Why this single photo of an Officeworks delivery has sparked outrage

Shopper left confused by excess packaging Officeworks has blamed a technical difficulty  READ MORE: This photo of Woolworths checkout screen has outraged shoppers

A shopper has slammed Officeworks after the stationery giant delivered her 38 items in 23 different cardboard boxes.

A West Australian mum posted pictures of her online order to social media, asking if anyone knew why the company needed so much packaging.

She shared a picture of all of the boxes heaped on her kitchen table.

In another photo, a single packet of highlighter pens could be seen by itself in a big, otherwise empty box.

An Aussie mum purchased 38 items for her children’s booklist and was appalled when the store delivered them in 23 boxes

In one of her photos, a single packet of highlighter pens could be seen by itself in a big box

Other online shoppers were quick to say the experience had happened to them too, with one saying they had received a small packet of pencils in a medium-sized box.

‘Mate, don’t get me started,’ they wrote. ‘The box to contents [ratio] is always off these days.’

Some online shoppers said the multiple boxes could be the result of items originating from different warehouses.

However, the woman confirmed all 38 items arrived from the same store and had the same delivery stickers.

Others thought it was the result of retailers using artificial intelligence, leaving machines to pack orders.

However, an Officeworks spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia the delivery was due to a technical fault at their Perth Customer Fulfilment Centre.

‘We can confirm this was isolated [to the Perth centre]. We are working with our supply chain teams to ensure minimal materials are used when packing orders,’ they said.

‘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.’

Officeworks said it was due to a technical fault at their Perth Customer Fulfilment Centre

According to the latest data from Australia’s 2022 National Waste Report, Australia has around 75.8m tonnes of waste

Officeworks isn’t the only retailer to come under fire over excessive packaging and waste.

A Sydney mum slammed Kmart after her delivery of one bath bomb arrived in a big box with plastic air pockets to cushion it.

Other shoppers have named Amazon as a culprit for sending large boxes for one or two small items.

According to the latest data from Australia’s 2022 National Waste Report, Australia has around 75.8m tonnes of waste.

Accumulate Australia states the average Aussie throws away 130kg of plastic each year, which is the equivalent to 20,000 plastic bags, 7000 plastic water bottles or the weight of three bar fridges.

Disappointingly, only 12.4 per cent of all waste is recycled.