Name and shame time. Hardware stores are near the top, as bad as or worse than supermarkets, when it comes to excessive and completely unnecessary plastic packaging, some of which can also be nearly impossible to get open. So I pointed this out to a Bunnings representative the other day, and got the lame and tired excuse that it was the suppliers' fault.
No it isn't, Bunnings. It is your fault. You can choose who you buy from and you can tell your supplier what your specifications are. This kind of mealy-mouthed attempt to fob off responsibility is no longer good enough. We all have to own this or nothing will ever change. Our job as consumers is to not buy crap encased in pointless plastic. If that is not possible, then at least let the seller know how you feel about it. If enough complain loudly enough, the retailers will have to act. If they act in concert, the suppliers will have to respond. That is how it works.
Get your act together, Bunnings. It is time to start taking responsibility for the environmental burden you are dumping on the rest of us.