Unwrapped deliveries spoil present surprise

KEEPING Christmas presents a surprise can prove tricky when you live with your loved ones.

But Amazon has made the task even harder by shipping items without any packaging.

The unwrapped parcels are part of its commitment to offer ‘frustration-free’ packaging which claims to be more eco-friendly. But scores of frustrated customers have accused the retail giant of ruining Christmas.

Mum Amy Tremain took to Twitter to share a photo of a Cluedo board game she had bought for her daughter: ‘Not really a surprise any more as she answered the door with me. No oversized box, not even a bit of brown paper to cover it. Disappointed.’

Catherine White wrote: ‘It’s Christmas, and despite my giant note on the front door telling you to deliver it next door, you delivered my parcel with no wrapping straight to my father to whom it was supposed to be a surprise . . . Thanks for ruining it.’

Student George Icke, 19, says he was nearly caught out after ordering a coffee machine for his sister. However, when he then checked the Amazon reviews, they included a warning about the see-through packaging — prompting George to cancel the order and place another, this time to be delivered to his workplace.

A spokesman for Amazon says: ‘We offer customers the option to conceal their product at no cost by selecting “ship in Amazon packaging” at the checkout.

‘Amazon continually works to minimise the amount of packaging materials we use under our Frustration-Free Packaging 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.’