Unlike most efforts of the Stupid Shipping Gang, Cheryl’s bag of dog food that came from Amazon wasn’t comically over- or under-packaged. It was comically over-stickered. At some point, the top of the bag split, and someone sealed it off with “TEAM LIFT” stickers, thinking…the customer wouldn’t notice? Yeah, we don’t know. [More]
stupid shipping gang
Stupid Shipping Gang Seals Dog Food Bag With Stickers, Hopes You Won’t Notice
By 6.11.13
Amazon Sends Pre-Smushed LEGO Set In Intact Box
By 6.3.13
Marc’s son likes to build LEGO worlds with his grandfather, who got him a super amazing Batman Arkham Asylum set for his birthday this week. It seems that the Stupid Shipping Gang got hold of the box, but not in a way that we might expect. Somehow, the box that the set came in had been stomped on, but the box that it shipped in was intact. [More]
I’m So Relieved That These Plastic Salt & Pepper Shakers Arrived Safely, Swiftly
By 5.31.13 — Updated: 5.30.13
Consumerist reader Roy knows his stuff — there’s no messing around when it comes to scoring deals and as such, he keeps his peepers peel for the juiciest ones the Internet has to offer. In his pursuit of one item, he had to buy one other, tiny thing to make his deal dreams come true. The good news is, it arrived safely, and lickety split. The silly thing is, they arrived in the above packaging. Apparently Amazon doesn’t have the corner on the Stupid Shipping Gang. [More]
Macy’s Includes Free Mug In My Box Of Air Pillows
By 5.20.13
The over-packaging Stupid Shipping Gangsters don’t just work for Amazon. They’re everywhere. Reader Matt encountered the Gang when he made a purchase from Macy’s. He bought a pair of shoes and added a mug to make the free shipping limit. He received a box large enough to hold everything that he had purchased, and assumed that it did. It did not. It held only a mug and a great wealth of air pillows. [More]
Amazon Maintains Equilibrium, Sends Out Comically Under-Packaged Boxes Too
By 5.10.13
We are glad to see that, in an effort to keep things consistent across their global retail operation, Amazon is also comically under-packaging some boxes. Reader EG’s box of light bulbs bumped their way to his house, and he is not pleased. [More]
Amazon Packs Your Snacks Extra Safely In A Box Ten Times Too Big
By 5.9.13
Alex says that when a giant box from Amazon arrived on his doorstep, he was puzzled. There was a huge, huge box, but all he had ordered were some Munchies brand peanuts that were on sale. (Having Prime makes you do that kind of thing.) That couldn’t possibly be all that was in the box: there was enough space in there for hundreds of packets of peanuts. He had only ordered 32. So what was in the box? [More]
Amazon’s Stupid Shipping Gang Thinks Two Pieces Of Paper Will Protect My Speaker
By 4.25.13
Consumerist reader Howard must’ve breathed a hugesigh of relief upon opening a box from Amazon containing his new center speaker. Some thoughtful, kind person had tossed in not one, but two thin sheets of paper, as protection against all the calamities that can befall packages. [More]
Reader Fairly Certain That Men Are In Charge Of Shipping Bras At Kohl’s
By 4.17.13
Amy was disappointed with the condition that her bras arrived in from Kohl’s. Men, she insists, are in charge of packing the store’s lingerie. Or–let’s be inclusive here–people who have never needed to wear an article of clothing that has underwires. Or a molded cup. Not even all women understand the care with which delicately-constructed undergarments need to be handled. [More]
Amazon Is Very Concerned Someone Will Get Hurt Lifting This 4.65-Lb Box
By 3.20.13
Consumerist reader Charles might have thought Amazon had thrown in some barbells or maybe a spare anvil it had lying around the old warehouse when he received the above package. But that’s not what he’d ordered, and it wasn’t what was in the box. [More]
Apple’s Stupid Shipping Gang Sends 93 iPads To Same Recipient In Separate Boxes
By 1.29.13
Everyone at Phil’s office is mad at Apple’s shipping department right now. Well, Phil’s fingers are, their Fedex guy is, and whoever takes out their trash is. That’s because when his company bought 93 engraved iPads, Apple channeled the Stupid Shipping Gang and packaged up each one in a separate box. [More]
Former Sears Employee Attempts To Explain The Shipping Gang’s Apparent Distaste For Boxes
By 1.24.13
There are some retail processes and procedures that no matter how often we write about them, we just can’t wrap our heads around the logic behind them. If there even is any, of course. That’s why we were happy to hear again from our friend, a former Sears employee who just so happened to work in order fulfillment for the company. He wrote in to shed some light on why the company would ever ship something without a box. [More]
Sears Apparently Saving On Shipping Costs By Sending My Item Without A Box
By 1.23.13
Here at Consumerist HQ we’ve seen more than our fair share of items that have been ridiculously over-packaged, which while it’s a wasteful, silly exercise in shipping, it’s probably preferred to receiving a battered item. Consumerist reader Hui has a bone to pick with Sears’ shipping gang, as the company just can’t seem to find a simple box to send his items in. [More]
I’m Just So Relieved My Chalk Pen Arrived Safely Encased In This Huge Bed Of Air
By 1.18.13
Sometimes we think Amazon’s band of size-blind, extra packing material enthusiasts are sleeping on the job, neglecting to amuse us with their funny ideas about shipping things in ginormous boxes with too much packing material. But then they pop up and surprise us and we remember why we started paying attention to them in the first place. [More]
Ex-Stupid Shipping Gangster Explains Why Your Purchases Are So Poorly Packaged
By 1.9.13
Reader T. would like everyone to know that the members of the notorious Stupid Shipping Gang aren’t necessarily stupid. There could be a perfectly valid reason why your bubble wrap is wrapped in bubble wrap, a small clock comes in a box large enough to store your fiancée, and every ten-foot power cord requires its own wooden pallet. They’re just working with what they have, within the rules they’re provided, and trying to get your item to you in one piece. On their end of the transaction, these decisions aren’t so stupid. What seems wasteful to us consumers may actually save the company money.
[More]
Soap.com Sends Me Flour, Oats, Hot Sauce, Air
By 1.7.13
Anoop sent us a photo of his very first Soap.com order, labeling it “the most egregious overpacking [that he’s] seen.” We’ve seen worse, but it’s still pretty bad. [More]
Best Buy Makes Sure Gift Card Arrives Safely, Sends It Packed In Air Cushions
By 1.2.13
Kevin took advantage of a totally amazing Best Buy deal where he could buy a $100 iTunes gift card for only $80. The card came in the regular old mail instead of being virtual, though, and Kevin assumed that it would arrive in some sort of envelope. What with it being a small, flat object and all. But no! Instead, Best Buy sent it along in a cardboard box filled with air pillows. [More]
The Body Shop Ships Glass Candle Holder Loose In Box, Makes Up For It With Fabulous Customer Service
By 12.19.12 — Updated: 12.20.12
The lovely scented candle that Todd ordered from The Body Shop arrived on time and all, but smashed. It came in a glass holder, and no one working at the warehouse seemed to know that when you ship an item made of glass, you should put some kind of packing materials around it so it doesn’t end up pulverized into little shards that cut Todd’s hand. For example. Trying to get through to their customer service, though, added figurative insult to his literal injury. [More]
Of Course This Ginormous Box Was Necessary To Ship A Package Of Staples
By 12.17.12
Based on some of the outlandishly large boxes stuffed with layers of paper or an overabundance of inflated plastic packing material, we’ve got to surmise that certain retailers just don’t know about padded envelopes. They must be unaware of such shipping material, otherwise there’s no logical explanation for sending a $1.35 box of staples in such a ridiculously huge box. [More]
