Amazon accused of 'ruining Christmas' by delivering items without packaging

The retailer claims it's in an effort to reduce waste

Amazon accused of ruining Christmas (Stock)

Amazon is delivering items in their original packages to the dismay of customers who’ve accused the company of “ruining” Christmas.

As people prepare for the upcoming gift-giving holidays, some holiday shoppers have turned to Amazon as a place to shop for presents.

Unfortunately, many of these packages have arrived free of Amazon’s customary cardboard boxes – leading disgruntled customers to express their grievances on social media with the online retailer’s customer service department.

For one parent, the lack of packaging resulted in her daughter’s acknowledgement that Santa isn’t real – after her surprise keyboard was delivered without a box.

“Gee thanks Amazon, now my daughter has seen her Christmas present and has told me she ‘knew Santa wasn’t real all along,’” the mum tweeted alongside a picture of the gift. “Why not disguise the packaging? Especially this time of year!”

Other shoppers have also accused the retail giant of ruining the holiday by delivering items packaging-free.

“I’m not sure how Amazon thinks this is an acceptable way to deliver an order a month before Christmas,” another customer wrote. “Not only have you ruined an Xmas gift you’ve stuck stickers all over the front of the box! Furious doesn’t even begin to cover it. #HowtospoilChristmas.”

According to the retailer’s customer service team, however, there is a way to ensure that a package is delivered in an Amazon box and the surprise is kept secret.

In a reply on Twitter, the company wrote: “In an effort to reduce waste some items may ship in their original box.

“If available please mark ‘Ship in Amazon box’ on the checkout page if you don’t wish to reveal the contents. Your item will be shipped in an Amazon box at no additional charge.”

This isn’t the first time Amazon has been accused of sabotaging Christmas – last year, many customers found themselves in a similar situation when they assumed that all packages would arrive disguised in Amazon boxes, only to find they were sent with just delivery labels.

An Amazon spokesperson said:“We offer customers the option to conceal their product at no cost by selecting ‘Ship in Amazon Packaging’ at the checkout. Amazon continually works on behalf of customers to reduce and minimize the amount of packaging materials we use under our Frustration-Free Packaging Programme.

“As part of the programme we have worked with manufacturers around the world to design their products to ship in their own packaging without the need for additional packaging.”