The green sign reads “Please don’t leave empty boxes here. Bring them to the bin outside”
With this kind of problems there are always two solutions: one is pragmatic, one is wishful thinking.
Problem: people leave boxes in the room.
Pragmatic solution: give them a trash can that’s easy to use.
Wishful thinking: slap a sign that tells them to stop.
Germany needs more pragmatic solutions in general.
I’ve noticed that people often put in near minimum acceptable effort to go optional tasks. The trick seems to be to make the easiest “acceptable” solution, to be an acceptable one.
Shopping carts are another example. The perfect solution is for people to return them to the front of the store. But that’s too much effort for many. They leave them wherever they can dump it. An acceptable one is to return them to collection points. It’s not optimal, but it’s better, and most people will actually do it.
In Germany (and I assume all throughout Europe) we solve the shopping cart problem by shoppers having to deposit a coin or chip into the cart to release it.
You get it back when you lock the cart again back where you took it
in paper yeah the pragmatic solution would work
the next problem though is the asinine amount of people who bring their boxes to customer service stuff and expect the store to take care of it the trash can would only work if people were either asked to break down their boxes (unlikely) or if it was mechanically able to break down the boxes for the person. then there’s the next problem of making it idiot proof because crunching machines and flesh don’t work well together.
sorry I’m extra salty because I just got back from a shift were I deal with these kind of people for the whole day. there’s no winning.
The green sign reads “Please don’t leave empty boxes here. Bring them to the bin outside”
No it doesn’t. It has a bad slogan in big font: “If we all unpack here, we can all pack up” (the idiom probably works if you squint hard enough). Then “Please don’t leave waste paper (carton) in the self-service-zone. Carry your empty package to the container. The environment will be just as happy as us”.
It does not say where the container is (despite the definitive article in English, it’s not implied that there even is one at location), nor does it have relevant information in large letters, just lots of fluff. It’s accessively passive-aggressive, trying to give the impression that it’s all polite while simultaneously ordering you around. Trying to invoke social responsibility while completely ignoring that that’s a two-way street: Where’s the fucking container? You had one job with that sign, and you failed.
Here’s what would work: Big: “Waste paper container is around the corner”. Small: “Please. Thanks”. You don’t have to convince people, you just have to make it convenient and they’ll be happy to carry their stuff five metres instead of playing carton Jenga.
Also they’re using “Packerl” for package that’s probably Austria. Maybe Switzerland it’s not like I’m a specialist in mountain gibberish. Also not enough yellow for a Deutsche Post shop.
Also they’re using “Packerl” for package that’s probably Austria. Maybe Switzerland it’s not like I’m a specialist in mountain gibberish.
As a native speaker of mountain gibberish I can tell you that’s not ours. Either Austria or maybe Bavaria. Their gibberish seems similar to me sometimes.
Austrian and Bavarian gibberish indeed is the same, one tribe, different states. The rest of the sign isn’t in Boarisch though so in Bavaria you’d expect it to be completely in Standard German. Bundesrepublik Standard German, that is, not Austrian Standard German with heuer, Jänner, Paradeiser, and whatnot.
In Germany even! I’d expect that in the US, shocking for Germany!
Is there really one outside?
Because I know a bunch of Post Stations where they just tell you to bring it to A container. They don’t provide one at the location.
This whole problem could be nullified either
A) by actually delivering the package and not just putting into a SB Station (because the package deliverer was too lazy) or
B) Provide a container on the location to throw the carton in. OR
C) Don’t have Amazon & Co ahip oversized boxes I cannot carry.
It’s shitty these people let their empty boxes here but the Post is not without some fault either
In this case, I believe there is a container right outside the door.
Regardless, you can’t just leave your trash wherever you want.
As far as I can tell those are packages someone received, right? Pretty easy to track down those morons.
Indeed, but i fear neither the employees nor the police would be particularly motivated to do that, probably.
