Here, we see two Kodak printer ink cartridges — one black and white, the other color — ordered at the same time, as part of the same order, from the same vendor (Kmart — I was trying to rack up some partner miles from American Airlines to keep my banked miles from expiring).

Each small cartridge arrived in its own much-too-large box, surrounded by packing material (foam peanuts for one, inflated plastic sausages for the other). Both boxes have the same return address, both were delivered at the same time.

What gives? One of these boxes would have been overkill if you’d shipped both cartridges in it. To ship each of the two cartridges separately is just absurdly wasteful.