Strange!

I even called S&W to confirm that I didn't get okey-doked by gallery of guns, and they said the 3.6" ships in a cardboard box instead of a plastic case.

No idea what that's about!

***Edit: Perhaps it's because I ordered the manual safety version (#11694) and yours is without? I had to wait a looong time for it to be available when the non-safety versions were available from lots of sellers.***