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My family has migrated more purchases to Amazon than I even realized. I got tipped off when I noticed that now the recycle bin fills up so much faster than the trash can.

Which brings up the main issue I have for to-the-door delivery: the packaging. The insane amount of boxes inside of boxes really makes me feel guilty. There was a project at Amazon in 2008 to have consumer friendly, "frustration free" [1] packaging, as most packages are optimized to stand out on store shelves and prevent theft. (Of course that makes them bulky and hard to open. With posed toys that secured with wire and screws, it's even more maddening.)

Where has that effort gone? Did it fall out of favor with manufacturers and / or consumers?

I would love to have Amazon drop off my order in as little packaging as possible and even collect & reuse special durable bottles and such for frequently used items like laundry detergent.

This seems like an opportunity as they increasingly build local warehouses and take ownership of the supply chain and delivery logistics.

[1] http://www.adsavvy.org/amazoncoms-new-frustration-free-packa...

6 comments

Packaging may not be the best for the environment, but I think it may compare favorably to everyone driving to the store for each small item.

I would like a returnable box. You can hand it back to the the delivery guy next order.

The problem with re-using a box is that it loses a lot of integrity after the initial shipment. Its crush rating is reduced and chance of tear increases sharply. Many damaged and ripped parcels at the post office are due to box reuse or bad packaging combined with incorrect crush rating.

It would have to be inspected to make sure its ok to re-use. Does not have to be cardboard.

Agree, that would likely work or a solution could be found.

Perhaps it could instead be sent back to Amazon for recycling?

Peapod has demonstrated that no, you wouldn't actually want this.

The delivery guy would not like that though.

When amazon delivers things via Prime Now they typically come in brown paper grocery bags. Obviously when handing things off to UPS/USPS/FedEx you can't really do that.

Though I will say recently I have had some things shipped in their actual product boxes. I ordered a food processor and it arrived in its store packaging. I guess the issue there becomes package theft, considering you can easily know the contents. Maybe some simple brown paper wrapping around it?

It would be too expensive/time consuming to wrap packages. Boxing and taping is much more efficient at scale.

I'd be much more enthusiastic about their frustration free packaging if fraudulent items weren't so endemic.

I know it isn't guaranteed, but blister packs from the manufacturer are less likely to be tampered with, right?

Fraudsters just manufacturer their own fake blister packs that look just like the company's.

i know what you're getting at, but they started to address this. Send some stuff to Goodwill with your box in the meantime [0].

[0] https://www.amazon.com/p/feature/xde6cauvpfp66o2

I always assumed "frustration free" packaging was their way of resealing returned goods.