I registered for Amazon Prime during the holiday season last year, and I have definitely gotten my money’s worth from the service. I did all my Christmas shopping through Amazon and had the gifts shipped directly to the recipients in FL and CT. That saved a fortune right there, never mind the fact that I hate to step in a store between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I also order more books from Amazon now, because I know I will have them fast. However, Amazon’s inefficient and wasteful shipping practices are making me question my subscription.

Last week, I decided to see if Amazon sold windshield wiper blades because I often have a hard time finding all the right blades for both cars and end up driving all over Denver to complete the sets. I was happy to find that Amazon does sell them, even if their vehicle matching software is a bit problematic. No problem though; there are plenty of good sites to match blades to make and model and I simply searched for the right parts on Amazon and placed my order for four wiper blades.

A few days later, I get a box and put it aside, figuring the blades have arrived and I will put them on over the weekend. Lisa and I go out for lunch and a hike, and then come home to find 3 more boxes on the porch. At that point, I figure I either messed up and ordered a lot of wiper blades, or Amazon did their typical Prime thing and put one in each box. A quick inspection confirmed the latter.

So, this whole pile of boxes showed up for four windshield wiper blades.

This photo shows the actual contents in their original packaging.

This is just crazy. Amazon’s software obviously can’t deal with combining orders while maintaining the speed of Prime shipping. That is a problem they need to fix, but even so, I wish I had the option to check a box and have the order consolidated, even if it takes an extra day. I am questioning whether to renew my Prime membership because of this kind of wastefulness. Not only is this bad for the planet, but I don’t even have enough room in our recycling bin for all this cardboard.

I will be contacting Amazon about this practice, but as an individual, I don’t expect much. If you have had similar experiences with Prime shipping, please voice your displeasure to Amazon.

Follow up:

Amazon responded to my note, explaining that my items shipped from separate warehouses. Furthermore, they explained that there is a shipping disclaimer on the items explaining that they much be shipped separate from the rest of the order at no additional charge. I can see their point, but it is still wasteful.

tags: amazon | environment | prime | waste