Apple Removes Gift Wrapping Option With 'Signature' Ribbon Box

[MacRumors]

Apple no longer offers gift wrapping for online orders in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Germany, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, and select other countries where the option was available. References to gift wrapping were removed from Apple's website this week, and the option no longer appears to be available at checkout.

The gift wrapping consisted of a "signature" white box with a red ribbon, along with a greeting card that could include a personal message. The option was available for an additional charge, although it was occasionally free during limited-time promotions.

Apple has also discontinued the option to include a gift message on the packing slip for an order.

Apple continues to offer free personalized engraving for select products, allowing for a custom message or emojis to be etched directly onto select iPads, AirPods, and Beats, as well as the AirTag and second-generation Apple Pencil.

Article Link: Apple Removes Gift Wrapping Option With 'Signature' Ribbon Box

 

[Eldaerenth Faexidor]

Hmm, I’m going to miss that red ribbon. R.I.P. 🥲

 

[cocky jeremy]

Probably a Tim Cook move to save $.05 per order. lol.

 

[CarAnalogy]

Seems like a strange thing to cut. I guess not enough people were taking the option to justify the cost. They could have promoted it better, this is the first time I’ve heard of the option.

 

[carswell]

There's a strong trend to reduce secondary (read superfluous) packaging, including gift packaging. Beyond the cost savings, there are strong environmental arguments in favour of it.

 

[BrownyQ]

"Why should we gift wrap for them? They can do it themselves if they really care about the recipient."

 

[Bustycat]

"You're packaging it wrong."

 

[phenste]

jokes about Tim’s cost-cutting aside—and actual reasoning aside (mainly reduction of environmental waste)—these gift boxes were quite beautiful and I will miss them. I suppose the market wasn’t huge for them…if my life is anything to go by, I can’t remember the last time I went for this.

oh well !

 

[WWPD]

I'm going to miss the option of a red ribbon tied on with care by an anonymous Chinese factory worker.

 

[saulinpa]

Probably a Tim Cook move to save $.05 per order. lol.

But also getting rid of the option to add a gift message to the packing slip? That is sad.

 

[Mr. Dee]

I wouldn’t be surprised if in 10 years, Apple just gives you the device without the box for in person store purchases and tells you to read the PDF manual on one of your existing devices. 😄

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

I miss the old Apple shrink wrap packaging.

 

[Gengar]

I can't think of a time I've ever used it for gifts I've bought from Apple.

 

[ApplesAreSweet&Sour]

Probably a Tim Cook move to save $.05 per order. lol.

How are they saving when it was not free and vastly overpriced?

Seems like a missed opportunity to generate even more revenue while making the shopping experience a lot more convenient.

My best guess that not enough customers bought it, and it was only popular when free. 🤷‍♂️

Or they were out of things to add to this year’s “look how much we care about the environment” mini presentation that they always do at iPhone event?

Couldn’t they have done what they do best and just raise the price?

 

[anthogag]

This is front page news. Alert the UN.

 

[George Dawes]

3 trillion company penny pinching under Scrooge Cook … again

 

[Wowfunhappy]

There's a strong trend to reduce secondary (read superfluous) packaging, including gift packaging. Beyond the cost savings, there are strong environmental arguments in favour of it.

But Apple's approach seems extremely minimal, with just a ribbon and card.

If this causes more people to opt to wrap gifts themselves, they'll likely go with actual wrapping paper, which will be environmentally worse on net.

Edit: Oh I see, there was a whole extra box. I wonder if they could have gone ribbon-only...

 

[WarmWinterHat]

I've ordered/given several gifts from Apple over the years (since at least 2006) and had no idea this was even a thing.

 

[cateye]

I don't really get the hand-wringing about jettisoning a superfluous, mawkish non-service. You're buying a technology bauble as a gift—take 10 minutes and wrap it yourself.

 

[StellarVixen]

There's a strong trend to reduce secondary (read superfluous) packaging, including gift packaging. Beyond the cost savings, there are strong environmental arguments in favour of it.

You know, maybe we don’t even need the box. You walk into the Apple Store, they give you the phone and charger. Phone you can carry in your hand, the charger…idk, put it in your pocket or handbag.

 

[SoldOnApple]

Can you still get the white box when buying refurbished?

 

[cateye]

You know, maybe we don’t even need the box. You walk into the Apple Store, they give you the phone and charger. Phone you can carry in your hand, the charger…idk, put it in your pocket or handbag.

You're not wrong. I appreciate that Apple, over the years, has made its packaging fully recyclable, down to the clever little paper wraps that hold the cables in place, but if I'm picking up the product directly from Apple, as in having a Blue Shirt hand it to me, I don't know why I need a box either. More junk (recyclable or not) to deal with.

 

[Lampekap]

There's a strong trend to reduce secondary (read superfluous) packaging, including gift packaging. Beyond the cost savings, there are strong environmental arguments in favour of it.

True. Packaging a battery powered, glued together iPhone or Apple Watch in a paper, reusable box is really a waste of the environment.

 

[msackey]

There's a strong trend to reduce secondary (read superfluous) packaging, including gift packaging. Beyond the cost savings, there are strong environmental arguments in favour of it.

This is a good point.

I didn't care for the way Apple gift wrapped the items. The pretty plain white cover is rather ugly in my opinion. But, it was nice to have a gift wrapping option though. I would have preferred something other than white. The red ribbon is fine.

 

[cocky jeremy]

But also getting rid of the option to add a gift message to the packing slip? That is sad.

Hey, that's $.00001 of ink saved!