Comments on: Less Plastic? Really, SanDisk?

By: DooN

DooN — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 22:04:49 +0000

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!!!

By: Nathan Rein

Nathan Rein — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 10:07:49 +0000

Ha! I noticed the same thing!
http://flic.kr/p/6d9LJ8

By: Dave

Dave — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 22:27:04 +0000

Shoot the thieves in the head

By: anon

anon — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 02:50:19 +0000

8 additional inches of plastic probably -would- stop “them”; takes more time, is more loud, think about it.

By: Chuck

Chuck — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 19:01:00 +0000

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.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 18:24:36 +0000

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?

By: Terrence Kelleman

Terrence Kelleman — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 17:43:11 +0000

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

By: Heather

Heather — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 17:30:01 +0000

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).

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 16:43:19 +0000

Plastic ain’t the devil.

By: Jen Boynton

Jen Boynton — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 13:14:53 +0000

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.

By: Nick Aster

Nick Aster — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 13:08:43 +0000

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?