OT: Amazon packaging

Quite possibly. Love the fact that the contents are in no way fragile.

I love the fact that the box of swabs was clearly quite badly squashed.

The system tells the packers what box &c to use but if they have run out of the designated one and they are trying to meet/beat targets then they'll use whatever is to hand without waiting for replacements of the designated one to arrive.

Can't you get them from the NHS via the district nursing service?

Bill

Dependent on cost it may well be cheaper to buy them yourself if a prescription is required and if they are free to end user there is still a cost to NHS which may outweigh the cost to the individual.

well it's a 4.28 Mbyte photo too :-)

Not a record. Someone I was working with got a small wallet (small by comparison with typical pocket wallet size) in a box that was at least twice the size of that box.

And I got a shoebox-size package with one single SD card in it.

I used to get a lot of stuff from CPC and I had ordered five little ICs. They were in black foam in a bag. The actual parcel, full of bags of air was

Does anyone remember Clifford James who used to sell footwear? On a leaflet inside some walking boots it said. If these are unsuitable please do not wear them as we will not refund money on used items. I mean, how can you tell without putting them on? Brian

Not being able to see the picture, I have no idea what they were, however thepoint was that overkill and underkill on packaging seems quite common these days. I ordered some CD cases and the few near one end were all cracked, but I'd never order any more form that company as the failure rate on them was so great, IE the plastic was flimsy and they had not been deburred or in some cases the bits would not even stay together.QA non existent. Brian

It seems there's a cardboard shortage so they may have run out of small boxes and been forced to use a big one.

It seems there are various views on causes of the cardboard shortage ;)

Clifford James were in Ripley, Surrey. I used to call in to try on boots and shoes.

Trying them on is not the same as wearing.

The business moved to Wales (Brecon, ISTR)

Must be cheaper to dispose of boxes this way.

Birthplace of Eric Clapton IIRC

I think that is the crucial distinction.

If I have a small item to return I am very tempted to combine all of the Amazon packaging into one enormous box...

Some years ago, I ordered a musical instrument, and a case to fit it, from the German retailers

The (single) delivered package contained the instrument (in a large cardboard box) and the case (in a separate large cardboard box of about the same size).

I got a watch strap in an A4 cardboard envelope.

I suppose that any firm sending all its stuff out by carrier won't want to use too small a package in case it gets lost in transit.

Also some years ago, I received a digital projector where the packaging, inside a box, was the device's carry case, and it survived being dropped over the side gate because I was out when it was delivered.