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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to expect bloody customers not to rip open boxes to see the products, then take the pristine box behind it!!!

41 replies

Ashantai · 21/09/2008 22:52

Good God!! I'm so pissed off by people who have to rip into the packaging just to see the item and then discard it on the shelf and take the neatly boxed item behind it!!!!

I actually watched some eejit tear a box of bottles apart just to look at it. Its in clear plastic, FFS!!! She then asked me if we had any more in stock and when i asked her what was wrong with the original one, she said "yeah its ripped and i wanted it for a present" !!!!

When i pointed out that i had seen her "inspect it", she mumbled something about, "yeah i wanted to get a closer look" . Ignoring the fact that i had loads in the back, i smiled sweetly and told her that was the last one, so she reluctantly bought it!

I'm dreading Christmas with all the "the box is ripped, can i get a discount"! If i had my way, every box would be wired to the mains and any attempt to open it would result in an electric shock

I can truly understand some people wanting to take a closer look, specially if the packaging doesnt show the item very well, but FFS is it too much to open it carefully and put it back in the box!

Sorry rant over now

OP posts:

2shoes · 21/09/2008 23:02

YANBU
I have always had a problem with toys, if I am buying for dd, as she has cp I have to get them out and try them if I can but I always ask the staff.

paddingtonbear1 · 21/09/2008 23:04

oh yes this happens a lot doesn't it?
I've opened packaging before to take a closer look (for eg at kids pyjamas), but I do take care to re-pack the thing. Although with some packaging these days, that can be a bit difficult! And if I buy, I take the one I've had a look in!

nametaken · 21/09/2008 23:09

YABU - people should be able to see what they're paying for.

paddingtonbear1 · 21/09/2008 23:13

Although as an aside, I do think that these days, often far too much packaging is used for things.

serenity · 21/09/2008 23:17

YANBU - it's bloody annoying. We have signs up asking people not to do it, plus we have samples out and they still do it. In fact there will be one open from the previous ignorant pita and someone will open another one (because obviously it's going to be completely different ). I spend half my time at work repackaging things

hifi · 21/09/2008 23:17

if i can re seal i have a look, then take the one behind. i wont do it if i have to rip it.

themoon66 · 21/09/2008 23:18

Why don't you have an open one for people to see/feel?

Original poster

Ashantai · 21/09/2008 23:24

We do have lots of items on display tho. For example we sell about 15 cotbeds with all the bedding we sell decorating them, but we still get the numpties who have to open the quilts, bumpers, blankets, sheets etc, just to have a look and then leave them in a crumpled heap!

Manufacturers have this knack of getting their products into boxes which cannot be repacked without having a degree in " The Krypton Factor!"

OP posts:

TsarChasm · 21/09/2008 23:37

It's annoying but I do think there should be more samples to see what you're getting.

Repacking things is very difficult imo, especially toys. You need wire cutters and a circular saw to get most toys out of the packaging let alone back in again.

serenity · 22/09/2008 01:01

If you can reseal, and you want it, why not take the one you opened? If the opened one isn't good enough for you, then it's hardly going to be bought by anyone else is it?!

We have opened samples of everything. It doesn't stop people doing it.

DrHorrible · 22/09/2008 07:53

People rip open things to look?? It would never cross my mind to do that - if it isn't openable then I either leave it or buy it - I don't damage it to see!!!

hecate · 22/09/2008 08:02

It is wrong to rip things open - in fact, I think that if you intentionally damage the box, you should be made to buy the item!

However, it is sometimes a total pain in the arse because so much shit is wrapped around things that you can't see anything - and we all know what a load of bollocks the descriptions and photos are!

It's not unreasonable for someone to want to SEE what they are going to buy. To inspect and understand it.

Imagine if you went to buy a dress, and it was packaged in such a way that you couldn't see the size, the length, the style or if it would fit you. And you were expected to just buy it and hope that when you got it home, it would be suitable for you. And if it wasn't, you couldn't bring it back because it wasn't damaged in any way, just not suitable or what you thought it was going to be. Would that be ok? Nope, didn't think so!

So while it is wrong to damage the packaging because it's not yours until you've bought it! and if you rip it and leave it, someone else suffers for it!!, the packaging should not hide the item or prevent you from examining it in the first place!

However, the reason things like toys are packaged and bolted and screwed to within an inch of their lives, is to try to stop people stealing them!

So it's all the fault of the thieving bastards in society, really.

differentID · 22/09/2008 08:11

ashantai, I couldn't agree more. If yiu wish for a closer look, find a member of staff and ask if the could open it for you because you'd like a closer look. I do not have a degree in repackaging vacuum packed products without a vacuum sealer, so buy if you open the blasted thing.

saltire · 22/09/2008 08:15

I know what you mean, we get this a lot at work. For example Dummies, which are in clear packagain so parents can see what the colour is and the style of the teat, but they still rip open the plastic - a feat in itself, and leave them lying aorund and take another one. We can't then sell said dummy, and have to claim for it.
Even worse is the people who open the dummies, shove one in their childs mouth and walk out, leaving the other one on the floor.

pinkcandyfloss · 22/09/2008 09:06

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ for breaking our Talk Guidelines.

Oblomov · 22/09/2008 09:25

I am sorry. I do this all the time.
It is not my fault that it is like the krypton factor, re both oragamy and those zillions of ties, just to have a look at a toy, or a light fitting in Homebase or whatever.
They should have opened one on display, that you can have a good look at.

cutekids · 22/09/2008 09:29

I used to work in M&S-many moons ago!-and we used to ENCOURAGE people to open the packagine to take a better loook....and we were expected to put it all back together again when they took the one from behind....!It's just one of those things people do i'm afraid...customers like to know what they're buying.

sameagain · 22/09/2008 09:45

It must be annoying for you - but it's also very annoying when you buy a lovely big box without checking inside and find out that a box half the size would have bee more than big enough.

For bedding clothing etc, it's important to know how it feels/what the actual colour is etc. If people didn't get conned by the picture on the box/size of the box not resembling the contents so often they wouldn't do it. You should be asking the manufacturers to be more reasonable in the way package their goods, not critising your customers for wanting to know what they are buying imo.

SlartyBartFast · 22/09/2008 09:48

i am looking for an airer, and had to rip open packaging and put up airer in sainsbo's the other day.
just positively waiting for someone to approach me and tell me off.
no one did
and the airer was too small, couldnt therefore buy it.

i checked previously in my local hard ware store, (actually i did ask there) luckily cos it was faulty and wouldnt have stood a damp sock being put on it!

Original poster

Ashantai · 22/09/2008 10:56

Yeah but the thing is that you dont have to rip the packaging open. If any customer asks me i'm happy to get out my box knife and carefully open it. I then work out how the item was packaged so that I can put it back, cellotape it up and make it presentable again.

The amount of times i've had to open another box just to see how the hell the item was packaged and then repackage the original mangled box, is crazy!

With the thousands of products we sell, its just not possible to have every single one out on display. People do not want to buy an item that has a mangled box, even tho the item itself is perfectly fine.

OP posts:

DaphneMoon · 22/09/2008 10:59

I did this only the other day. Tesco have brought out a "Finest" range of perfume. They did not have a tester. I opened a bottle to smell it, but I took the one behind as the box was not battered and it was a present. Do they really expect customers to buy perfume without actually smelling it!

TinkerBellesMum · 22/09/2008 11:18

I used to make pizzas for a well-known takeaway company as a teenager. You'd be surprised how many we'd get back because there was something wrong with it with just a couple of crusts in the box and the customer would say "but the kids were hungry". So it was OK enough for them to eat all but a couple of crusts but they still need a replacement!?

BitOfFun · 22/09/2008 11:24

I take your point about perfume in particular though. It really bugs me when I find a shop selling the big brands discounted, so I would love the chance to try something new, but they never have any samples. There's no way you can make a decision on a perfume by looking at the box!

APatchOverMeEyeballsintheSky · 22/09/2008 11:27

Tink, tell about how they are made! Do they get swung round your heads or taken out of a freezer? Please try to put me off as they are my fave takeaway and they are so bad for me!

Pushpinia · 22/09/2008 11:36

Oh I only open stuff if it has already been opened, like in m&S the other day wanted to look at a radio and there wasn;t a display one but the box had been opened and sellotaped back together. I gave up at the inner packaging stage though as it was impermeable really.
I bought it as it was the last one left and then when I decided to take it back, they initially refused as the seal was broken - but not by me! They were good actually in the end but I am sure some of them thought I was fibbing.

I cut the sellotape with my nail but would never break the original seal iyswim. I don';t think that would be easy to see from their CCTV though

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