all their stores to implement a reusable packaging system, which would then require one more person to staff this desk/cage/area.
I am willing to bet Costco actually has regulations for manufacturer packaging that specifies a minimum packaging size to deter theft. Even books of stamps come shrink wrapped to a big piece of cardboard.
I really have no point to all of my blustering, I just wanted to vent some of my impotent rage as a malcontent with the bi-polarity of being both an avid consumer and a guilt ridden proponent for environmental change.
Go green! Hulk smash!!!