The serious impact of "cardboard boxes are among the products" that the world does not know on truck drivers

Before getting into the main subject, I would like to ask all readers first.

Is the cardboard containing the product a "packaging material" or a "part of the product"?

Can't you forgive the scratches as in the image above?

What if this isn't addressed to you, but the contents are snacks that will be lined up in supermarkets, and cardboard that will be discarded immediately after display?

What if the driver was reimbursed by a slight rubbing on the cardboard, even though the contents were intact?

Japan's transportation quality

When I lived in the United States, luggage with all eight corners sharpened often did not reach my house. The bumpy feeling is often introduced on SNS etc. with feelings of surprise and confusion.

On the other hand, in Japan, corrugated cardboard is rarely delivered to home in a crushed state as allowed in the United States.

I also received an apology and confirmation call from a courier company saying, "I have scratched the cardboard. Should I return it?"

"Is the cardboard box a packing material or a part of the product?"

Previously, I also conducted a simple questionnaire on this agenda on SNS.

For the author, who thought that corrugated cardboard was just a "packaging material", rather than a product with crushed corners or holes, about 32% of the respondents answered "product". I was shocked (119 respondents).

In fact, some users are angry at the fact that the label was directly attached to the cardboard of the product in the reviews of major mail-order sites, and bother to give the lowest rating.

Also, although it is not cardboard, there is a "concern" in Japan that if you buy souvenirs at a station, you will get as many "paper bags for gifts" as there are products.

This tendency to think of "products including exteriors such as cardboard" is not a bad thing because of the respect for the recipient (sending).

However, the public does not know that the "excessive care" seen in modern society has seriously affected truck drivers who carry luggage on our behalf.

Return even a slight rubbing

Previously, I introduced "the backside of" free shipping "that the world does not know," truck drivers who manually load and unload 5,000 cargoes ".

The rough content is as the title says

Truck drivers tend to think that running is their only job, but sometimes thousands of cargoes are manually unloaded one by one (commonly known as " bulk loading / unloading ") under the contractor. There is a fact that it is made free of charge.

That's it.

However, there is a "continuation" in the unreasonableness of this bulk stacking.

When loading and unloading luggage, even if the product inside is not damaged, the cardboard containing the product may be returned or purchased with slight rubbing, dirt, or crushed corners.

With toC transportation as introduced at the beginning, if the delivery destination is a package that is an end user or a product that is "sold in a box", there is still room for understanding.

However, even in BtoB transport cardboard, which is turned into "garbage" immediately after opening and displaying the product, even a slight scratch is often treated as a "product accident".

"I am carrying a beverage. The cardboard containing the product can be returned with a slight rubbing. Of course, the contents are intact." (Medium-sized local delivery in 20s)

"Returned due to the rubbing of luggage due to bulk loading. Returned because sweat got on the cardboard in the summer. The dirt on the cushioning material also returned the cardboard" (50s long-distance free)

"If you pile up tissue and toilet paper in bulk, that's all there is to it. You can tell if you sell it as it is, but the cardboard that the clerk just opens and throws away is just a little scratched and it's a return exchange. I'm scared and don't want to do it. Isn't it? " (Middle and long distance large in 40s)

Among them, pharmaceutical and medical luggage is the one that many drivers say is "especially tough".

"I carry medicines by regular flight, but it is said that the rubbing of the exterior and label is returned." (Large regular flight in 50s)

"The box containing the medical supplies was noisy anyway. Don't dent it by pressing it with your fingers, don't rub it between the products. It was a stack of miscellaneous goods, so to avoid rubbing and scratching, the passenger seat I was carrying it in my 40's (long distance in my 40s)

Also, it is often said that the driver should not put his fingers in the holes on both sides of the "handles" that are cut to make it easier to hold the cardboard.

"The company says that you shouldn't put your finger in that handle. I often wear the exterior of home appliances, but it's completely out of my house." (Local delivery in 30s)

"The state of the regular product is that the lid is still closed and it is out of reach. The handle that makes it easy to carry luggage is not for the driver who carries it, but for the customer." (Large 50s wing)

Put the cardboard in the cardboard

The corrugated cardboard that has been damaged in this way is returned to the shipper, or has a spare corrugated cardboard and is purposely refilled.

Although the recycling rate of corrugated cardboard in Japan is high, considering that there are many companies that are actively working on environmental issues and SDGs among shippers, "a little scratch" causes extra waste and labor. It is no wonder that the drivers feel uncomfortable at the scene.

"When carrying a bento container (before putting ingredients) in a cardboard box, the wall of the loading platform is further cured with cardboard to prevent rubbing .... The amount of curing material discarded in one transportation. It's not the ratio of plastic shopping bags. "

"Even though the contents are not damaged, I ordered only cardboard and refilled it. I am doing nothing but wasteful things. What is ecological? When I went nearby for delivery or loading, I went to pick up the cardboard myself, apologized and received the cardboard and refilled it. , I will bring it to the store again. "

Some drivers lament that even though they are forced to carry such strict transportation and conditions, they may actually be crushed at the site or in stores.

"It doesn't matter if it's returned after only a few drops of rain, but it doesn't matter if it gets wet or crushed by rain leaks or flooding in the store's warehouse." (Large, medium-distance 40s)

"The packed juice at the convenience store is crushed and lined up in the store even though it doesn't receive it because it's crushed by its own weight. I want to call it crushed " (long distance in 30s)

Also, with the idea of ​​"cardboard = product", if you use a large amount of cardboard as a cushioning material or return it and use a new cardboard anyway, I want you to put the cardboard box in the cardboard box from the beginning. There are a lot of voices.

"If the outer cardboard is also a product, I would like you to pack another cardboard outside it. Because you will be carrying it naked." (Long-distance 30s)

"In the old days, whether the contents were dented or dented, they accepted it, but now the number of shippers who say that cardboard is also a product has increased. If cardboard is also a product, I would like you to wrap it in packing material. ( Long-distance trailer in 40s)

The driver compensates for the damage to the product

The most unreasonable thing is that even though the product itself is intact, there are cases where the driver himself is forced to reimburse the product due to the rubbing and corner crushing of the cardboard.

"There are many cases where the compensation is paid by the individual. For the time being, the company pays the salary in installments." (Long-distance freezer truck in his 50s)

"When I was carrying tissue, cup noodles, beverages, etc., the corner crush was a product purchase. I was told that" cardboard is also a product "and I was young, so I said," If cardboard is also a product, put it in another cardboard. " I was in a hurry. " (Middle-distance large in 50s)

"At a distribution center at a certain convenience store, the glue on the lid of the cardboard containing instant noodles is damaged and refused to be received. In-house accident handling, accident-free allowance cut, and bonus assessment down. Tens of thousands. It is a reduction in the yen's salary. "

"When loading medicines, the box is intact, but the contents may be cracked, and the payment is 180,000 yen. If the tablet breaks at that level, everyone can break it just by running normally." (Large long-distance in 50s)

Also, the mysterious thing is that if one box is damaged, all the other boxes that are stacked on the pallet (see the image below) will also be returned or reimbursed.

"At a certain pharmaceutical company, if there is even one box of dirt or damage, not only that one box but all the cases on the same pallet will be rejected and must be returned to the shipper. In the worst case, (Wrapped to prevent the load from collapsing) It's out just because the lap is rubbed and broken. It's super super strict. "

In some cases, you cannot receive compensation

However, what I find most unreasonable about this reimbursement is that even if the driver reimburses these packages, he may not receive the goods.

"As for the beverages I carry, when the payment is made, the beverages inside will be the tea of ​​the shipper and will not come to the driver's hands." (Long-distance free in 50s)

"Even if a beverage maker reimburses for damage, the goods will be the shipper's drink. The reimbursement is the company's baggage insurance. Personally, I paid 10,000 yen a month for the exemption three times." (Large 50s Long distance)

"I don't know what it means to just reimburse and not hand over the item. Even if the contents are okay, I bought it just by damaging the box. It was a custody " (long-distance freezer truck in his 50s)

"I ask Zara that even if one case of a beverage is defective, it can be purchased for each pallet, and you will not receive any more products." (Large long-distance general cargo in your 40s)

What is the reason for not giving the product even if it is reimbursed?

According to a manufacturer employee,

"Obviously, if an accident occurs due to a product distributed through a non-regular route, the manufacturer will not be able to respond. However, there is also the real intention that it is not good to sell the purchased product at a low price." (40) Employee of a certain confectionery maker)

That is. Also, a transportation person

"In the old days, the shipping company sold the purchased items cheaply and tried to reduce the payment amount as much as possible, but it seems to be out of the manufacturer. If you sell it at retail, it is 500 yen, but the shipping company returned the item for 300 yen. If you sell it, your company will not have a profit of 1 yen. " (Kansai region dispatcher)

Talk to. If so, the real intention of the transportation side is not to compensate for minor scratches and dirt, but another manufacturer employee said to the actual situation,

"The cardboard box protects the products inside, and if the inside is okay, I personally think that it doesn't matter whether the box is torn or dirty, but I receive it at the distribution center, store, or home delivery to which it is delivered. Both individual consumers will return the product because the box is torn. "(Sales of household goods manufacturer in their 50s)

It was said that. After all, it can be said that the background of "cardboard = products" is Japan's "care for excessive customers."

"Bulk picking", which is placed one by one by the driver's hand, tends to cause such damage to the cardboard.

Even so, the reason why bulk picking does not disappear is that if you use pallets that can be piled up efficiently, "gaps" will be created and air will be carried. And this is also due to "convenience on the part of the shipper" because he wants to avoid missing his pallet.

Currently, truck drivers have problems with "low wages" and "long working hours."

This customer-first principle, the idea of ​​"cardboard = product", not only imposes a further financial burden on the driver, but also causes "waiting for" loading work at the site, resulting in "long working hours" and "long working hours". It even causes the "street parking problem".

I would like to ask all readers again.

Is corrugated cardboard a "packaging material" or a "part of the product"?

Related Past Articles:

Behind the scenes of "free shipping" that the world doesn't know "Truck drivers who manually load and unload 5,000 cargoes"

https://news.yahoo.co.jp/byline/hashimotoaiki/20210512-00237435

"Why trucks park on the street" that the world doesn't know

https://news.yahoo.co.jp/byline/hashimotoaiki/20210309-00226455

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