Christine James

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Small Shipping Boxes in Seattle

I was listening to the radio one day while keeping busy at work with unpacking some small shipping boxes. I was in the back storeroom so I could take my time and really be dreamy about what I was hearing.  I was taking our new shipment and restocking the back shelves, which we would use to restock the front shelves over time and in lesser quantities.  This was my life, living in Seattle, unpacking small shipping boxes and listening to the radio.  What station, you may be curious and yet too self-conscious to ask.  Well, curiosity killed the cat, you know.  Actually, I don’t know why that’s even a saying, and this has nothing to do with cats, so I will tell you the whole story.  

It was the love channel, which played amazingly wonderful and sappy romance dialogue from movies, and trending pop and r&b songs just dripping with emotion.  In between all of it was the DJ, this woman with the voice of a courtsesan, constantly congratulating everyone for their healthy love lives, or encouraging them to love themselves because then somebody else would come along when they were ready, or reminding us all to evaluate our relationships and make sure they are healthy, that we aren’t in them because we are running away from something else.  I’m talking some really good advice that this woman would give. She always made me feel better about being single (she refused to equate ‘singleness’ with ‘aloneness’, and encouraged those of us in that tax bracket to do the same).  

Anyway, I fell in love with Archie because of that show.  He called in one day and started telling the DJ about how he just knew that the love of his life was out there, he just didn’t know how to find her.  He said, “I know she’s alone right now, just standing there listening to this and not knowing it’s her…”  He might as well have said, “I know she’s unpacking small shipping boxes even as we speak…”  I basically hunted Archie down after hearing that.  I wrote to the radio station and told them that I was Archie’s someone, and how could I find him please?  

It didn’t take long to track him down.  I showed up on his doorstep and told him it was me.  “I know,” he said, and he smiled.  Everything after that is history, and the good kind to boot.  

[christinerjames-blog]

Packaging and Shipping Supplies 101

There might as well be a college class on packaging and shipping supplies.  Like: Intro to Packaging and Shipping Supplies; or, Packaging and Shipping Supplies 101.  Why they used the 101 identifier is beyond me.  

Why wouldn’t it just be one?  Or part 1? Even more confusing was that math 0910 in my community college was pre-algebra, and then it jumped up to math 0950 for Beginning Algebra I, followed by math 0960 for Beginning Algebra II; and none of those were even classes that counted towards anything, they were just to get you on better footing for the ones that did.  

If you’ve ever packaged or shipped anything, especially for your job, you know that it can be a kind of tricky and stressful procedure.  It’s one thing to say that it’s no big deal, but it’s another thing to completely pull it off.  When it comes down to actually packing the box there are a lot of questions to be asked: is this the right kind of box, or the best size?  

Should I be using a box at all, or maybe an envelope?  If I use an envelope will my customer be concerned that I didn’t take their order seriously enough and should have protected it better?  How do I protect the product the best way without using annoying materials that get everywhere and are expensive?  What protective products are best when using a box, or an envelope?  Are there certain protective products best suited to the different types of products I’m trying to send out?  Is this the right kind of tape; meaning, will it stand up to the elements and also to the overall conditions of travel and handling?  

Those are all legitimate and useful questions to have and get the answers for.  After all, not a lot can happen to a book and should ship just fine in a bubble envelope.  A jewelry box, on the other hand, should be taken more seriously and be more heavily protected by a larger box.  

You probably don’t need to take up empty space with bubble wrap when sending an item of clothing- some lightly crumpled paper should do the trick so that the shirt or pants or whatever doesn’t arrive all crumpled up.  Masking tape doesn’t do very well against humidity or rain, or a lot of manhandling, but there are definitely some tapes out there that are designed just for those types of challenges.  

Maybe someone will take my word for it and least start a YouTube tutorial.  If there are YouTube videos on how to play with play-dough, surely people would be interested in a Q&A about packaging and shipping supplies.

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Boxes for Moving and Other Helpful Tips

It took me several different moves in my life before I finally caught on to some crucial key points for the whole process.  From getting the right boxes for moving, to hiring the right moving company, to keeping your chin up, I’ve listed a couple of those tips in the hopes that they will be helpful for you:

Buying boxes. Finding boxes for moving is like playing a game of chess with some sort of all-knowing and spell-wielding magician. In theory, it can be done, but in reality it really can’t.  At least not without blood, sweat, and tears.  So instead of actually trying to cut corners by dumpster diving and stalking retail stores, get ahead of the game by buying them.

The right supplies.  Same as I said not to waste your time and energy on trying to find boxes for moving, I am going to say don’t waste your money on cheap tape, and I will even suggest either buying a dollie or renting one (which can be pretty cheap).  When it comes to moving, the right supplies are crucial to the process.  

Buy online. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT buy your moving supplies from a department store.  Buy them online, in bulk, and you will wind up with the right supplies and save yourself a ton of money at the same time.  You can even try searching craigslist to see if anyone else has a stash they are getting rid of.  Either way, you are pretty much guaranteed making some money back by selling your own when you are done with it. There is always someone in need of boxes for moving, and anything else!

Do your research.  If you are going with a moving company, make sure they are approved by the Better Business Bureau.  If they aren’t you are sure to get scammed for a crap ton more money than you thought you were agreeing to spend.  That being said, make sure that whoever you are hiring gives you a hard copy of the estimated price… before you even get started.  Have the company list whatever they anticipate charging you for, factoring in distances and the size of your home, and communicate that if they don’t list it, you aren’t paying for it when it’s all said and done.  Because it turns out that they will charge you for using their own moving blankets…

Stay positive. It will all be over soon!  Moving is not fun.  It’s just not.  So the most important thing to remember is to accept it all as a part of the whole stinking process and remind yourself that soon you will be packed and then unpacked and moved in.