• Bob's uncle (unregistered) in reply to Bill's Kid
    Bill's Kid:
    TRWTF is somebody ordering screws from Dell.

    On the other hand, there are plenty of loose screws at Dell, so they were probably offered at competitive prices.

  • John Bradshaw (unregistered) in reply to Bill Higgins

    Oh William, far be it from the people at DELL to contact their suppliers and advise them of any wastage. No, let's commend them for being brain dead. But have a good day... JB

  • SMK (unregistered)

    We ordered a new Dell desktop, the dimensions of which were about 1ft wide by 2ft long.

    The box it came in could have held four identical desktops, stacked 2x2. It now belongs to the neighbour's kids (8 & 5 yrs) who can sit in it quite comfortably.

    CAPTCHA: paratus

  • Ana (unregistered)

    When I got married, Williams-Sonoma sent me 3 rubber spatulas someone had bought off of my registry in a gigantic box, each one of the spatulas wrapped in a ridiculous amount of paper. That was so annoying... Way to go, Dell!

  • Luiz Felipe (unregistered) in reply to AverageJon

    no, just use green painting and its ok.

  • David Zentner (unregistered) in reply to Bill Higgins

    Or, and I'm just throwing this out there. There could be a bucket of screws. A person could then count 65 screws and put said screws into 1 bag, then mail. I really doubt the time to count out 65 screws could take longer then to count out 65 bags and mail away. But what do I know..

  • Really? (unregistered) in reply to Bill Higgins

    I just want to be clear that the president of the packaging manufactures of America posted on here, saying that screw manufacturers are going to destroy their margin by using unneeded packacking.

    Ohhhh its a joke. I get it... (I hope)

  • J Henry (unregistered) in reply to Bill Higgins

    So what you're saying is that the manufacturers are idiots, not dell?

  • J Henry (unregistered) in reply to Jay

    The problem with that is that you are accepting a total lack of thought about the type of product being packaged. How do you damage a screw, other than stripping the head? on-size-fits-all really doen't fit anything.

  • (cs) in reply to Bill Higgins

    I love the fact that William Higgins is the name of a "happy" "prawn" film director.

  • Janus (unregistered) in reply to Bill Higgins
    Bill Higgins:
    I commend Dell on their savvy business decision. Studies show that it's not cost effective or "green" for every company designed a custom package to compactly contain all hardware. Instead, Dell courageously just uses the package the screws already come in from their hardware supplier.

    William Higgins

    President- Packaging Manufacturers of America

    Then the real WTF is why those manufacturers need such ridiculously large packages for a couple of screws. Maybe those manufacturers need to realise they are wasting a huge amount of resources on something so small.

  • (cs) in reply to Philipp
    Philipp:
    Postal services and couriers should start to charge based on volume instead of just weight. That way there would be an incentive to use more efficient packaging.

    I am pretty sure the limiting capacity of most parts of the transportation chain is rather volume or number of packets instead of their weight.

    Royal Mail do charge based on volume as well as weight.

  • Sean (unregistered) in reply to Bill Higgins

    Of course, the reason this happens is that otherwise they'd have to trust the warehouse staff to decide what needed padding and what didn't. So they pad and package everything separately.

  • Anonymous (unregistered) in reply to JennyJenny
    JennyJenny:
    Zost:
    Cardboard boxes can be made from many different recycled materials. Wooden ones can only be made from recycled trees.

    Cardboard boxes are made out of pine chips. They can be recycled INTO other things, but have to be made out of virgin wood.

    I don't know where you got this idea from but I've just checked 3 different cardboard boxes (packaging from various hardware we've bought over the last couple months) and they are all made from 80% recycled material. That's just 20% "virgin" wood. In fact, I cannot find a single cardboard box in my office that is made from less that 60% recycled material (and I think that one is only 60% because it's glossy instead of matte). If anyone tells you they "have" to make cardboard packaging out of non-recycled material they are lying to you, plain and simple.

  • ojw (unregistered)

    More on The Register...

    http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/07/29/aboxalypse_now/

    http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/07/18/hp_packaging/

    http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/07/23/enormouse/

  • (cs) in reply to Matt Westwood
    Matt Westwood:
    ... and of course if you're getting something delivered to your home (we're in the UK again where we don't have mailboxes on sticks at the end of the drive), it's too big to put through your letterbox, so when you're not in (as you're at work when the postman comes) you get a message that you've got to go and pick it up from the depot. And the depot is sited in the middle of the biggest traffic-jam in town.
    You forgot the part where you have to wait *at least* 24hrs before you can go to said traffic-jam located depot. Oh, and you need a passport as well as the message to prove that you are the person referenced. And they tend to not be open that long on weekends.

    Alternatively you can be home all day and the postman doesn't even try the doorbell but leaves the message claiming you weren't in. >:(

  • golddog (unregistered)

    On the plus side, just think of how much more cardboard than usual went to recycling that day.

  • bleno (unregistered) in reply to Bill Higgins

    How about putting all the small individual plastic bag in the same envelope then?

  • The English Gentleman (unregistered) in reply to MrBester
    MrBester:
    Matt Westwood:
    ... and of course if you're getting something delivered to your home (we're in the UK again where we don't have mailboxes on sticks at the end of the drive), it's too big to put through your letterbox, so when you're not in (as you're at work when the postman comes) you get a message that you've got to go and pick it up from the depot. And the depot is sited in the middle of the biggest traffic-jam in town.
    You forgot the part where you have to wait *at least* 24hrs before you can go to said traffic-jam located depot. Oh, and you need a passport as well as the message to prove that you are the person referenced. And they tend to not be open that long on weekends.

    Alternatively you can be home all day and the postman doesn't even try the doorbell but leaves the message claiming you weren't in. >:(

    This is so damn true, absolutely spot on. Thanks for reminding me exactly how crappy our postal service is.

  • Tom Grimes (unregistered) in reply to Bill Higgins

    While true that it is not effective for all companies to design custom packaging, it is ludicrous to suggest, as you have, that Dell receives from its supplier each screw in a separate bag. Further, it is very silly indeed to say that placing only one screw can in each package is anything like efficient or green. Placing multiple screws in one standard-size package is clearly the most reasonable solution.

    At least you were kind enough to show why you are biased: try to sell as much packaging as you possibly can!

    Tom Grimes, Ph.D.

  • Bill Higgins (unregistered) in reply to Tom Grimes
    Tom Grimes:
    Bill Higgins:
    I commend Dell on their savvy business decision. Studies show that it's not cost effective or "green" for every company designed a custom package to compactly contain all hardware. Instead, Dell courageously just uses the package the screws already come in from their hardware supplier.

    William Higgins

    President- Packaging Manufacturers of America

    While true that it is not effective for all companies to design custom packaging, it is ludicrous to suggest, as you have, that Dell receives from its supplier each screw in a separate bag. Further, it is very silly indeed to say that placing only one screw can in each package is anything like efficient or green. Placing multiple screws in one standard-size package is clearly the most reasonable solution.

    At least you were kind enough to show why you are biased: try to sell as much packaging as you possibly can!

    Tom Grimes, Ph.D.

    Is there any particular reason why you felt the need to mention your Ph.D.? You do realize you are replying to a joke, right? Oh, and I added the quote for you so people can tell what your going on about. I bet they didn't teach you that at your fancy university, did they? Your not too bright, are you?

    William Higgins, B.S.

  • dd (unregistered) in reply to Bill Higgins

    So you're telling me that the manufacturer ships these screws in a single box each? Do they have too much storage space?

  • dd (unregistered) in reply to Bill Higgins

    apparently, you don't have the finest humour yourself when you feel offended... you jealous of the PhD? unresolved issues with it? sounds like you have something there...

  • Dan (unregistered)

    I ordered some I2C digital temperature sensors from Texas Instruments, in SOT-23 form.

    This is how they turned up: http://www.danneh.org/gallery3/other/Crazy-Packaging

    Unbelievable!

  • (cs) in reply to Dan
    Dan:
    I ordered some I2C digital temperature sensors from Texas Instruments, in SOT-23 form.

    This is how they turned up: http://www.danneh.org/gallery3/other/Crazy-Packaging

    Unbelievable!

    You don't deal with electronic components very often, do you? That's pretty much standard.

  • Jonathan Wilson (unregistered) in reply to Anon

    One possible issue with selling screws in packs of 10 is that some IT budget people may be asking questions about why someone in IT ordered a pack of 10 screws when they only needed one (it doesn't matter what the costs are, its the fact that they bought more of something than they actually needed to do the job)

  • Nathan in the Morning (unregistered) in reply to Bill Higgins

    You joke, but those envelopes are completely insecure. I would not have shippe that package without adding at least a bakers dozen worth of styrofoam peanuts. Of course, the best method for shipping screws is to take them out of their packaging, fill a bow with sand, and embed them deep within. But unfortunately sand reminds people too much of the beach and so CEOs typically steal it all for their private in office volleyball teams.

  • Rubberman (unregistered)

    Then there are the shipping screw-ups. Two that I have been the recipient of:

    1. Dell - ordered some new little rubber pads for the bottom of my laptop (would fit in a regular envelope) - got a great big box of CPU cooling fans...
    2. Linkyo - ordered 50 bubble-wrap mailers (8 1/2 x 11). Got 24. Asked them to ship the remainder - go 4 boxes w/ 1000 total... Fortunately for them, I shipped all but the 26 missing from the original order back. :-)
  • Ritesh (unregistered)

    I think the screws were provided as back-up. The original screws were screwed to the boxes they came in, to avoid packing!

  • Steve (unregistered)

    The winner for me is NetApp for sending a 1m square box inside which, lovingly cradled in bubble wrap and peanuts, was a single letter size sheet of paper.

  • Andrey Abutin (unregistered)

    At least they didn't insist on using Pelican cases and settled on cardboard boxes instead LOL

  • Walmart Employee (unregistered) in reply to phew

    TRWTF is walmart registers not supporting multiples greater than 6. (ok, and me working at walmart)

  • Daniel Foxworthy Billingston III (unregistered)

    That is how I have my spaghetti delivered -- each noodle individually wrapped then shipped in its own priority mail crate.

    Daniel Foxworthy Billingston III CEO, Institute of Exigent Malignity

  • Dave (unregistered) in reply to Bill Higgins

    Courageously? Wow, how brave. You should package Dell a Medal Of Honor, so brave is their non-action lining your pockets.

  • Hill Biggins (unregistered) in reply to Bill Higgins

    "Dell courageously just uses the package the screws already come in from their hardware supplier."

    Dell are heroes.

    Hilliam Biggins

    President- Manufacturing Packagers of America

  • silverxsparkle (unregistered) in reply to XXXXX

    Yes. Yes. We are using this quote...sometime in life.

  • silverxsparkle (unregistered) in reply to XXXXX

    Yes. Yes. We are using this quote...sometime in life.

  • Kelltodabell (unregistered) in reply to XXXXX

    Yo Dawg, I read your quote in the quote section so I put the quote in my quote section of my quote paper for quotes

    <3 Kelly!!!

  • Some Dude (unregistered)

    They have to ship out tiny stuff like this in this fashion because the rate of theft by mailworkers or packing folk is extremely high for small mail order items.

    Things like Memory Cards, Batteries, etc that could just be pocketed without so much a notice can be sold fairly easily and quickly.

  • Nadatech (unregistered) in reply to Bill Higgins

    President- Packaging Manufacturers of America

    I think your opinion is slightly biased.

  • meep (unregistered)

    I think this is how Dell solves the Knapsack Problem - just use one size of container for everything no matter how small it is!

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