Boxing Clever
What’s NOT to like?!
Having ranted a bit lately, I’m delighted to share a great news story.
One that counters my recent poor service and bad packaging adventures.
Surprise
I ordered some stuff from Officeworks (after my debacle with the budget mob).
When the box arrived, I was elated to read:
You’ll like what’s NOT in this carton
You’ll like what you don’t see: NO plastic peanuts, NO polyfoam.
NO loose mess – nothing that isn’t conscious of our environment.
This carton is made from recycled materials. We recycle our own cardboard and paper to form part of the recycled cardboard used to manufacture cartons.
I did like it. I liked it a lot. I bloody LOVED it!
Then I got a fright.
Shock
Lurking in the void of all the NOT-there crud was a fat catalogue I hadn’t ordered and didn’t want (see Yellow Pages for back story).
Nursing emotional whiplash, I whipped off an email:
Dear Team, I was very impressed by the message of what’s NOT in your delivery carton. However, I thought you ruined the effect by bunging in your 0.8 kg, 562-page directory.
I don’t believe I asked for this, so it seems a waste of resources that’s at odds with your admirable environmental policy.
I’m writing a blog post about this and would appreciate your point of view to ensure fairness and accuracy. Please contact me by email. Many thanks! Paul. 
‘That’d be bloody right,’ I lamented. ‘Two steps forward, one step back. Sagafrassinraggafrassin … etc.’
But then I got a reply!
Awe
Hi Paul,
Thank you for taking the time to provide us with your feedback. We will be certain to pass this on to our Marketing Team at Head Office.
We have a large number of our business customers who request an additional or replacement Office Supplies Directory on a daily basis, when placing their order.
As the Directory is placed in the carton with the customer’s goods, it may be that the catalogue/directory was inadvertently placed into the wrong carton on this occasion.
If the catalogue is of no use to you or anyone else in your office, please be sure to place it in a recycling bin.
Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience this error may have caused you.
Alicia Allsopp, Manager – Customer Service Team
I was happy again. Alicia was Managing my Customer Service experience, and it was a good one!
The term ‘emotional rollercoaster’ sprang briefly to mind (before being crushed as a TV cliché). I wrote:
Many thanks, Alicia, for your swift and comprehensive reply.
I’m always on the lookout for eco-friendly firms to write about, so it’s great to see you take this matter so seriously.
If Marketing has anything further to add, I’d love to hear it.
As it stands, however, you guys certainly seem to be on the right tram.
Would you like a link to the blog post when it goes live?
Best regards and thanks again,
P.
Yay!
So it’s a big Onya Sonya! to Officeworks.
With their attitude, there may be hope for us yet.
Let’s encourage all our suppliers to think inside the box!
Paul Hassing, Founder & Senior Writer, The Feisty Empire
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Yay, good for you and Yay again! If we were all as productively vocal as you, companies would be forced to pay closer attention to their waste. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks heaps, Wendy. It’s SUCH a nice change from all the carping I usually do. I have no affiliation with Officeworks (and I’ve had the odd drama with them too) but I reckon credit where it’s due. Thank you for being our woman in New Zealand!
Oops! Wrong Wendy! I was talking to another one when you commented. Thank you for being our woman in FARGO!
Sorry to say nay, but ‘inadvertently placed’ sounds suspiciously like business usual to me. Inadvertently placing a catalogue in every box and dealing with the occasional complaint is too easy, as is the breezy advice to recycle if you don’t need it. Just a cynical morning I suppose …
I hear you, Ad, but I’ve decided to take the win. They’re awfully thin on the ground these days.
And, as I expect most of Officeworks will read (if not comment on) this post, I suspect future ‘inadverts’ will be swiftly engineered from their system.
Jolly good point, but. Enthusiasm can blinker. Thanks for the foil. Touche! P.
Adam may be right, but as you said Paul if they do read this, then if they are smart they will change the procedure.
If you think about it by responding to your emails, they just received great information about you as a customer in a very cost effective form of research that they can act upon.
Too right, Susan! They need only sit back and watch this debate to catch the mood of (some of) the people.
Beats a stuffy (and expensive) old focus group any time!
Thanks very much for your comment and kind retweet.
Nice one Paul. To add another experience to the mix, I order Officeworks supplies on an irregular basis, delivered to our office door .. and have never received a surprise catalogue in the box. I hope my experience backs up their story that this was a mistake!
-Sonia
Thanks for your helpful (and hopeful) datum, Sonia. Would that we could get a blood-signed affidavit from an Officeworks Big Wheel!
Hi Folks,
I think Adam may have just ’snatched the petal from my hand’?
Wonderfully cynical…ooh! I’m getting all warm ‘n fuzzy ;-P
I can see the celestial epitaph now; ‘Planet Earth. It’s a wrap!’
It reminds me of Petrol prices and Microsoft and Prius (Prii?
), …we so quickly get conditioned to believe that ‘crap’ = ‘great’ or ‘quality’ or ‘innovation’ or my favourite, ‘NEW’…
I remember reading a report a couple of years ago. I don’t remember the reference…but it was from a US research company that did a ‘dust to dust’ analysis of the cost of owning a range of cars. As I recall, they presented their findings in terms of cost/mile of owning the vehicle. Prius – $3.20/mile over the life of the vehicle. Hum-V – $1.30/Mile. They attributed much of this differentiation to the highly processed materials required for the Prius batteries. e.g. the nickel used was transported some 35,000 klm and processed in 3 or 4 different countries. A yes! Good ol’ Economic Rationalism ey?
And I also appreciate your elation Paul, at a glimmer of light.
I too am reluctant to diminish the sentiment and step in the ‘right direction’ that Officeworks is at least attempting to pioneer. And I too, hope it encourages others…
As always good Sir, a salient and satisfying riposte
Cheers
Stephen G
Social comments and analytics for this post…
This post was mentioned on Twitter by PaulHassing: Officeworks cuts the crap: http://bit.ly/apMwQ2 [Exciting green packaging initiative!]…
Fascinating stuff, Stephen. You’re a walking wikipedia (tautology?).
I love the examples you give.
Hope is so important. I recall a boss’ reaction to the introduction of recycling bins. He asserted that: ‘Everything from recycling bins goes straight to landfill with all the other crap.’
I was stunned and sad (and terrified he may be right). My lambent enthusiasm guttered in his tar-torn exhalations.
I realised then it was up to my generation to fix things. As we’re fast running out of time, I’m hoping Gen Y will back us up. I don’t see anyone else on the bench.
When hope is gone, so is life. Like Survivor, but without torches. Fingers crossed Officeworks are as true blue as their corporate Pantone code.
Thanks again, Mate.
Hi Paul,
The win was that they responded to you and were friendly. I have found them to be excellent and recently when out of stock of software I needed they looked up other stores and offered to get it in for the next day.
As a result of that our company now purchases all of our office requirements through them (we have 115 employees). So it works!
Nice one, Malcolm! Does your company still pull $60 million a year?
I was also impressed by the speed of their reply. With my expectations having been pounded so low in recent years, I was already writing excoriating tracts in my head when Alicia’s happy email smacked me in the face.
A nice surprise alright.
Hi Paul,
Our business has actually grown beyond that now. We have premium customers that expect the best so that’s what we provide. It’s always great to find others that do the same.
Good show, Malcolm.
It seems one tiny positive customer interaction can net a client worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.
A great lesson. Thank you!
You’ve inspired me yet again, Paul. I need the inspiration. Over here in the good ole USA, I’ve had the feeling of late that the individual does not make a difference. Yet you surely do. So I will rededicate myself to the pen or keyboard and be heard. (Or ignored). But I will try!
Great to hear from you, Sidd. Those pics of yours look so cool!
I really appreciate your comment. Amazingly, it came seconds after I pushed the button on a $5,000 solar electricity system payment plan. I’ve been agonising over this decision for ages. I fear the extra debt, but I’m trusting the work will flow so I can pay it off fast.
I’m delighted to hear you’re digging the message over there. Thanks for dropping in and keeping the faith. Please come back soon!