Technical Fault at new Officeworks Perth Customer Fulfilment Centre

15 Jan

Originally reported on Yahoo News by Abbey Smith

A social post from an Aussie mum has gone global with the New York Post highlighting how an Australian mum received 38 items delivered in 23 boxes from Officeworks.

The woman asked Facebook group followers of the Mum of Boys Australia page to "explain the logic" behind the packaging after she submitted her children's back-to-school supplies list. "Could someone please tell me the logic behind Officeworks' delivery system? I ordered my kids booklists for the year and this is how it was delivered," she said, sharing an image of the stack of cardboard cartons.

The post sparked hundreds of responses from other online shoppers who were also "fuming" after receiving their small online orders in several large boxes. “Mate, don’t get me started,” one commenter said after receiving a small packet of 12 pencils in a medium-sized box. Another follower said “the box to contents [ratio] is always off these days".

Several people suggested it may have happened due to the items being delivered from several warehouses, but the woman confirmed they were all sent from the same store, with the same delivery stickers on each box. Others suggested it's happening because more retailers are using artificial intelligence, and machines to pack orders in their warehouses.

Officeworks responds, blames technical fault

An Officeworks spokesperson told Yahoo News Australia the company has isolated the incident to their Perth Customer Fulfilment Centre and say it was due to a technical fault.

"We are working to rectify this with our supply chain teams to ensure minimal materials are used when packing orders," the spokesperson said.

The delivery of 28 boxes for 38 items from Officeworks. Source: Facebook.

"We are sorry to hear of this customer’s recent online delivery experience. At Officeworks, we want everyone to have an enjoyable shopping experience with us — whether it be shopping in store or online —and we are disappointed that on this occasion, this did not occur.

"Additionally, at Officeworks, we take our environmental impact very seriously. We have been working towards more sustainable packaging solutions for our products for several years, and this commitment continues to be a strong focus area across our business.”