What Will it Take to Unwrap a DVD? (1 Viewer)

[Jean-Luc]

I know this is not a really BIG issue but I was really wondering if anybody out there shares with me the (growing) frustration of opening a new DVD package.

At first there was only the UPC label that had to be removed from the top edge before you could open the box. I suppose that was a carry-over from the CD world, but I never did understand why CDs and DVDs have these labels while VHS tapes never do. Next came the labels stuck on the side and bottom edges to (kindly) warn potential shop lifters that an anti-theft device was enclosed. Again for some reason that I ignore this kind of labels seems to only be found on DVDs and not on VHS tapes or other kind of easily transportable merchandise. Of course these UPC and anti-theft warning labels are quite sticky and their removal is often difficult and may even result in the scratching and tearing of the DVD transparent slip cover. Finally on a growing number of DVDs (Paramount in particular) there are now a couple of additional snap tabs that have to be unlatched each time the case is opened, as if the the snap edge itself was not sufficient.

Where does this stupidity end? I also buy Region DVDs and they do not have any of these labels and are quite a pleasure to open.

Jean-Luc

 

[Amy Mormino]

I hate the procedure that you have to go through, too. However, I feel some sympathy for the retail stores which really are losing a lot of DVDs to shoplifters. There's a thread in another site (DVD Talk) which talks about the outrageous lengths shoplifters go through to steal, in spite of security measures taken. Apparently, they often bring knives to slice through the tape. Of course, the losses lead to higher prices for us law-abiding customers.

Can anyone think of good alternatives to the annoyance of the security tape?

 

[Scott Kimball]

The tabs are designed to be easily and permanently removed (a simple twist will do it). You don't need to (nor are you expected to) leave them on. It says so right on the packaging.

If these measures reduce theft, they also keep prices down. The aggravation is a small price to pay.

FYI: with practice, if the DVD case isn't securely closed on all sides, a simple slice of the cellophane on the bottom of the case and a certain twist of the package causes the disc to fall easily into the hands of a thief. This can be done covertly in the store.

DVDs are no different than other product packaging. I actually find them easier to open than anything that comes sealed in a rigid plastic blister pack, which requires the use of sturdy scissors or a large knife to open, while making removal of product without damage very difficult.

If you have a small pocket knife, use it to slice along the seam of three sides of the case, through the cellophane and labels. The labels are then easily removed without damage to the cover (by removing from the exposed, cut edge). It only takes me 30 seconds or so to open a disc and remove the security labels...

Sure, I'd prefer if the extra security wasn't there... but not if prices went up to offset theft.

-Scott

 

[TonyD]

jean-luc, you are way off on this one.
what is the inconvenience? a couple extra secons to get it open.

thats just the way it's gonna be.
i expect even more security measures in the future.
as long as people steal, we will see this sort of thing.

http://dvdtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=405206

probably not seen on vhs because it's easier to steal more dvd's, over vhs because of the slim design.

 

[Pat Frank]

Better question: Why do I have to remove security tape when I buy from an *online* retailer? Surely the plastic seal around the box is sufficient, when in-store theft is not an issue.

Yes, I realize they're all coming from the factory that way, but I would think that would be something that big e-tailers like Amazon could do as a "feature".

Ah well.

 

[Will_B]

I'd add that the plastic wrap of today, with its super long strands of strength, is so much tougher than the plastic wrap of even ten years ago. It makes it NOT FUN to unwrap a package. You need scissors to cut through today's plastic wrap. And I've once ruined a perfectly good box set case because the back of my scissors' blade touched the box as I fought to get it open. Thanks, US Plastic Corporation (or whoever invented this super strong sh't).

All this security stuff, cumulatively, offends me. Security is great when it is discrete. But when it is so "in your face" (with labels, tags, flashing lights on box sets, etc) it is as if the store is saying you aren't trusted, you aren't welcomed, please leave. Add some blue shirts checking on you now and then to make sure you aren't stuffing discs away.

At least when you are ordering online, you never get the sense that you are the enemy.

I'd almost prefer a detector at the door. Oh wait, they already have that. And yet they still don't trust you even when you are inside.

 

[Dave Farley]

I have no problem with it myself. Scott's way of removing it is the same method I use for single DVDs. You can have everything off in no time at all. I use the knife below from Office Depot that I bought for something else sometime back. It's great for box sets. You can make a very precise, careful cut. It works well if you like to just cut a clear plastic flap to remove the discs and leave the rest of the plastic on the box set to prevent shelf wear. Any knife would work, though. Even a steak knife, lol.

http://www.officedepot.com/ddMain.do...12_FM_171 807

 

[Doug Otte]

Pat, I've been wondering the same thing for 5 years. Surely, with the many thousands of DVDs sold online, manufacturers could make those without the security measures. It would save them some money and make it easier for customers.

PS I find the security measures excessive, but it's no major inconvenience. I take a nice serrated kitchen knife, slice slice slice across the top, middle and bottom seams, then after the box is open, peel the stickers from each half of the box while standing over a trash can. I have to actually stick the tape to the inside of the trash bag to extricate it from my fingers, but so what? This process sort of enhances the excitement of opening a new DVD for me.

Doug

 

[ChuckOso]

Gotta second (third?) Scott and Dave's suggestion. Takes so little time this way, it's not an inconvenience at all.

As far as online retailers, it costs more to change ANY part of the manufacturing process (than what they would save on the parts) that it is more cost efficient to do it the same for all packaging, regardless of destination. (What if they underestimate need in retail and have to borrow from Online or the reverse, too many logistical problems.)

Doug's way makes it a little like your birthday, ever day. Celebrate the new disc.

 

[Dax P]

I don't mind peeling the tape (I do always try to pick up from shelves those that don't have the tape on the PAPER if it's peeking up from the plastic sleeve- I've lost print off the paper a few times and that's extremely annoying and ugly).

I don't really get how the new little tabs are making them more secure from thieves (but they don't really bother me, either- no big deal).

I DESPISE the little black things when they're stuck on paper under plastic. If it's ON plastic- fine, comes off easy enough. If it's on something you can easily tear off and not miss (a lot of the Warners two-discs, on the same tab as the proof-of-purchase labels), fine. But under plastic... They're so fucking ugly, I CAN'T leave them there... tearing is risked, but a wee little bit of print missing bothers me less than the black things. Tore my Dr. Zhivago, bummed about that- the picture was pretty. A lot of tv sets have been marred by this. The Universal Monsters Legacy Collections' security tags were VERY difficult, as were the special editions of Great Escape and The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. You should NOT have to destroy part of the product's packaging in order to take these things off (I like and respect good packaging- I'm not one of those put-the-discs-in-books collectors). Love the little throw-away sheets some put under the inserts- they should all be like that.

 

[Dave Farley]

This happened to me before. The cover art was out from under the vinyl cover and the sticker took some of the print right off. I check for this problem at the store before I buy it now. If I can't avoid it, I do the following:

-Make the three cuts like Scott mentioned and remove the plastic wrap.
-Remove all the security tags and labels that don't have any cover art directly under them. This usually works out to 4-5 out of the 6 pieces left after cutting.
-If you're left with say, the front side of the cover art sticking out at the top of the case under the sticker, stick your fingers underneath the vinyl at the bottom front of the case and gently work the cover art down and out from under the sticker.

It's worked 99% of the time for me.

 

[Tony Kwong]

I'm crazy but I actually save all of the promotional stickers on all my DVD packages. I spend the time cutting out the stickers from the shrink wrap and either sticking them behind the plastic window or using double sided tape to tape it on the front. Stuff like free T-shirt/cap offers, etc. I'm not talking about security stickers. those really annoy me.

I got that habit froom the old laserdisc days when it was sometimes hard to figure out if a title was Dolby Digital or a remastered edition. The covers are exactly the same as a previous edition except for fine print on the back.

 

[Dax P]

I don't save the stickers, except for the Criterion 'Director Approved' signatures (because they kinda look cool). And the sticker attached to Punch-Drunk Love was worth keeping because it was really clever (a pudding label).

 

[Dan McW]

At a certain retailer, when I joined their "replay club," they gave me a couple of DVD openers free. They usually keep them by the register. For those who don't know: the openers are little plastic devices, with the point of a razor blade sticking out from the bottom, that fit snugly over a standard DVD case. They may work no better than the knife method described above, but I've kind of gotten used to them.

If you grip both sides tightly and slide the opener across one side, you can easily break the outer shrink wrap. Then, do the same on the security tape. It splits the tape, so you have to peel it off once on each side of the edge. It's better than using a fingernail--whenever I stuck my fingernail under the word "pull" on that tab on the top front of the DVD, I always dug into the plastic front of the case and left a permanent gouge.

DVD packaging is a cinch compared to almost anything involving perforated cardboard (like TV dinners, where the pull tab either breaks in the middle or only the top layer of it comes off) or heavy plastic blister packages (like those used to hold flashlights or the batteries for same), which often have to be destroyed in order to reach the contents.

 

[DeanC]

I have only one problem is after opening the case. There is a little black thing stuck on the inside case. Or else in big box sets have them on the inside of a box.

 

[Joe Karlosi]

The "black sticky thing" inside the case is a piece of metal, and I always pull it off immediately. I always envision one day where I'm moving somewhere and have to take my DVDs through a metal detector!

 

[BrentCook]

Wow, I didn't know theft was such a problem!

 

[MarkDukes]

Most DVDs I have purchased lately no longer have the sticker on top of the package for labeling/title purposes attached to the actual box. When I purchased Saved by the Bell, that sticker tore the top of the box cover off!

 

[Lynda-Marie]

My annoyance with the excessive packaging is similar to many of those who have written above: I don't like it when it destroys the cover art!

Even checking it in the store is not ALWAYS proof against possibly missing it sticking to the artwork.

Dean, the little plastic bar with the metal underside to it that is inside your DVD case IS the security device. When you purchase it legally, they swipe it against a magnet at the check stand to demagnetize it so it will not set off the theft alarm. Sometimes, however, that is not enough, and I have been detained by security a few times because the blasted thing did not demagnetize properly.

Another annoyance, and I don't know if anyone else has had this one happen to them yet, is when the plastic wrap has apparently been overheated and permanently adheres itself to a portion of your DVD case. This has happened on the spine of a couple of disk cases, and it looks like crap when putting it into the shelf for storage.

 

[Tony Kwong]

I also hate it when the shrink it heated up so long... that the plastic window underneth becomes wobbly wrinked.