Pet peeve: stores using box cutters.

[bcla]

Walk into a store and I want to buy something. It got to the store in a big cardboard box. When I see what I want on the shelf, nearly every single item looks like it's been nicked with a box cutter.

The worst is Costco. If I want to buy something bottled like wine, I look for the bottles from the inside. I'm paying $15 for a bottle of wine, and I don't particular want one where the label has been sliced through.

I'm wondering what happened to simply opening a box. I typically use something like a nail file or a screwdriver to pop any tape, or just pull back if the box is glued. Some items at Costco now come in cardboard trays, where the manufacturer shrink wrapped it. So voilà - no box cutter damage.

 

[Poohforyou]

Really, this is a pet peeve?

 

[luvsJack]

How many boxes do you open a day?

That may be why they use a box cutter and you are fine just cutting the tape.

Does slicing the wine label really change the flavor that much?

 

[ashley0139]

Walk into a store and I want to buy something. It got to the store in a big cardboard box. When I see what I want on the shelf, nearly every single item looks like it's been nicked with a box cutter.

The worst is Costco. If I want to buy something bottled like wine, I look for the bottles from the inside. I'm paying $15 for a bottle of wine, and I don't particular want one where the label has been sliced through.

I'm wondering what happened to simply opening a box. I typically use something like a nail file or a screwdriver to pop any tape, or just pull back if the box is glued. Some items at Costco now come in cardboard trays, where the manufacturer shrink wrapped it. So voilà - no box cutter damage.

You want Costco or Best Buy to open hundreds of boxes a day with a nail file?

 

[luvmyfam444]

oh my! There is NO WAY to NOT use a box cutter opening 100s of boxes a night! Those poor workers who would have to sit there & peel off the tape of every single box. UMMMM NO!

 

[bcla]

You want Costco or Best Buy to open hundreds of boxes a day with a nail file?

I've never seen box cutter damage at a Best Buy. I don't think they use them. I've have seen damaged clothing and sealed food packaging (chips, frozen foods, etc) that was compromised. I've heard of plastic bottles leaking when they were cut through.

Besides that, there's a lot of injuries from box cutters. I'd post some photos, but that might get me in trouble here.

There are some alternatives. There's one alternative that uses a hooked blade similar to a letter opener rather than an open blade.

 

[Colleen27]

I don't care if it is something that isn't damaged in the process, and I wouldn't consider a scratched label to be damage, but lately I've been seeing a lot of things that were obviously opened with a box cutter that shouldn't have been. Like cheese. And hot dogs. And underwear (the kids' multipacks). There's nothing worse than getting home only to find out that some random ingredient you picked up for dinner needs to be tossed because it has a slash in the packaging that you didn't notice in the store.

 

[bcla]

oh my! There is NO WAY to NOT use a box cutter opening 100s of boxes a night! Those poor workers who would have to sit there & peel off the tape of every single box. UMMMM NO!

Why would they need to pull off the tape? A fairly blunt punching tool would do the trick.

Obviously at Costco they've gotten some suppliers to use packaging that's easier to open.

 

[mmbl]

Have to laugh, only because WE ALL have them- whether they make sense to others or not. My pet peeve: RESSIES. Stupidest word out there. If it takes too long to write 'reservation' then how about using a proper abbreviation such as 'resv.'?

 

[powellrj]

Really, this is a pet peeve?

How many boxes do you open a day?

That may be why they use a box cutter and you are fine just cutting the tape.

Does slicing the wine label really change the flavor that much?

I am always amazed at the things that are a pet peeve. I don't even notice things like this. I notice if the package is opened, but not if the label has a cut through it.

 

[LBIJim]

I've never seen box cutter damage at a Best Buy. I don't think they use them. I've have seen damaged clothing and sealed food packaging (chips, frozen foods, etc) that was compromised. I've heard of plastic bottles leaking when they were cut through.

Besides that, there's a lot of injuries from box cutters. I'd post some photos, but that might get me in trouble here.

There are some alternatives. There's one alternative that uses a hooked blade similar to a letter opener rather than an open blade.

We use this device or similar ones to open boxes in my company's stores. Open blade box cutters have been banned for over a dozen years. There were too many injuries with the old cutters. Plus employees were careless and forgetful and would sometimes leave open blades laying on the shelves, resulting in some customer injuries and lawsuits.

That said, I don't really care what other stores use to open cases. It's not a pet peeve of mine.

Jim

 

[Gumbo4x4]

I am always amazed at the things that are a pet peeve. I don't even notice things like this. I notice if the package is opened, but not if the label has a cut through it.

The box cutter is all about speed. That said, those things have different settings. The first notch only exposes about 3/16" of razor. Plenty to cut the tape without damaging the carton contents.

 

[Hannathy]

I had an uncle that was a broker/ supplier for groceries and he used to get so mad at them for doing this! When they would damage product he had to get rid of it and it would cost the stores money. He would be so angry at their carelessness and lack of attention to what they were doing. Grocery stores have a very low mark up percentage so if a stocker ruins a bunch of product it can really make a difference.

 

[lauradis]

Thank op For the lol.

It's been a bad day.

 

[2Kds2K9]

Just a bit of insider information. I used to work retail and we would get a truck delivery once a week. We could get anywhere from 300 to 500 boxes. Policy stated that we had 24 hours to unpack that shipment. You can best believe we used box cutters and once in a while would damage merchandise . We also damaged a few fingers as well!

 

[LilyWDW]

Sorry... but this is just funny!

You have obviously never done a large truck while working retail.

 

[SMD]

The issue could just as easily be that the boxes are overstuffed, not that the the box cutter's blade went too deep.

 

[bcla]

I don't care if it is something that isn't damaged in the process, and I wouldn't consider a scratched label to be damage, but lately I've been seeing a lot of things that were obviously opened with a box cutter that shouldn't have been. Like cheese. And hot dogs. And underwear (the kids' multipacks). There's nothing worse than getting home only to find out that some random ingredient you picked up for dinner needs to be tossed because it has a slash in the packaging that you didn't notice in the store.

Here are some complaints I found online of people who didn't notice that food packaging had been compromised:

http://mythreecents.com/showReview.cgi?id=61717

RICHMOND, TEXAS -- I purchased these three products on three separate occasions at the same store and discovered all had been sliced with what must have been a box cutter. The tuna was especially gross. The rice-a-roni had bugs in it, and the ice cream, I did not notice until we got to the bottom of the carton and there was a perfect slice all the way across the bottom of the carton. This is a great way to get sick.

 

[bcla]

The issue could just as easily be that the boxes are overstuffed, not that the the box cutter's blade went too deep.

Depends on what's in the box. A lot of stuff these days are packaged in rectangular boxes, which are in turn packaged in a large cardboard box. The smaller boxes pack nice and flush in the shipping box.

I've bought some stuff in full boxes before, as well as gotten some used boxes, and lots of boxes have specific instructions that box cutters aren't to be used. Baby wipes in bags are one case. One cut and they'll dry out. Even a slight nick with a bag of chips and the shelf life just disappeared. Sealed air/water-tight food packaging has been mentioned. I've seen pictures of clothes that were damaged by box cutters.

There's got to be a better way. I just wanted to buy some Band-Aids the other day, and every single box was nicked along the top and side. As for other items, you should see my wife when she buys something as a gift. She'll make sure that the packaging has as few flaws as possible. If she plans on giving away a bottle of wine as a gift, a label that's cut is out of the question. I certainly can't imagine a fine wine shop every taking a box cutter around the perimeter to the wines they sell. The places I go to will pull off the top by hand and then cut the boxes after they can see where they're cutting.

 

[Anastasi]

Walk into a store and I want to buy something. It got to the store in a big cardboard box. When I see what I want on the shelf, nearly every single item looks like it's been nicked with a box cutter.

The worst is Costco. If I want to buy something bottled like wine, I look for the bottles from the inside. I'm paying $15 for a bottle of wine, and I don't particular want one where the label has been sliced through.

I'm wondering what happened to simply opening a box. I typically use something like a nail file or a screwdriver to pop any tape, or just pull back if the box is glued. Some items at Costco now come in cardboard trays, where the manufacturer shrink wrapped it. So voilà - no box cutter damage.

Interesting. I shop at Costco so much that my yearly rebate check is scarily high, and I have never had anything nicked by a box cutter.

Although I do have to admit that this is so low on my priority list that I might not have noticed.

I cannot imagine expecting a warehouse type operation to not use box cutters to open boxes.

If they had to employ people to unwrap tape or open it up with a screwdriver, they would need so many people to get the work done that your $15 bottle of wine would be double or triple the price.