Packaged goods waste of resources?

Question

Most times I get really frustrated when objects are to well packaged, but today I bought a pair of scissors and couldn't get into them. The instruction on the package said "open with scissors" I thought well thats the best yet. Do you have the same problem with excessive packaging?

Answer 1

Even better are toys, especially things like dolls.  How many miles of plastic-coated wire are used daily to hold them in their packages?

A lot of the packaging is not that excessive and if you spend some time talking with people in retailing you will realize that.

Anything that is possible damaging to a human has to be contained so tightly it is almost impossible to open because of product liability laws.  If people can hurt themslves with something similar to the scissors which they have just STOLEN and then successfully sue the retailer, you should understand why the packaging is necessary.

Children playing with toys or taking them out of packages and damaging them, deliberately or otherwise, cost retailers significant sums of money yearly also.

Overall, it is cheaper to spend maybe a percent more of the total cost in protective packaging than to lose five percent to in-store wear or damage.  This does not even consider the liability aspects previously mentioned.

Answer 2

Packaging can be a tool that companies use to make their products more desirable and to make the product feel more upmarket by surrounding it in expensive looking packaging, however a lot of the time packaging can be a waste of resources and a waste of time, but manufacturers (like apple) are starting to reduce the size of packaging and encouraging the recycling of packaging

Answer 3

Good, they should have written to use a blade instead.

Answer 4

It can get frustrating, can't it? Just remember that packaging can be a significant part of the cost of what you buy and no manufacturer is going to spend more than necessary for it. Packaging not only protects the "consumer" from the product, it protects the product from the environment, enhances the appearance, and deters shoplifting. I spent a bit of time on packaging research for wet wipes. Part of it was determining how to solve problems caused by leakage under conditions that the average person would never think of. Part of it was determining how little packaging the company could use.

What I can't figure out is why people would pay extra for individually-packaged prunes.