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Boxes–And Where To Get Them

Whether it’s moving your life to a new place or moving your things into storage, if you’ve ever had to pack (and you probably have), you’ve had this thought:

I really need some boxes.

Likewise, if you’ve gone through the moving or storage process a time or two, it’s likely that you also have a collection of mismatched, differently-sized boxes and containers with labels crossed out, re-written, crossed out, and written again. We all know the pain of playing car or storage unit Tetris with pieces that don’t match, wondering how to stack our heavy, large containers on top of our small, soft ones.

Packing is something that can be annoying, but doesn’t have to be, because there are easy ways to get your hands on uniform, durable boxes for your project. We’ve included a few below!

Liquor/Grocery Stores

Many stores are getting multiple shipments of product a day, and once it’s unboxed, a lot of these places will have to break down and recycle the packaging–which means they also might be pretty happy to have you take them off their hands. Asking your local produce department worker when they receive their shipment is a great tip, as produce boxes are generally very durable and have handles for the carrying and stacking of fruits and vegetables and break down easily for transport. Next time you’re out shopping, check in with the produce department and see if they have any apple or banana boxes waiting to be broken down, and they might just have a stack for you. Likewise, many liquor boxes are similar sizes and can be easily stacked for efficiency, and if you call ahead they may be willing to save you some before they’re broken down for recycling pick-up.

Bicycle Shops

Okay, we talked about bikes on the blog last week, but it’s true: bikes are shipped in large boxes that, like produce, need to be carried and moved around. Especially if you have long, flat items going into storage, checking in with your local bike shop about their boxes is a great idea, as you can fit a lot into a narrow, tall container.

Local Facebook Groups and Social Media

Putting out the ask online if you have a move or clean-up on the horizon can be very successful, especially around the spring and fall when students are moving in and out of campus housing. If you haven’t yet, check your local neighborhood social media groups such as NextDoor or Facebook to see if anyone’s offering up their collection after a move, or post what you’re looking for and you might be surprised just how many neighbors are happy to get those empty containers out of their basements.

Bonus Tip: Vinyl Record Storage

It’s a little niche, but hey, vinyl is back–and heavy. If you’re a collector but can’t keep everything on the shelf, traditional Banker’s Boxes are a great size and durability for storing your music collection. Reach out to a local paper shredding company to see if they’ve gotten any recent office drop-offs and might let you have a few of the document boxes!

And of course, once your boxes are all packed, visit us at Spartan Storage to see availability for units to keep them in.