the onion had a great article a few years back about a guy buying a
phone at radio shack and the process of unwrapping it and how
"entombed" it was in the plastic, styrofoam, etc

i agree some things are ridicously over packed. like things that hang
perfectly well in hard plastic, then a wrapping of printed cardboard
around it, and sometimes wrapped again.

OT - i haven't been to walmart in few years, and last month was at
englewood colorado store looking for vacuum cleaner, i absolutely could
not believe how much trash merchandise was cluttering up the store, end
caps of american idol calendars, cartoon place mats. i can't
understand who would buy that stuff

hate to stereotype but as the t-shirt says WHITE TRASH = ALWAYS