Bob Pickards Receiver as it goes through the 4 steps of Expertise Packaging
Box Brothers, founded in 1985 in So. California, is the industry leader in the sales of moving and shipping services, custom packaging, domestic or international. We offer fine art handling, storage, custom crating, auction fulfillment services, expert packaging and a full repertoire of shipping services, including air & ocean. Less than Truckload (LTL) service. We provide specialized logistical solutions and multi-national corporations. CALL 800-842-6937
Friday, July 29, 2011
Lomita Customer, Bob Pickard
Bob Pickards Receiver as it goes through the 4 steps of Expertise Packaging
August Here We come
I know I am jumping the gun, but speaking for myself, it is hard for me to even
believe that we are in the last official month of summer, August.
We have had, more of a traditional moving season this year, but most of the movers
and vanlines, do not have an opinion on how August will turn out, as July's interstate
sales have declined from the pace they had at the end of this past June.
If housing sales are any indication, this year's collective sales, for the Southern California
region and the whole state of California, are nothing less than anemic. Some predict the slowest
year for number of sales in over 30 years.
Maybe we need to look at it a different way, as maybe things are just warming up, as in the weather. There is also concern that all this worry about the US debt and the fact that everyone
is fighting on how to deal with it and now, it looks as though Congress may miss the deadline.
Funny thing. Some people say it does not matter, others say it is catastrophic and most people do not seem to care.....but lets hope that this newer issue does not add any woe to what we all got already, in terms of woe.....
I am betting that August will not be as busy as June, but it will be busy, as we know that many people still have to go to college, to new jobs, to new apartments (not new homes, see above)
and property needs to get from where it is to where it belongs.
Our firm Box Brothers, does a lot of helping people move to college, get auction purchases back
home and help people move to new homes/apartments. We never get tired of helping people
as we understand that this is what we do and we are not only good at it, we are great at it.
So if you need help with moving, shipping, packing, purchasing, auctioning or any activity that
requires fine packaging, materials or a crate, do not hesitate to contact us, especially in August,
so that people will think that I am some kind of maven predictor of the future.......or just hopeful.
Have a great weekend.
believe that we are in the last official month of summer, August.
We have had, more of a traditional moving season this year, but most of the movers
and vanlines, do not have an opinion on how August will turn out, as July's interstate
sales have declined from the pace they had at the end of this past June.
If housing sales are any indication, this year's collective sales, for the Southern California
region and the whole state of California, are nothing less than anemic. Some predict the slowest
year for number of sales in over 30 years.
Maybe we need to look at it a different way, as maybe things are just warming up, as in the weather. There is also concern that all this worry about the US debt and the fact that everyone
is fighting on how to deal with it and now, it looks as though Congress may miss the deadline.
Funny thing. Some people say it does not matter, others say it is catastrophic and most people do not seem to care.....but lets hope that this newer issue does not add any woe to what we all got already, in terms of woe.....
I am betting that August will not be as busy as June, but it will be busy, as we know that many people still have to go to college, to new jobs, to new apartments (not new homes, see above)
and property needs to get from where it is to where it belongs.
Our firm Box Brothers, does a lot of helping people move to college, get auction purchases back
home and help people move to new homes/apartments. We never get tired of helping people
as we understand that this is what we do and we are not only good at it, we are great at it.
So if you need help with moving, shipping, packing, purchasing, auctioning or any activity that
requires fine packaging, materials or a crate, do not hesitate to contact us, especially in August,
so that people will think that I am some kind of maven predictor of the future.......or just hopeful.
Have a great weekend.
Review from Diana W.
Needing tons of boxes and wrapping supplies for my upcoming move...this is the place to get em! Friendly, fast, and helpful service. They seem to have every size, every shape and all of it in stock...I just wish I didn't have so much stuff! I'm seriously changin' my hoarding ways....
Oh! He also gives a 10% AAA discount! Thanks Box Brothers!
Thursday, July 28, 2011
The New Tax on Small Business.....
As a businessperson, in this economy, you have to be able to confront your costs and find ways
on how to control them. The past few years have been challenging for all small businesses, whose sales have been affected by the downturn.
We were all witness to the legislative drama that unfolded last year, when the current Presidential administration put forth its program on universal health care. The point of this
entry or message is not political, but practical.
During the entire debate on health care, I was sort of a bystander, wanting to wait and see and while I understand the problems, I tended to agree that too many people were not covered for
this important resource.
However, we just got our insurance renewal, and I have to tell you that I am completely blown
away that the same coverage for this coming year has gone up 37%, or an extra three thousand
dollars more a month for us, and since our employees pay a portion of their coverage, their deductions will also go up measurably.
Who in small business can afford a new $36,000.00 tax, in effect, on the same policy and for sure, nothing has changed for any of us here at Box Brothers. None of the new provisions
will benefit us in any way and no one on the plan has any dependents who would benefit by it, either.
It makes you wonder if these politicians knew what they were doing when they chose to take on the health care industry, as they only made things worse for those who have existing plans and now more of our employees will try to reduce their coverages to retain more of their income. How is this good for them, or how is this good for our firm?
I am just not sure the insurers, a de facto monopoly--ask me, used this crisis to create more
problems for their customers and more income for themselves. How else can you explain these
facts, as this is real and this completely untenable to hammer small business for this extra amounts.
While we have little say or options in the matter, I just wanted to point out that this is so unfair
to pass these extra amounts onto the people who struggle to keep their businesses humming in a less than spectacular economic environment. I just cannot believe that this is the result of what they have done in Washington, and no one said one word about how small business would be so adversely affected.
I just cannot believe that these insurers would increase these costs by this much. This is a huge kick in the face and I have a hard time understanding why.
on how to control them. The past few years have been challenging for all small businesses, whose sales have been affected by the downturn.
We were all witness to the legislative drama that unfolded last year, when the current Presidential administration put forth its program on universal health care. The point of this
entry or message is not political, but practical.
During the entire debate on health care, I was sort of a bystander, wanting to wait and see and while I understand the problems, I tended to agree that too many people were not covered for
this important resource.
However, we just got our insurance renewal, and I have to tell you that I am completely blown
away that the same coverage for this coming year has gone up 37%, or an extra three thousand
dollars more a month for us, and since our employees pay a portion of their coverage, their deductions will also go up measurably.
Who in small business can afford a new $36,000.00 tax, in effect, on the same policy and for sure, nothing has changed for any of us here at Box Brothers. None of the new provisions
will benefit us in any way and no one on the plan has any dependents who would benefit by it, either.
It makes you wonder if these politicians knew what they were doing when they chose to take on the health care industry, as they only made things worse for those who have existing plans and now more of our employees will try to reduce their coverages to retain more of their income. How is this good for them, or how is this good for our firm?
I am just not sure the insurers, a de facto monopoly--ask me, used this crisis to create more
problems for their customers and more income for themselves. How else can you explain these
facts, as this is real and this completely untenable to hammer small business for this extra amounts.
While we have little say or options in the matter, I just wanted to point out that this is so unfair
to pass these extra amounts onto the people who struggle to keep their businesses humming in a less than spectacular economic environment. I just cannot believe that this is the result of what they have done in Washington, and no one said one word about how small business would be so adversely affected.
I just cannot believe that these insurers would increase these costs by this much. This is a huge kick in the face and I have a hard time understanding why.
Monday, July 25, 2011
Friday, July 22, 2011
Memorabilia art is always a hit
We've been packing and shipping memorabilia art for years. Most of the auctions houses that we work with also sell memorabilia. So what is a memorabilia? This what i found. Objects valued for their connection with historical events, culture, or entertainment. For years we have been picking up memorabilia like this at most of the hotels in Las Vegas. In Los Angeles we work with auctions houses as well as the grammys .It seems that we get a lot of this type art through our doors at our stores. The ones here are from Santa Monica. I like the Marlon Brando one. Here is more on Marlon from IMBD. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000008/
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Yelp Reviews Santa Monica and Lomita
Ray at Box Bros in Santa Monica is my absolute go-to specialist for precise and light art packing.
He is a very skilled professional, and I completely trust him to tackle any size shape or variant of art that I bring him.
He is a please to deal with, and always makes me feel like he has/ I have the best pack job at an amazing price too.
Ask for Ray!
A no frills place to buy just about every size box imaginable along with supplies such as packaging peanuts, tape, foam, labels, etc.
Prices here are much cheaper here when not buying in bulk compared to Staples or Office Depot, and you are also helping out a local small business. Parking is in the back and plentiful.
They also package and ship for you...I didn't need to do that since I was shipping it myself but the attendant (who probably was also the owner) was very friendly and should be able to do a great job. Be sure to mention Yelp or having a AAA card to get a 10% discount.
Ask for Dave in Lomita
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Review from Michael M.
Here is a Yelp review from today.
Ray is the best in the biz...! Have something fragile, precious or valuable? Ray's the man to take extra care to skillfully pack and ship the most delicate items. I'm in the art business and everything sent is fragile and valuable. I trust Ray completely to take extra precaution to see that my products get to their destination without incident. Ray is the best!!
Art shipping
Computers and Electronics shipping
Fragile and Valuable items shipped since 1985
310.453.1532
Monday, July 18, 2011
Picasso Packing and shipping to Germany RE: LAMA Auction items
Dear Steve.
I forgot to say THANK YOU for a great transport.
My picassos are here, healthy and happy.
It was nice working with you.
So if I have another transport, I will contact you again. Sure.
Kind regards.
G.
I forgot to say THANK YOU for a great transport.
My picassos are here, healthy and happy.
It was nice working with you.
So if I have another transport, I will contact you again. Sure.
Kind regards.
G.
Steve and his crew. Great job.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Friday, July 8, 2011
I have been thinking of one of our employees
This week, seemed so full, that I felt as though I needed to remind everyone,
that while we seem busy with our customers and our families and there is always
a rush to get everything done--that needs to get done, that we need to remember
that there are others out there, who are not doing well and who, through no fault of
there own, continue to experience pain in their lives, for a multitude of reasons.
I am thinking that we all have our troubles, our issues and our problems to work out,
but I have been thinking of one of our employees, and the fact that his wife is very ill.
It is not just that this family has two young children, and that his wife is battling a terrible
disease, but I just wanted to give a little credit to the man who has to not only deal with
work, children, and a household, but also has to manage to take care of his wife.
If you ask me, and no one really has....that this man is going through quite a bit, and I wanted
to give him some kudo's for being so strong and for being able to do all he needs to do, for his
family and for us at work. I have to confess, that I am not sure if I were that man, I would
be as strong and even keeled as he has been, given what he is going through, daily.
I can only imagine his pain and admire his perserverence, and I find it difficult to be able
to know where he gets his strength, but I want to pay an anonymous tribute to him and give
thanks that he is on our team. You get to find out a lot about people when they go through
tuff times; like how they handle adversity, or if they take it out on others, as so many of us seem to do.
I am just not sure, how he does it, but I want the world to know how proud of him I am and that
just thinking of what he is going through makes me realize how lucky we are to have him a part of our extended family, at Box Brothers.
If nothing else, this man shows us how to live life, and we should all take note, as bad things happen to good people all the time, it seems, and I have to admit, how we react to them makes all the difference in how we really live life.
While this post may seem a bit distant to the subject of boxes, packaging and shipping, I am of the belief that we all need to be reminded of how important some things are and how we tend
to focus on less important matters, all the time. Traffic, errands, policies, procedures, and stuff like that.
I do not often ask people to pray for others, especially for those who we might not even know, but I am hopeful that we can all learn from the pain of others and be better people for it. To the extent that we can foster than kind of attitude here at Box Brothers, I feel that anything is possible, even a complete recovery for our employee's wife. Lets employ the power of positive
thinking and then we can all get to be much better place.
that while we seem busy with our customers and our families and there is always
a rush to get everything done--that needs to get done, that we need to remember
that there are others out there, who are not doing well and who, through no fault of
there own, continue to experience pain in their lives, for a multitude of reasons.
I am thinking that we all have our troubles, our issues and our problems to work out,
but I have been thinking of one of our employees, and the fact that his wife is very ill.
It is not just that this family has two young children, and that his wife is battling a terrible
disease, but I just wanted to give a little credit to the man who has to not only deal with
work, children, and a household, but also has to manage to take care of his wife.
If you ask me, and no one really has....that this man is going through quite a bit, and I wanted
to give him some kudo's for being so strong and for being able to do all he needs to do, for his
family and for us at work. I have to confess, that I am not sure if I were that man, I would
be as strong and even keeled as he has been, given what he is going through, daily.
I can only imagine his pain and admire his perserverence, and I find it difficult to be able
to know where he gets his strength, but I want to pay an anonymous tribute to him and give
thanks that he is on our team. You get to find out a lot about people when they go through
tuff times; like how they handle adversity, or if they take it out on others, as so many of us seem to do.
I am just not sure, how he does it, but I want the world to know how proud of him I am and that
just thinking of what he is going through makes me realize how lucky we are to have him a part of our extended family, at Box Brothers.
If nothing else, this man shows us how to live life, and we should all take note, as bad things happen to good people all the time, it seems, and I have to admit, how we react to them makes all the difference in how we really live life.
While this post may seem a bit distant to the subject of boxes, packaging and shipping, I am of the belief that we all need to be reminded of how important some things are and how we tend
to focus on less important matters, all the time. Traffic, errands, policies, procedures, and stuff like that.
I do not often ask people to pray for others, especially for those who we might not even know, but I am hopeful that we can all learn from the pain of others and be better people for it. To the extent that we can foster than kind of attitude here at Box Brothers, I feel that anything is possible, even a complete recovery for our employee's wife. Lets employ the power of positive
thinking and then we can all get to be much better place.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Jonathan Knight from NKOTB
New Kids meets New Boxes. This was forwarded to us from one of our friends, who follows Jonathan on twitter. And knew we would love to see the photos .And we do, Jonathan was in the all boys band New Kids on The Block,in the 80s. he's leaving Los Angeles and is all boxed up. http://lockerz.com/s/117463791Did you know Jonathan has over 100,000 flowers on Twitter ? For more on the NKOTB check out wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Kids_on_the_Block
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Friday, July 1, 2011
Wowzi-Wow-Wow!
While I might be new to Yelp, I am certainly no stranger to the Santa Monica Box Bros. outfit. To sum them up, I think Christopher Walken said it best when yelling "WOWZI-WOW-WOW!". Hands down, you cannot find a more pro & friendly team to package and ship your things. The only business I would entrust with my items to be handled without standing next to them. Drop off and pick up later: never been a problem. Top shelf and Ray is as good as it gets: fast, friendly (well, not to me, but in general) and, funny guy that he is, always good for a laugh. Simply doesn't get any better than this. Thanks guys & no worries: I'll pester you again soon enough.....
Things You Do Not Expect.....
For the past couple of years, those of us in the moving and storage or transportation industry,
have waited, on the west coast, for what we had always come to expect, a summer season that
was busier than other times in the year. After all, summer season, for as long as I can remember, was the time kids were out of school, it was hot, and that was the time you moved.
There are also, of course, many "artificial times for moving," as one matures: college, first job,
from an apartment to a home, or as we have seen in recent times, moving to cut costs, or for
worse reasons (foreclosure, etc), but with the "great recession" as the politicians have deemed it,
the moving and transportation sectors, as well as its supporting cast (vendors, salespeople, small shipment providers, craters, packers, product firms, insurance agencies.....) have not seen a traditional uptick in moving in over two years.
I can tell you that this abnormal economic activity, or the lack thereof, poses some issues for all of us in this field, but while we have adjusted, cut back, trimmed and found new ways to become
more efficient, what I did not expect, was how the industry, in the midst of what has become a
busy and good year for the moving industry, in 2011, at how many of the transportation firms have dealt with the basic fact that demand has outstripped supply today.
To be honest, I wish I had more to complain about, as personally, I have not ever seen too much
business, as at Box Brothers, we do not lie to customers and make promises that we cannot keep, as we are not about anything other than giving the customer the best we can. And I never feel as though, we are busy enough, as I know that there are many true and good customers who will receive bad or mediocre service from other firms who promise the world
and could care less about telling the truth.
This, I am told, even included the major van lines, who were obviously too smart for their own
good, as with the capacity they lost in the last few years, they greedily accepted orders from
unsuspecting customers who are waiting for their furniture and clothes and medicines that
are not only late, but way late. I have no mercy for these liars, as while there is good reason
to try to get all the business you can, it is my belief that you have a duty to provide the truth
and not mislead the public, as this industry is already suffering from issues of credibility, which
is why many firms have come in and taken share away from the traditional movers, over the past few years (ABF U Pack, Pods, etc).
Ask me, all this was predictable, like a home run hitter striking out to much, but what I did not
expect was the low class crap (pardon my French....) from my so called competitors, who have
not only attempted to steal my employees, but have reached out to bribe them, to come to work for them.
Maybe I should feel flattered, that we, at Box Brothers, have assets and people that are coveted,
and maybe the best these competitors can do is sneak around and try to steal people with no
real intent to keep them, just use them to get through this summer moving season, as the flow this year is not a trend, I am sorry to say, but a result of pent up demand, as the housing industry is hurting and most people who work are still trying to just hold on. This demand we
are seeing today, is not the result of people moving up, better jobs attained, or new opportunities
abounding. I hope I am wrong, and I have seen stranger things, but these sleazeballs, who seek
to rape and pillage, are ridiculous, and if this is the best they can do, to try to steal from others,
they are pretty sad. I just hope they get what is coming to them, but when I talk like this, people simply say that I am naive. That business dictates, that the ends justify the means.
Maybe they are right, but I am not going to run this firm to screw people, customers or employees, as no matter how bad things get or how good they get, as well, the ends do not always justify the means, and if there is any justice in the world, what goes around will come around.
I am proud to report that all is well here and that our foundations are strong and well built and
while we do have to stretch a little, I can promise all of you who work here, that no one will come
and accuse you of lying to them, accuse us of over promising and under delivering and that we always to try to make sure that the customer is the reason we come to work. I just wish
everyone else in this crazy business would do the same, instead of lying, stealing and not caring
about the people who pay their salaries, the customers.
have waited, on the west coast, for what we had always come to expect, a summer season that
was busier than other times in the year. After all, summer season, for as long as I can remember, was the time kids were out of school, it was hot, and that was the time you moved.
There are also, of course, many "artificial times for moving," as one matures: college, first job,
from an apartment to a home, or as we have seen in recent times, moving to cut costs, or for
worse reasons (foreclosure, etc), but with the "great recession" as the politicians have deemed it,
the moving and transportation sectors, as well as its supporting cast (vendors, salespeople, small shipment providers, craters, packers, product firms, insurance agencies.....) have not seen a traditional uptick in moving in over two years.
I can tell you that this abnormal economic activity, or the lack thereof, poses some issues for all of us in this field, but while we have adjusted, cut back, trimmed and found new ways to become
more efficient, what I did not expect, was how the industry, in the midst of what has become a
busy and good year for the moving industry, in 2011, at how many of the transportation firms have dealt with the basic fact that demand has outstripped supply today.
To be honest, I wish I had more to complain about, as personally, I have not ever seen too much
business, as at Box Brothers, we do not lie to customers and make promises that we cannot keep, as we are not about anything other than giving the customer the best we can. And I never feel as though, we are busy enough, as I know that there are many true and good customers who will receive bad or mediocre service from other firms who promise the world
and could care less about telling the truth.
This, I am told, even included the major van lines, who were obviously too smart for their own
good, as with the capacity they lost in the last few years, they greedily accepted orders from
unsuspecting customers who are waiting for their furniture and clothes and medicines that
are not only late, but way late. I have no mercy for these liars, as while there is good reason
to try to get all the business you can, it is my belief that you have a duty to provide the truth
and not mislead the public, as this industry is already suffering from issues of credibility, which
is why many firms have come in and taken share away from the traditional movers, over the past few years (ABF U Pack, Pods, etc).
Ask me, all this was predictable, like a home run hitter striking out to much, but what I did not
expect was the low class crap (pardon my French....) from my so called competitors, who have
not only attempted to steal my employees, but have reached out to bribe them, to come to work for them.
Maybe I should feel flattered, that we, at Box Brothers, have assets and people that are coveted,
and maybe the best these competitors can do is sneak around and try to steal people with no
real intent to keep them, just use them to get through this summer moving season, as the flow this year is not a trend, I am sorry to say, but a result of pent up demand, as the housing industry is hurting and most people who work are still trying to just hold on. This demand we
are seeing today, is not the result of people moving up, better jobs attained, or new opportunities
abounding. I hope I am wrong, and I have seen stranger things, but these sleazeballs, who seek
to rape and pillage, are ridiculous, and if this is the best they can do, to try to steal from others,
they are pretty sad. I just hope they get what is coming to them, but when I talk like this, people simply say that I am naive. That business dictates, that the ends justify the means.
Maybe they are right, but I am not going to run this firm to screw people, customers or employees, as no matter how bad things get or how good they get, as well, the ends do not always justify the means, and if there is any justice in the world, what goes around will come around.
I am proud to report that all is well here and that our foundations are strong and well built and
while we do have to stretch a little, I can promise all of you who work here, that no one will come
and accuse you of lying to them, accuse us of over promising and under delivering and that we always to try to make sure that the customer is the reason we come to work. I just wish
everyone else in this crazy business would do the same, instead of lying, stealing and not caring
about the people who pay their salaries, the customers.
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