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Have you had an injury from opening a holiday gift that sent you to the emergency room? Apparently, over 6,000 people have sustained punctures and lacerations from opening packaging that is now (not-so-warmly) referred to as "clam shell packaging".
Consumer Reports even has a new Hall of Shame award, called the "Oyster Award" for hard-to-open packaging.
Many companies are now making easier-to-open gifts, that are also more environmentally friendly. Would you actively choose to purchase an item that was made with environmentally-conscience packaging versus an item that was not (what if it cost more, would you still)?
Do you have any tips to share on preventing holiday gift-opening injuries (for both adults and children)? Does anyone go as far as un-packaging a gift their child receives, then re-wrapping it, so their child can open a gift frustration-free?
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Add a Comment2 Comments
It's a shameful comment about our society that we have to go through such theft-prevention efforts that unintentionally put us at some level of health risk.
There is a device I found that cuts the edges of plastic packaging pretty well, although positioning it effectively can sometimes be a little tricky. But, yes, I do open and repack some gifts so that a child - or adult - won't have to deal with it. I can imagine that people cut themselves using box cutters or multi-tool knives trying to attack the "clam shell."
December 22, 2008 - 9:32pmThis Comment
The shell packing is horrible. You need instructions on how NOT to cut yourself on those things. I cannot and would never want children trying to open these plastic nightmares. My Christmas was yesterday and I do have several cuts from helping open gifts to my niece. No emergency room needed but using hand sanitizer reminds me of the great gift packaging that is available. My suggestion, never let children play with the packaging.
December 21, 2008 - 3:18pmThis Comment