Today I received my long awaited package from HLJ (HobbyLink Japan). Usually they ship items in a plain box, this time it had a sticker on it marked ‘Extremely Delicate Items’. True to form the box was bent six ways… HLJ pack items very well so luckily nothing was damaged.

Whenever a FRAGILE or HANDLE WITH CARE sticker is placed on an item the opposite happens! Anyone got any insight as to why this happens?

The epitome of this was something I saw in an airport; Four very stout boxes were stacked on a smaller clearly more delicate box marked (Yes, you guessed it..) FRAGILE!

I hope this sint always the case I have just sent something via Royal mail. On the box a scraweled in every place possible, FRAGILE DO NOT SHAKE! Oh no, I fear the worst!

UH.......Common sense awnsers that one......Do the opposite of the warning label!!!! #:-) #:-)

I'm an ex-forces postie and can tell you that they will try to squeeze everything into 1 bag/overload it /throw it about/play catch or footlball or kick it for fun these things I have seen with my own eyes!

Yep - ignore the posted instructions! It's the way of Homo Sapiens! Observe California Rules of Conduct on Roads - obviously the posted speed limit means don't drive at this speed. If we as a species ever hope to bust the lightspeed barrier - someone should post it as a law in California...

Hi there

I have to say the things I've bought from HLJ have been the best packed goods I've ever seen! :-)

Maybe their packers have worked as postmen, and know what sort of treatment the parcels will get going half-way 'round the world...

All the best

Rowan

I have no comment other than this reminds me of the movie The Christmas Story. The father wins "a major award." When it arrives it is put on it's side, though clearly maked, "this end up." The father reads the notice on the side. "Fragile (which he pronounces Fra Gilay) must be from Italy."

Maybe the post office workers in your part of the world read Fragile the same way?

As a postie I would like to defend Royal Mail on this one. Trouble is I can't. Whenever I get back to work from leave i can guarantee I will get a complaint from someone about packets being squashed to fit through letterboxes, many times the people are at home but the postie doesn't bother to knock. I think the problem is that we carry so much mail sometimes [my record is 82 kilos one day] that there isn't room in the bag to carry round packages that we are unable to deliver and it involves a bit more walking to deliver a bit of the last bag to make room and then go back to the bagdrop to get these items to bring back to the office.

I don't think it really is on purpose, it's more the pressure to "HURRY HURRY HURRY" by these guys. They take packages and toss them while unloading trucks. Fragile is usually light weight so that's a given. When the clowns load trucks, its stack it to the top, so for packages, it's the luck of the draw as to wear they'll end up top or bottom. (Did a 7 week stint at UPS...I saw all this first hand)

My dad was a mailman...i could ask him, if he were'nt in prison for shooting someone who was complaining about the Postal Service.

hehehe
Murphy's Law, the law that guards the Post Office

kglack

LMAO, dude, I love your signature line, every bit of it. Manie Warm Wishes!

I love that movie. It was just on the other day. The "leg lamp" is one of my favorite parts.

kinda reminds me of that choloclate milk commercial... he puts the milk and chocolate in a box and write fragile on it mails it to his friend and they show it getting shaken up like mad..

This is exactly like what we sometimes run into at therestaurant I work at...someone says 'Behind you with a knife' and te first reaction is to turn around, right into the person who just warned you they had a knife.