Amazon Spares Your Fingers with Blister Pack-Free Initiative
Posted 11/03/08 at 05:07:38 PM | by Alex Castle

Image Credit: Amazon.com
You've bought computer parts online, right? If you have, then we're sure you've experienced the Herculean ordeal of trying to free a delicate little part (say, a memory card) from its nigh-unbreakable PVC prison. Well, today Amazon has shown that they feel our pain, announcing a new initiative to eventually offer all their products with less obnoxious, extraneous packaging.
The initiative extends beyond tech stuff and beyond just PVC blister packs. The retail giant says that the plan won't just save our fingers, but the environment too. For instance, the press release says that for a single toy pirate ship, the new packaging "eliminates 36 inches of plastic-coated wire ties, 1,576.5 square inches of printed corrugated package inserts and 36.1 square inches of printed folding carton materials. Also eliminated are 175.25 square inches of PVC blisters, 3.5 square inches of ABS molded styrene and two molded plastic fasteners."
For right now Amazon's only going to be offering the new packaging on items from certain sourcces, like Microsoft and Transcend, but says "our vision is to offer our entire catalog of products in Frustration-Free Packaging."
Sounds pretty good, right? Do you think we can expect other retailers to follow suit? Let us know after the break.
Easy Open humph!!!!
Submitted by nsvander on Mon, 2008-11-03 20:51
I dont know about you guys, but have to ever tried to open the easy open ones? They are just as painfull to try and open as the regular ones. I alway end up getting the trusty utility knife and slicing it open, then hopefull tear the packeage open with out cutting myself on the razor sharp plastic that is left.
To add insult to injury some
Submitted by Keith E. Whisman on Tue, 2008-11-04 00:41
To add insult to injury some of those packages say they are reusable... LOL... Good God...
They always overwrap these
Submitted by Number Six on Mon, 2008-11-03 18:50
They always overwrap these things... you have to be a magician just to open it!
Or an expert with the light
Submitted by Keith E. Whisman on Mon, 2008-11-03 20:32
Or an expert with the light saber
I see etailers following
Submitted by ilfipian on Mon, 2008-11-03 17:43
I see etailers following along. The large hard plastic pack was partially about shoplifting control where etailers shouldn't have the same problem. Brick and mortar will still need the protection this packaging offers.
So they have reinvented the
Submitted by Keith E. Whisman on Mon, 2008-11-03 16:43
So they have reinvented the packing peanut or the bubble pack.
Gj
Submitted by praetor_alpha on Mon, 2008-11-03 16:21
Good job, Amazon. Looks like they got the hint from Gordon's rant awhile back.









