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About Those Air Cushions in Amazon Packages

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Re: About Those Air Cushions in Amazon Packages

#121

Post by mabbo »

somethingsimple wrote: post #112
krapp wrote: post #17

I had to package and tape boxes at an Amazon fulfillment center over peak season one day. One of the "problems" I found with the process is the system tells you the size of box to use. You're not allowed to use a smaller size, even if it would work, only that size or larger. It also tends to overestimate the size of the item, so many boxes wind up with a lot more empty space than would be necessary, and more packing.…

Sorry for going off-topic here, but I'm curious. You say you "had to" work a fulfillment center over peak season. Were you an engineer at Amazon at the time? I'm asking because I've been told that Amazon makes engineers work at their fulfillment centers when it's peak season. If that's true, are people paid extra to do so?

I was a software developer for Amazon for five years, the majority of which was writing software for the fulfillment centers. Recently left to join a startup. My answers represent my experience, not Amazon's response.

> I've been told that Amazon makes engineers work at their fulfillment centers when it's peak season

Good god, no. An engineer salary has got to be 4 to 8 times the salary of an FC Associate (or more), and generally speaking we're terrible at manual labour! Besides which, the engineers are generally busy making sure the software doesn't fall over from the X-times load increase of all the extra users during the peak season.

That said, the better engineers tended to try to get on-site frequently to better understand the tools, problems, etc. I sure tried to be there often.

Re: About Those Air Cushions in Amazon Packages

#122

Post by GabrielF00 »

somethingsimple wrote: post #112
krapp wrote: post #17

I had to package and tape boxes at an Amazon fulfillment center over peak season one day. One of the "problems" I found with the process is the system tells you the size of box to use. You're not allowed to use a smaller size, even if it would work, only that size or larger. It also tends to overestimate the size of the item, so many boxes wind up with a lot more empty space than would be necessary, and more packing.…

Sorry for going off-topic here, but I'm curious. You say you "had to" work a fulfillment center over peak season. Were you an engineer at Amazon at the time? I'm asking because I've been told that Amazon makes engineers work at their fulfillment centers when it's peak season. If that's true, are people paid extra to do so?

Not true. Managers are required to work in fulfillment centers (not necessarily during peak season) for a couple days as a means of giving them experience with that part of the company. I think is only for managers above a certain level, but don't remember the details. There's a similar program for customer service call centers.

Re: About Those Air Cushions in Amazon Packages

#123

Post by justinclift »

brodie78382 wrote: post #105

I had no idea this is a widespread concern. Over the course of years, I have kept every box and the shipping materials under the presumption that I would reuse it all at some point. Only flaw in my logic is that I order way more stuff than I ship out. This, combined with my laziness, has resulted in a spare room in the house now being known among friends and family as "The Box Room", which was full wall to wall, floo…

Is there a recycling collection program in your area? eg something that collects cardboard along with household waste

If so, that seems like an easy way to start reducing the box count. :)

Re: About Those Air Cushions in Amazon Packages

#124

Post by cyberferret »

ethbro wrote: post #106
kalleboo wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Here in Japan the packaging I see most from Amazon is where they strap the item down with a strong plastic wrap to a thick piece of cardboard that's glued to the bottom of the box. This keeps it centered and they don't need any filler at all.

Curious question: what condition due the boxes typically arrive in? Are punctures and crushed boxes common or rare? It definitely seems like a better method, but I'm curious if the shipping handling is different there. (For reference, in the SE US I'd say about 1:15 Amazon boxes arrives with some kind of damage. 1:40 with worrisome damage)

I had to go into the warehouse of a local shipping company the other day to identify and pick up an oversized package, and I couldn't believe how brutal the conveyor systems were. In the few minutes i was there, i saw a couple of boxes fall of a belt, and one particular box caught in a junction of a couple of belts with every other box coming through bashing against it, and no one treating any of these occurrences as a problematic issue.

I can see now how a majority of the parcels may get through ok, but the few that end up caught or trapped will end up in very poor condition.

Re: About Those Air Cushions in Amazon Packages

#125

Post by kalleboo »

ethbro wrote: post #106
kalleboo wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Here in Japan the packaging I see most from Amazon is where they strap the item down with a strong plastic wrap to a thick piece of cardboard that's glued to the bottom of the box. This keeps it centered and they don't need any filler at all.

Curious question: what condition due the boxes typically arrive in? Are punctures and crushed boxes common or rare? It definitely seems like a better method, but I'm curious if the shipping handling is different there. (For reference, in the SE US I'd say about 1:15 Amazon boxes arrives with some kind of damage. 1:40 with worrisome damage)

I guess it may only be workable in Japan - the delivery companies here are exceptionally good. I've never received a package in anything other than 100% perfect condition. I used to subscribe to a monthly beer club that would send 5 glass bottles of beer though the post office's "5-7℃ chilled delivery" service and they were barely packed at all, no issues.

That said I used to often have CDs and DVDs delivered from Amazon.jp to Sweden when I lived there that were packed the same way and they arrived safely, but CDs and DVDs are probably the easiest thing to ship.

Re: About Those Air Cushions in Amazon Packages

#126

Post by rtpg »

ekzy wrote: post #73
pedalpete wrote: post #68

I think there are two opportunities for the environmental effects of the air cushions. 1) Re-use rather than recycle: What if you could let the air out at home, open up the bag, stuff it with other bags, and the outside of the bag had a postage paid stamp. It goes back to the company that made the bag so it can be re-used. 2) Make them out of compostable plastic. Much simpler than above, probably the better way. The…

They should just ship with reusable boxes. Better boxes with inner protections, where you would get some kind of credit if you post/bring it back empty, or reuse for personal mail. Maybe we should only be allowed to send packages with these boxes

Considering transport costs, I don't know how viable that would be.

Picking up boxes for recycling from houses alone would make for a pretty big carbon footprint. Not to mention costly. The current box strategy might be more carbon-friendly, oversll

Re: About Those Air Cushions in Amazon Packages

#127

Post by function_seven »

massysett wrote: post #46
anexprogrammer wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's sensible. What isn't is the often vast oversize of Amazon packaging. Like sending one hard drive in a 2cu ft box with lots of packaging. There's now lots of scope for the item to move around so the single item inevitably ends up in a corner against the outer box. Amazon never seem to actually bubble wrap anything any more - which has led to damage more than once. Neither the string of air pockets, as in the ar…

Amazon ships a huge box, then loads it halfway with paper or air bubbles. Everything shifts around, so it protects nothing in transit. They often ship non-delicate items like clothes in cardboard boxes, where plastic bags would be less wasteful and more protective. Overall, the result of their shipping is that I spend a lot of time deflating plastic, breaking down boxes, and moving lots of garbage to my garage and, s…

I recently ordered this decal[1]. It came in this box[2].

If you don’t want to visit the links below, the sticker is 4 inches square, and the box is 7” x 5” x 10”. Why a cardboard mailer wasn’t enough, I don’t know. At least the seven air pouches included with it protected it from high G forces...

1. http://a.co/ew4OGOB 2. http://imgur.com/qCsvJu7

Re: About Those Air Cushions in Amazon Packages

#128

Post by abalone »

developer2 wrote: post #119

> frustrated customers on forums discussing how many air-filled cushions they were getting > while deflated air cushions can be recycled, many cities won’t collect them curbside Pop them, put them in recycling. It's plastic, it's not my job to deal with the fallout. Either it's recyclable and I've done all I can, or it's the retailers' or cities' problem. The idea that there are "frustrated customers" is beyond me. I…

If plastic bags are not curbside recyclable then throwing them in the bin doesn't help. Consumers absolutely do bear responsibility for the environmental impact of their consumption choices.

Re: About Those Air Cushions in Amazon Packages

#129

Post by pinot »

abalone wrote: post #128
developer2 wrote: post #119

> frustrated customers on forums discussing how many air-filled cushions they were getting > while deflated air cushions can be recycled, many cities won’t collect them curbside Pop them, put them in recycling. It's plastic, it's not my job to deal with the fallout. Either it's recyclable and I've done all I can, or it's the retailers' or cities' problem. The idea that there are "frustrated customers" is beyond me. I…

If plastic bags are not curbside recyclable then throwing them in the bin doesn't help. Consumers absolutely do bear responsibility for the environmental impact of their consumption choices.

In parent's defense, every city has different rules sometimes different recycling vendors within a city. They rarely communicate these rules in an effective and routine manner.

Re: About Those Air Cushions in Amazon Packages

#130

Post by abalone »

pedalpete wrote: post #68

I think there are two opportunities for the environmental effects of the air cushions. 1) Re-use rather than recycle: What if you could let the air out at home, open up the bag, stuff it with other bags, and the outside of the bag had a postage paid stamp. It goes back to the company that made the bag so it can be re-used. 2) Make them out of compostable plastic. Much simpler than above, probably the better way. The…

The compostable idea is so much better than mailing them back because of the transport cost. In fact compostable air cushions exist: http://www.fpintl.com/biodegradable_packaging_cello_bubble_w...
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