Why aren’t they just square to accomodate the size and shape of the DVD? Why is there that extraneous flappy piece of paper that you can’t even put stuff into anyway? Is there some rule that says envelopes have to be rectangles?
It’s difficult to imagine a circular re-sealable envelope. Even if you could do it, it would be more complex and expensive than a rectangular one.
I think the OP is proposing a square, rather than a rectangle.
The USPS requires rectangular-shaped envelopes that fit a defined L to W ratio. Anything that falls outside the ratio, like a square or an extra long rectangle (to mail a necktie, perhaps?), needs special processing. That requires extra postage and may slow down the delivery – two very undesirable things.
The post office has regulations about the size and shape of mail. I imagine that one reason is that netflix want to ship as cheaply as possible.
http://www.usps.com/customersguide/dmm100.htm#WhatAreYouMailing
very interesting. Zip rentals canada also uses rectangular envelopes with a flappy bit on the side, and I wondered.
Is there any reason why being rectangular makes the envelopes easier to process, or is it just postal bureaucracy??
Square envelopes tend to tumble randomly through the sorters, rather than staying “right side up” so the scanners can’t read the address properly. This makes them what the USPS calls “non-machinable” and they need hands-on care.
A few weeks ago, I picked out a birthday card for someone that came in a square envelope. Where the stamp goes was the notation that two stamps were required. I don’t think the non-machinable surcharge is actually double, but it’s easier to say “two stamps” instead of "go to the post office, wait in line, and have them tell you to pay an additional nine cents and have them stick a nine-cent postage meter tape next to the stamp, looking q
A square envelope could fit on a conveyor belt in 8 different positions (4 rotations and 2 sides). I’m sure it’s not terribly difficult to design a conveyor system that could scan the bar codes on the outsides and discern what movie it was and where it was headed, and it would probably work in all eight orientations. But if you can change envelope size and eliminate half of those “wrong” orientations, you’ve saved your processing machinery several steps on each envelope, and you probably don’t have to invest as much in your infrastructure.
From the postal regulations, which ask that you don’t use “square envelopes” or place the address “parallel to the shorter edge” I imagine that the USPS scanners use the envelope’s shape to determine the orientation of the bar codes and text. Netflix probably sent researchers there, since the USPS is a key component of their business model. They may have even picked a shape that was idealized for the USPS scanners, and then matched their own in-house processing facilities to the USPS’s best practices.
I was at Hallmark recently and picked out a square card with a square envelope. When I went to check-out, the lady asked me if I were mailing it or giving it in person. I said I wasn’t sure, and did it matter? She said if I were mailing it, then I should use a rectangular envelope as it costs extra postage for a square one! So she gave me a large rectangular envelope to go with it instead of the original square one. I thought it was rather odd, considering I was going to use a much larger envelope as a result (but still small enough to use a 37 cent stamp). So I appreciate the explanations in this thread.