A couple months ago I posted about Amazon’s war on “wrap rage” – their efforts to reduce annoying and unnecessary packing in its products. Today I received a package from Amazon that indicates they still have a long way to go.
The first box, accompanied by requisite cat.
Within that box, a significantly smaller box.
Oh look, another box!
And in the third box, a bag!
All of that for two little earrings.
There are only two shopping weeks left in this year’s official Hallowgivingchristyear’s gift-giving corridor, and like any good video game corridor, this one is full of pitfalls. Maybe not spiked abysses or bottomless holes, but ugly-ass sweaters and NeoPets can seem just as painful. As a service to you, the Weiner fans, here is a list of our Top 5 gift lists from the Geekosphere. As a bonus, we’re including a few tips to make it blatantly obvious to your gift-buyer that they need to check these lists out before buying you something inane.
5. Joystiq’s Holidaze 2008 – Joystiq’s guide is simple and to the point. Not a lot of frills here, but you can check around the side for details but checking for any links tagged “Holidaze 2008”.
Weiner Tip: This is an easy one. Joystiq is part of a media network that includes sites like Fanhouse.com Backporch, Totally Unofficial Apple Rumors, and WoW Insider. Just find the one that interests your giftgiver and bookmark away!
4. Amazon’s Gifts and Wish Lists Section – This one rocks because Amazon has everything. Seriously, raise your hand with me if you remember when Amazon just sold books.
Weiner Tip: If you make a wishlist on Amazon.com you can ask for it to be send to your friends and family with an Amazon-written in-no-way-begging note.
3. The ThinkGeek Gift Guide – Not entirely game-related, this one is great for all stripes of nerds in your life, from caffeine junkies to do-it-your-selfers.
Weiner Tip: Have your husband “check out a link to this awesome X I saw” on their front page. The Gift Guide is a really obvious tab off the homepage.
2. The 1Up.com Holiday Gift Guide – standard gamer holiday fare, but with an incredibly useful “games to avoid” section.
Weiner Tip: Let your buddy know about this list by sending him over to 1Up.com to read a review that just *happens* to have a link to the Guide.
1. Kotaku’s 2008 Gift Guide of Obscene Nicety and Sublime Naughtiness – This one wins for sheer volume. Almost a wall of text with everything from plush chocobos to fanboy pr0n, if you can’t find something you like here, you’re doin’ it rong.
Weiner Tip: Just share the link – this list is almost as much fun to read as it is to shop.
Check out the shiny new Amazon wishlist button on the right side of the page. It links directly to the Child’s Play Charity wishlist for Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
‘Tis the season – give early, give often.
And while you’re at it, buy a shirt.
We interrupt your election results to bring you this breaking news from online retailer Amazon.com.
Do you hate buying a new shiny something and not be able to open it because the packaging seems like it was designed by sadist monkeys? Me too. Don’t worry, Amazon is on the way.
Amazon has a large splash letter on their front page tonight touting their multi-year war on bad packaging, titled Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging. They are working with major manufacturers to reduce extraneous packaging, use more recyclable materials in packaging, and make products easier to open in general. As of today there are 19 products from Fisher-Price, Mattel, Microsoft and Transcend in Frustration-Free packaging, with more promised to be on the way soon.
I won’t be impressed until they get those evil dog bone things off my games and DVDs, but kudos to Amazon for taking some steps in the right direction.
Did you pre-order the Amazon exclusive Fallout 3 Survival Edition? I did, back in September. Did you receive it today, on release day? I didn’t, and neither did hundreds of other people.
According to the Fallout 3 user forums, Amazon vastly underestimated the amount of Survival Edition’s they’d need, and took too many pre-orders. As a result, some people had their orders cancelled today, along with a $20 “don’t hate us!” gift certificate from Amazon. Who had their orders cancelled? Not the late-orderers; folks who pre-ordered the Survival Edition as late as last week received the game today, while some of the earliest pre-orderers were left in the lurch.
But wait, there’s more. Of those who were lucky enough to actually *get* the Survival Edition, most did not receive it today, on the day of release. People who pre-ordered in the last two weeks were given Amazon’s new option of “guaranteed day of release”, but everyone who ordered the game before that and paid extra for one-day shipping (that would be me) will not receive their order until tomorrow at the earliest.
Way to go, Amazon. I will think long and hard before I take you up on one of your “Special Offers” again.
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Playing With My Weiner 