ChoicesUK seem to have a pretty good clearance sale on.
I'm busy atm, but I will try to pick out the highlights later.
ChoicesUK Clearance sale
2100 Microsoft Points - what cost?
I recently bought 6300 MSP, as I am wont to do whenever I want to take advantage of a cheap deal, such as the recent one at Smiths. I bought three separate 2100 point cards, as it was the cheapest way to get them.
I received them yesterday. I received three items, exactly the same, whose serial numbers show were one after another from the same batch of cards, in three separate envelopes. Despite ordering all three in the same order, I got an invoice for each in each envelope. Take a look:
Now, this is ridiculous. I'll of course be letting WH Smith know what I think of this, and while I'll be re-using the envelopes for other things I'm sure you can see while I have an issue with it.
But the real culprit here isn't Smiths. Even if they bundled it together in one envelope, I'd still have a load of waste. Take a look at that image above again - each card has plastic shrink-wrap, a plastic DVD case, a paper sleeve, a card insert, and the card itself with the code on. And I can't see any reason for it - any information on any part of the package is actually repeated on the card. And to top it all off take a look at the inside: 
The case is specially manufactured for the card. It's not a regular DVD case. There is no other use for this piece of plastic than to provide a safe shipping container for a piece of goddamned cardboard. Your average person is going to extract the useful part of this, and throw the case directly into the recycling - or, more likely, the general waste bin.
Here's how I could have received these cards:
One standard envelope, one sheet of paper for an invoice, and three credit-card-sized cards. I could even just receive the codes through email, although I understand that might require a little more communication between Microsoft and retailers - the recent news that Amazon has opened a digital goods store for Xbox Live in the US is a great step in the right direction for this.
I really can't see the reason for this much packaging. I can see the reason for some, possibly to prevent theft from stores, but never this much, and retailers already lock the actual product behind the counter in any case. Protecting it in transit is not an issue. Neither is preventing the silver covering from rubbing off - in America, this has already been replaced with a tear-off strip in some instances, although reportedly they're still available to buy in even more mind-boggling packaging - those infernal impenetrable blister packs.
Are there any other reasons for this? To make the customer feel like they're buying something more tangible? Aren't we beyond that?
Street Fighter IV [Collector's Edition], Xbox 360 - £29.99
Street Fighter IV [Collector's Edition], Xbox 360 - £29.99 delivered
Cheers to more heat than light for the tip off.
Street Fighter IV [Collector's Edition], PS3 - £29.99
Street Fighter IV [Collector's Edition], PS3 - £29.99 delivered
Cheers to more heat than light for the tip off.
GH2 X-plorer Guitar, £9.99 - Xbox 360
Gibson X-plorer guitar for Xbox 360 - £9.99
This is the wired GH2 guitar, compatible with all the guitar games on the 360. Available for in-store reserve for free, and they'll hold it until the close of business the next working day. Total is £15.79 with home delivery.
For those going straight to a store without reserving online, the item number is 566/8935.
Thanks to $h@d0w for the tip.
Saints Row 2 [Limited Edition], Xbox 360 - £19.99
Saints Row 2 [Limited Edition], Xbox 360 - £19.99 delivered
Contains:
Limited Edition gun mould packaging (not actually a gun)
1gig Gold Bullet USB 2.0 Memory stick
Exclusive content, including buddy icons and wallpapers
Limited edition artbook
Stilwater Map poster
Exclusive 3rd Street Saints Poster
Cheers to more heat than light for the tip off.
The best price for the regular edition atm is £18.99, so this seems like a real good deal.
Edit: Well that didn't last long. Between posting it, and attempting to order it, it went out of stock...
Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution, Xbox 360 - £14
Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution, Xbox 360 - £14 delivered
Dragon Quest - Chapters Of The Chosen, DS - £9.73
Dragon Quest - Chapters Of The Chosen, DS - £9.73 delivered
Zack And Wiki: Quest For Barbaros Treasure, Wii - £11.73
Zack And Wiki: Quest For Barbaros Treasure, Wii - £11.73 delivered
Far Cry 2 [Fortune's Pack Edition], PC - £9.99
Far Cry 2 [Fortune's Pack Edition], PC - £9.99 delivered
Due for release on the 17th.
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