I curse the devil who invented clamshell packaging.

[kairos12]

[NV Whino]

1. And I second your curse

Clamshell packaging is proof that the devil exists.

[RebelOne]

3. And I third it.

Yes, is is packaging from hell.

[NewJeffCT]

6. I fourth it

If given the option, I always check the "frustration free packaging" option from amazon.

[NV Whino]

7. You can do that!?

I'll have to look for that option.

[NewJeffCT]

13. Not on everything

but, certain items can be sent with "frustration free packaging" - I bought a shredder a few years back and that was the first time I noticed it. I opened the box and the shredder was inside two cardboard like holder that wasn't even taped. I had it out and working in less than a minute. You can then toss all the cardboard into the recycle can.

[CurtEastPoint]

2. Is that the hard plastic that's sealed and you have to cut and GET CUT to open? I RUE the day!

Devils, indeed!

[murielm99]

28. Oh, you do that, too?

I thought I was just a klutz.

[LiberalElite]

4. That stuff that you nearly need a machete to open?

Yeah, I curse them too. I think it's been responsible for numerous visits to the E.R.

[tblue37]

20. 6000/year! (See my post on that below.) nt

[rurallib]

5. Used to throw my FIL into rages

normally a calm person, became a monster when confronted with a clamshell package.

[kairos12]

11. FIL shouldn't feel bad. Houdini would have no shot either.

[rurallib]

16. he was very mechanical, felt there was nothing he couldn't figure out

then the clamshell came along to humble him mightily...........

[Boomerproud]

8. Is that what it's called?

In that case %$#@!*&^%!

[mackerel]

9. I had no idea it had a name.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

10. I don't know what clamshell packaging is, but I can't deal with any modern packaging

I'm 65 and every plastic wrap seems to thwart my efforts to open it. Even the bottles of magnesium citrate I buy at the pharmacy can't be opened by anyone who doesn't have a special wrench to get the twist open bottle cap off, it's on so tightly. To me, these are not just child-proof, they're human proof.

[Skittles]

27. agreed

WHY IS EVERYTHING SO HARD TO OPEN!! <----- I am constantly screaming this

[jmowreader]

12. FWIW this is a clamshell package

They make an opening tool for these that does NOT look like this...



...however, the tool comes to you in a clamshell.

[irisblue]

15. !

[tblue37]

21. But, as shown in a _Curb Your Enthusiasm_ episode, the special

tools themselves are often packaged in clamshell packaging, so you can't get them open, either!

[sharp_stick]

14. Clamshell package opener

of course in a clamshell package itself...I want to know who the evil bastard is that designed this.

[lunatica]

17. Many times blood is involved

[Kali]

18. what?

you don't keep pruning tools around to open those?

[tblue37]

19. Thousands of ER visits per year caused by that stuff:

Thousands Injured by "Diabolical" Packaging

http://www.treehugger.com/green-food/thousands-injured-by-adiabolicala-packaging.html

Around six thousand people a year wind up in emergency rooms with lacerations and puncture wounds caused by clamshell/oyster packaging. Some injuries are caused by the jagged edges of half-opened, hard-plastic wrappers. Others occur when the a frustrated consumers use tools such as knives, scissors or wire cutters. These implements, often taken up in anger, have a tendency to glance off the nigh-impenetrable packaging and wound the hands that wield them. The clamshell packaging is favored by retailers and manufacturers. The clear plastic allows consumers to see the product they are purchasing. The tough exterior deters theft and protects the devices within from damage. Oyster packaging also instills the consumer with a subconscious feeling that their purchase is pristine, untouched by human hands. Ironically, the first human hands to touch the product out of the package are often injured.

"Diabolical" Packaging Practices
From American Medical News


"I've worked in the emergency department on Christmas day for six out of the last 10 years. We certainly see lacerations. That's the most common thing. But we also see punctures," said David Ross, an emergency physician at Penrose Hospital in Colorado Springs. "That clamshell packaging is absolutely diabolical."

<SNIP>

ON EDIT: Remember the episode on Curb Your Enthusiasm? When Larry David finally bought a cutting device to use on this sort of packaging, he found that when he really needed the tool to open another tool to deal with an emergency, the cutter was clamshell packaged, so he couldn't get it open to use to cut open the packaging of the item he needed for the emergency.

[Scuba]

22. I use a tinsnips. Works great.

[azurnoir]

29. yep those or other heavy duty type kitchen shears work great

and good for cutting up chicken too

[3catwoman3]

23. It's probably easier...

...to open the nuclear football.

[olddots]

24. it came about as a deterent to shop lifting

so now you have to shop lift tools to open up the stuff you steal .

[Initech]

25. Larry David also agrees with you!

[Hoyt]

26. I'm surprised someone hasn't won a big liability award for losing a finger or

slicing a nerve in the hand. Those things are dangerous.

[The Second Stone]

30. Nah. I just hate the companies that use it.

Good kitchen shears or a band saw are the way into it.