In almost all cases I never trust infomercials, partially since they always over-sensationalize common "difficulties" with everyday products (oh sure, I often slap frantically at a pile of Tupperware because I can't ever find the right lid). One day, however, I saw an infomercial for a thingy that was supposed to open clamshell packages easily by breaking the seam. For once, the person on camera struggling mightily to open that package was actually a good representation of real life.

I'm all for more companies going to this. I can sort of see why clamshell packaging was found to be useful in retail stores (definitely prevents opening the package and slipping the product into a pocket), but it's absolutely useless if you're getting the product through the mail. Now if only Monster would stop gouging their customers' wallets as well as their fingers...

In almost all cases I never trust infomercials, partially since they always over-sensationalize common "difficulties" with everyday products (oh sure, I often slap frantically at a pile of Tupperware because I can't ever find the right lid). One day, however, I saw an infomercial for a thingy that was supposed to open clamshell packages easily by breaking the seam. For once, the person on camera struggling mightily to open that package was actually a good representation of real life.

I'm all for more companies going to this. I can sort of see why clamshell packaging was found to be useful in retail stores (definitely prevents opening the package and slipping the product into a pocket), but it's absolutely useless if you're getting the product through the mail. Now if only Monster would stop gouging their customers' wallets as well as their fingers...

Thank god I had to get a drill one day to open an sd card because there was like 4 inches of plastic on every side of the card.

^ LOL too funny, but i know what you mean, packaging can get excessive sometimes.

Hopefully sony will take this onboard too. Broke a set of steel cutters while opening the packaging on a ps2 controller once. I'm all for making it hard to steal but when I need power tools to get into something I bought things have gone too far.

Just sell things like they used to all behind counters. Then the only thieves you have to worry about are the ones with guns.

Wait a minute, didn't they use to call this OEM packaging?

The advantage I could see with this is the use of less plastic.

My trusty cutter has proved to be mightier than any clamshell packaging. Though there are really thick plastic cases that are hard to cut and the cut-offs tend to be like a small ice-pick.

i hate those HARD plastic wrappings u find mostly on small electronic stuff like memory cards etc. Jesus unless u have a very sharp edged knife or a good scrissor u won open it with ure hands. STUPID PACKAGEs.

I once bought a tool that was meant to open those plastic packages easily... turned out to be more of a pain to try to use than it was worth.

Those "plastic packages" are called blister packs people, and for good reason.....

Years ago I bought a pair of aviation shears at my local hardware store. The shears are supposed to be used to cut thin sheet metal. One day I was frustrated trying to open a large hard plastic package that contained a small item. I went to the garage and got the aviation shears. Worked like a charm. Now I use them all the time to open plastic packages.

Since when has Kingston packaging been hard to open? You just tear the label and pop it open. I'm thinking of their RAM products, though. Maybe there flash cards are packaged differently . . .

This is a great idea for most other electronic products I've purchased, though. Whoever thought packaging electronics in permanently-sealed plastic that requires tin snips to cut (leaving sharp edges) was an idiot.

i ordered the knife to open these packages with. It works great. But it has one ironic twist to it. It comes in the type of package it is supposed to help you open.

Alright it's here! What the bleep, bleepin, bleep with the four inches of plastic. That's it where's my chainsaw?

check out
http://www.amazon.com/Transcend-Cl [...] gy_e_img_c

- in the normal packaging it costs $18.43, in the frustration free packaging it's $21.18.

A clear example of where less costs more...

Last time i bought a mp3 player, i had to use c4 to open the package....

Thanks to internet i could produce my own...

Lawl

Thank goodness. Even with a razor knife those things are sometimes terrible.

Just use a rotary can opener to open up difficult packages. It's quick and easy, and it's next-to-impossible to hurt yourself with it.