Packaging Insanity
Syd got a bottle of lotion for the holidays, which arrived in a HUGE box.
Yes, the only thing inside that box, aside from more packaging and bubble wrap, was that bottle of lotion. The iPod is there for scale.
Now, I know there is probably some argument within industry for shipping a relatively tiny bottle of lotion in a relatively gargantuan box, and that such an argument would probably fall along the lines of economies of scale and money. While the price might be right, in the end the customer is faced with a wad of bubble wrap, packaging for the lotion bottle, and a huge box. All of which is going straight into the trash, unless they have the inclination to repurpose or reuse the packaging. If this big box goes straight into the trash, its effective use-lifespan is somewhere on the order of days (depending on how long the shipping company took to deliver the package). Seems like a bit of a waste to me.
Perhaps more to the point, think about the perception the customer has of this company and its practices. Does “excessive” pop into mind? How about “wasteful”? Even if they’re there for just a moment, does a company want those words associated with its business practices? Will its customer be annoyed about having to throw away this garbage?
What about the shipping company? If they knew that their precious cargo space was being wasted on what amounts to air, would they be especially happy? Sure, it means more trips and deliveries for them, but it also points to inefficiencies: how many more packages could they have shipped in one trip had this package been smaller? More trips and more deliveries mean more fuel costs, more vehicle maintenance, more potential overtime for employees, and so forth.
I’m not sure that a thorough analysis of the true costs involved in shipping this bottle of lotion would be especially helpful in determining whether or not to use a large box or a small box. One might discover that it truly is better to use a huge box to ship a small bottle of lotion. Or one might find that a small or huge amount of money could be saved by using a smaller box. Or one might find that shipping a bottle of lotion doesn’t make as much sense as transmitting the recipe for the lotion for production somewhere closer to the customer.
In the end, what’s just as important is the customer experience. What happens if a customer thinks one company wasteful and another company frugal? My thought is that as people become more frugal, as gas prices rise and the cost of living increases, they will become more likely to notice the kinds of incongruities exemplified by this box and its contents.