http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2008/12/29/just_in_time_for_your_post_hol Comments On: Just In Time for Your Post-Holiday Guilt by Erica C. Barnett en-us Copyright 2009 The Stranger. All rights reserved. This RSS file is offered to individuals, The Stranger readers, and non-commercial organizations only. Any commercial websites wishing to use this RSS file, please contact The Stranger. webmaster@thestranger.com (The Stranger Webmaster) Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:00:01 -0800 Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:15:00 -0800 Foundation http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Posted by Sad Comment]]> Mon, 29 Dec 2008 23:48:45 -0800 The Stranger Posted by ECB DUI]]> Mon, 29 Dec 2008 23:32:53 -0800 The Stranger
We were able to kill styrofoam peanuts very early in the process, but void-fill is a problem when there is a finite set of carton sizes and a wide range of product sizes. Most manufacturers have the luxury of optimizing package size for long runs of a single size of product, but Amazon doesn't. The best way to optimize for size is to sort outbound orders by size before they're are packed and steer them into the appropriate packing line. The better solutions involve securing the items to the center of a carton (usually with stretch film) and dropping them into the right height carton.

Some of the very large mechanized D.C.'s were designed and built in a hurry by people that had a lot of experience building successful retail distribution operations - shipping truckloads to big box stores - and they sort of overlooked some of the challenges of mail-order fulfillment. (We sort of overbuilt order assembly sortation). Orders are sorted on a very large mechanical sorter. The orders should be sorted again by order size, but they aren't, and the people who clear the sorter chutes aren't provided a very good way to select the best sized carton.

It gives me heartburn. But I'd bet they have some good people working on it. Shipping air is expensive.
Posted by Dunnage by the Tonnage]]> Mon, 29 Dec 2008 21:38:45 -0800 The Stranger Amazon.com came in evil plastic wrap inside a shoebox sized cardboard box. We're talking about what amounts to a credit card made out of paper being shipped, enclosed in evil anti-theft plastic, padded by those same air pillow, and shipped in a box. WTF?

Couldn't they just send me the redeem code in an email or something? WHAT THE FRACK?
Posted by seattle98104]]> Mon, 29 Dec 2008 17:48:53 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Box Car Willie]]> Mon, 29 Dec 2008 16:20:23 -0800 The Stranger Posted by mAlissa]]> Mon, 29 Dec 2008 16:20:17 -0800 The Stranger
Posted by rjh]]> Mon, 29 Dec 2008 15:44:36 -0800 The Stranger Posted by josh]]> Mon, 29 Dec 2008 15:29:28 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Greg]]> Mon, 29 Dec 2008 15:19:51 -0800 The Stranger
But they also look pretty burning in the fireplace ...
Posted by Will in Santa Barbara]]> Mon, 29 Dec 2008 15:00:16 -0800 The Stranger
I've been on two tours of Amazon fulfillment centers (their shipping warehouses), and worked the packing line, and let me tell you: when your pay is based on your performance in terms of items packed per hour, you aren't going to wait for the perfect box to come trundling down the overhead racks; you're going to grab the best box within reach, even if that one's ridiculously oversized.

If you want packaging to be green, you're going to have to pay 2-3 times as much for the privilege. Economically, this is efficient packaging. Although maybe that says more about our cheap paper products and waste disposal than anything.
Posted by Chip]]> Mon, 29 Dec 2008 14:32:48 -0800 The Stranger
Those look really pretty with the silver bows.

@5,

It's not just that they use extra packaging. If you buy a lot of stuff at once and don't ask them to send it all in one package, Amazon will, more often than not, go crazy and send every single item in its own box.
Posted by keshmeshi]]> Mon, 29 Dec 2008 14:27:35 -0800 The Stranger
Is it better for Amazon to ship me a item in a box too large, or have them stock twice as many boxes so every box can be just right? What about ensuring things get packaged properly? Maybe it's more environmental to ensure that all of the resources that have gone to produce a product aren't wasted when the mailman breaks an item because there wasn't enough packaging protection? Yes we could stand to use less packaging, but I think this is one of our lesser sins.

We need more of this: www.amazon.com/frustration
Posted by John]]> Mon, 29 Dec 2008 14:23:56 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Not embarrassed of my scoldy tone]]> Mon, 29 Dec 2008 14:13:58 -0800 The Stranger

Posted by FYI, That Article Isn't Nearly AS Unpleasant As You]]> Mon, 29 Dec 2008 14:13:05 -0800 The Stranger Posted by c to the andice]]> Mon, 29 Dec 2008 14:11:29 -0800 The Stranger http://bit.ly/49HN
Posted by mynameiskate]]> Mon, 29 Dec 2008 14:05:22 -0800 The Stranger