This Horse Is Not Going To The UK.

As the President of Box Brothers, I oversee quite a few operations that focus both on the provision

of services to our customers, from both our retail outlets, and our crating and shipping warehouses.

As we have grown from our humble beginnings, we have been fortunate enough to have retained

some very key people (I do not think the word employee is sufficient to explain their true value here)

that make up the Box Brothers Family, as we like to refer to it, as these are the people who have always

treated customers and their possessions, as if they were part of their own family treasures.

I have often commented upon the fact that it would be easy in this business—the business of helping all kinds

of customers move their goods, possessions, investments, and family heirlooms—to say that we have facilitated a move

from one place to another, but it is more than that.   After more than 25 years of Box Brothers helping families come together

for good and bad reasons, to help kids get to college, to help those with the task of distributing estates, to the sending of prizes from

contests, to auction purchases and the even the sending of perishable items like breast milk, we have come to realize

that this is not just moving, or shipping, or even packaging, it is the movement of life and a very important journey for

those who undertake it.    And we at Box Brothers, feel this is an honor that has been bestowed on us by them.

So our duty, and we define it as such, is to provide the very best we can and we do this by acting and treating all items

we touch and handle, as if they were our own.   We double check, triple check, and we never cheat on materials, on labor

or on how we approach the safe transport of whatever item needs to be moved.   Why, elevate the status of service, when

no one even expects good service anymore?  Cause that is our duty to our customers, and I challenge anyone in this business

to have such a solid and great record, both in brick and mortar (on the street) and on the net.

I find this truly remarkable, as none of our so called competitors, have our record of safety, taking care of their customers,

and making sure that they received not only our best effort, but a great result each and every time.

I invite any and all of you to see some of how our family packages items that are large, heavy, high value and difficult in

terms of size, weight and density, such as statues, silver settings, and an architectural model for one of the largest

commercial developments the Western United States has seen in a number of years, the Las Vegas City Center.

But so we are clear and unequivocal, each and every customer we work with gets our best, and our records, reviews and

customer testimony, make this abundantly clear.  

Please enjoy these pictures and know that they come from retail stores, in Los Angeles, our packaging warehouse and

ship centers in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Northern California, and Seattle.   From our family to yours.

Heard on the Street....Malarkey.......

I was going to be like everyone else in the world and start talking about politics, as it is that
time again, and there is no shortage of "lying," "half truths" and, of course, what we often call "the spin."

We are all used to it, by now, it is hard to tune all this noise out, and for most of us, at least, we do
not live in one of those "key battleground states" (sounds like a military term, no?), as I understand
that one can hardly come up for air in Ohio without someone using all forms of media to hammer their
message home.

I know this is all partisan, but that is not where I am coming from today.   I just think this it is ironic
that both parties feel that the economy has a good of room for improvement, but at the same time,
all of this noise as I call it, seems only to make people more cautious and less likely to engage new
purchases or spend money for fear of the unknown future.   Like a catch 22 type of thing: that everyone
wants people to go out and spend money cause they are confident about the future, but their actions to get elected or re-elected only serve--it seems to me, and other small business people--make people more likely not to spend as there is a great deal of uncertainty as to who our leaders will be both in the White House and in Congress.   Maybe it really does not matter, anyhow, but boy, these politicians can spend the money, to no end

One of the key terms used in the Vice Presidential debates last evening was "malarkey."   I understand that this word is now challenging "amazing" as the most overused word of the day--by both sides of the political
spectrum.   But at the same time, to me, it only shows that these politicians are really far away from the problems of small business and in particular, for those in the moving and shipping business.

I have heard some owners in this business describe the times today as "some of the slowest times in the
moving and shipping business that they have seen in over 30 years.   Three decades, that is a long time and
I really feel that while small business is a big issue in this campaign, most of us feel unrepresented in this large
political circus.  I often joke that I never get a chance to speak to my lobbyist, like I even know a lobbyist, in the first place.

Yes, it is true that Box Brothers is a member of California and Texas Mover Associations, as well as being
a member of the American Moving and Storage Association--who do employ lobbyists, I am told, but
every single small business person I know who puts a paycheck into their employees hands so that they can put food on their families tables, is not having the best of times and most of us feel that no matter who is elected and when the NOISE stops, nothing will change and that is our greatest fear of all.

At the same time, I have not been appointed to speak on any mover's behalf and while most of my comments are truly subjective, I am not speaking out of turn.  Like other firms, we at Box Brothers
have the greatest respect for both our customers, and for our employees, which is why times like this are so hard on all of us.  We have a great reputation for packaging, crating and for helping our customers get their
belongings or merchandise safely, anywhere in the world.   We all just wish we were busier and our issues were how to handle the flow of work, instead of how to translate the work we have into paychecks for all.

Do you think if we locked these guys in the back of a moving van, told them we would not let them out until they made things better for all, and instead of spending 2 billion dollars on ads, they decided to cure a disease and get this economy moving for all of us.....it would work?....I do not think so either.

Here is hoping things get better, no matter who you want to be elected to any office.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

What does a box and transportation firm have to do with reminding people that October is

Breast Cancer Awareness Month?   Not much, but today, as they say, anything goes and

Box Brothers is proud to announce that, in recognition of those who have been assaulted

by this terrible disease and for the countless survivors who have fought the good fight to be able

to tell all of us--that with help, assistance and support, as well as determination, beating

back breast cancer (and other cancers too) is now not only possible, but probable.

But the fight is not over, not by a long shot, and we still need to make sure the message of

how difficult and how trying, this battle actually is, still needs everyones recognition and efforts to

eradicate it and make it a long ago memory, as we did with the terrible polio disease, when I was

a child.

I still remember, my late immigrant mother (she was a survivor of the Holocaust in Europe), she was

not only devoted to her family, but she retained some of her old ways, including some interesting

superstitious acts, that I will never ever forget.

One of those was if someone mentioned that they knew someone who had cancer, she would turn

away and act like she spat two or three times.  Almost like she would be mouth spitting, but not

actually doing it.   In her day, cancer was a death sentence, no one thought it could be overcome

or that one could get treatment for it and survive.

I recall my father having a bad pain in his neck and shoulder and I asked why he did not go to the doctor

and my mother told me he was afraid it might be cancer.   So when he went to the doctor later that day,

he did not have cancer, he was having a myocardial infarction (heart attack).  This just illustrates the

long term fear they had of having cancer.

I also remember as a young child, my mother taking me to get my polio vaccine.  The sugar cube.

They had friends, a next door neighbor, whose son was afflicted.   I heard stories of iron lungs and

how this friend of my brother's lived in one until he passed, as age 14.  I heard the stories of how they

heard his mother cry and sob all night about her son getting afflicted with this terrible deadly disease.

I personally have not had anyone in my immediate family who has had breast cancer, but I understand

how difficult and debilitating the treatment process is.   So as a company, we at Box Brothers, decided,

to do our part.

From today on, and until the end of October, we have changed the imprint on the three main moving

boxes from our blue print to pink print, and we have put a pint ribbon on each and everyone of these

moving boxes, so that we can bring more and more awareness to this cause.

One thing I can tell you for sure, that our moving boxes go all over the place, just like our customers,

to all parts of America, to all parts of Europe, Asia and in garages everywhere.  We are more than happy

to do this, as this message of caring, and of hope, is a message we are proud to be a part of this very

important and serious cause.   After all, the victims of this terrible disease and the future victims, deserve

Please join with us and do your part, whatever that is, in the ongoing battle to overcome cancer.   I know both of my parents would be proud that we have changed the outcome from impossible to promising, in one

generation.   And we will not rest until there is only a story to tell, just like in cases of polio.  We shall overcome.

Stop The Illegal Operators And The Perpetrators Of Fraud

First the regulatory efforts.   Next.   Neither the industry itself, or the organizations that lead the
industry's efforts, have the dedication, commitment or desire to stop the thieves from taking the
innocent customers away from the legitimate operators in this field.

If they really wanted to stop the illegal operators and the perpetrators of fraud in this industry,
then set up stings with movers help to catch and prosecute them, seize their assets, and publicize
it, so that the word gets out.

I really do not understand why the industry does not see or feel the need to police itself so that
moving can be a true profession with standards and best industry practices for the mutual benefit
of its customers, its own employees and the moving business itself.   You would have to ask the
Board of Directors of the American Moving and Storage Association, as all the van line heads sit
on this board.

One possible explanation today, is that the van lines, have no capacity to even handle what they
have with the illegal and fraudulent operators taking share, as they do not seem to care what
happens to the customers they do not service.   I say this because all these "leaders" do is talk
and sit at their desks, and nothing changes.   Suffice to say, that if anyone wanted to find illegal
or fraudulent operators, all they have to do is work with the authorities (enforcement and prosecution
together) and go on the Internet and find them, book the moves and when they try to scam the customer,
arrest them and film it, publicize it, and do it in the biggest cities on the same day.   Put it on the nightly
national news.  If they want to eliminate the problem, they can.

As I alluded to earlier, the van lines this year have had capacity issues and I do not need to review the effects
this housing slump has had on mover, Realtors, escrow officers, lenders, brokers, etc.   The result has been
that van lines have embargoed their agents from booking more jobs, sending customers in all directions,
other than standard moving services.   I understand U haul is up this year, 5%.  I am sure the van lines
will do the same, but this year, there have been joint efforts to push more moving freight into the freight
or general trucking industry.

My firm, Box Brothers has been using general freight to move household goods shipments to customers
for over 25 years.   While we have become the moving industry's best kept secret, it has been fun to
watch how ridiculous this played out when movers simply thought they could put sofas, dressers, customer packed boxes, loose and inadequately packed, into the freight system.   All those decision makers who did not get out of their chairs to ever go see how the freight industry breaks bulk, or how the freight industry
loads and unload and segregates freight.   Who could not see this train wreck coming, can only be someone
who needs glasses or a brain transplant.

In doing freight, you have to protect what you ship and household goods are bulky, easily damaged.

Its Moving Season....but hurry....

It is amazing to me that we are about to enter the last weekend of July.   For those of us who work in businesses related to moving and the moving season, the summer months are the ones where we encounter
a greater demand curve and a plethera of so called experts who speak about carriers, rules, customer service, over the road delays, damage claims and a number of confused people who are wondering, what the fuss is all about.    Me too!

I have been involved in the moving segment of the transportation business for most of my adult life
and every year it is the same, just like the Holiday shopping season.   Summer is the time that people with children generally move.   It is not a rule, but the logical time to resettle before school begins a new year.

In reality, all this is about is that there is more demand for moving this time of year, than there is adequate
supply.   So we get prognosticators, we get those who have better ideas, those who know better and at
the end of the day, it is the same thing as the year before.   Some highlight, some lowlights, some crazy
stories, but like a lot of things in life today, we try to make them more complicated than they really are.

For those in the industry who are committed to providing consistently good service and who take care of
their customers, this is nothing new, summer that is.   It is a time where demand outstrips supply and the good firms adapt to make it happen for their customers.   It is also the time that many consumers believe
that some company's can do the same service for half, and those are the ones who end up screaming and
yelling that all the movers are crooks, instead of simply saying they were stupid to believe one provider
could really do the work at half the price of all the others.

Unfortunately, it will always happen as a lot of customers can't resist a deal and two, they might actually think they are actually smarter than the rest of us who pay the regular rate.   People should be smarter, but human nature being what it is, there will always be people who look for the wrong deal at the wrong place.
What is most distrubing is that all of this does not need to happen if the regulatory agencies got off their
butts and did something as the bad operators function in the open and do not hide.   All they have to do
is pose as a customer to catch the bad guys, but instead, they talk and sit and talk and sit and another year
goes by.   It is our industry's lack of leadership and the regulatory bodies own ineptitude that allows this
situation to exist, all at the expense of the customer.

At our firm, Box Brothers, we are into our 26th summer season, and I love this time of year due to its
challenges and rewards, as we practice good service, we hold our heads high, and while not everything
goes right all the time, I am proud to say that every single customer of our firm gets not only our attention,
but our commitment to providing the best possible service we can give.

We hope summer never ends.....for the right reasons

Snowflakes And Moving, No Two Are The Same !!!!

I have been in the transportation (Moving) business for about three decades and what always impressed
me about Professional Moving Services was that they were always based on matching the needs of the customer with the capability of the mover and his equipment.

For example, in moving interstate, all professional movers or the legitimate ones, all charge by actual
weight.   So if a mover comes to your home and does a survey of what is actually moving from the old
location to the new location, he or she can offer a price based on the weight of what is actually moving.
Not for more or less, but based on the items that are moving.   The mover is to get a "light weight" or a weight of his van before he loads your shipment, then after the shipment is loaded, the mover returns to the public scale site to get a "heavy" weight afterwards.   The difference between the two is the actual weight
of your shipment.

Likewise, when the moving firm arranges for the actual mover to show up to do your move to another state, the carrier matches the space in the van with the load that is being picked up, as usually, a mover van or trailer accommodates multiple loads going to the same general area.  So, in essence, if the estimate is correct and the mover has the right amount of space, the system not only works well, but the overall service the customer receives is generally, very, very good.

Why, cause the interstate mover, is his/her own businessman, who owns the truck, employs the help and the mover receives the highest portion of the moving cost, as he is the one doing the move.   If he has a claim, it comes out of his pocket and his earnings, dollar for dollar, up to a certain amount.  What better incentive
could there be for the customer?

The problem with less than adequate service, or a poor move,  is usually, ask me, that a lot of customers tend to confuse purchasing a product vs a service.   Or put another way, a low price may have to do more
with getting a bargain, that does not always materialize into a good deal--sometimes you get what you pay for.

This entire discussion then, leads to the question of why are so many moving customers desiring to move
in a 20 foot container like those being rented to customers by both container firms and movers alike?  For the life of me, I simply do not understand why any person would want to take their own liability for moving
when they do not have to.   When you do it yourself, who else can you blame when something goes wrong?

I know, I know, movers are not that smart and if they can do it, so can I.....goes the mantra.  But this is not
even a fair or intelligent fight.   To move with a container and do it yourself, simply costs as much as having a mover do the whole thing for you.  Yes, it does. 

Just like moving today with a rented truck and you are going over 1000 miles away.   Anyone see the price
of fuel and how many miles per gallon trucks get, especially those in a rental fleet?   I still cannot figure out this "new new math" as I am old enough to have learned the "new math" but I cannot figure out why anyone
would want to move themselves, take full liability on themselves and the risk of injury to themselves, NOT TO OBTAIN ANY SAVINGS.   Besides, there is no one I know that can do a move better than some of the interstate owner operators I have seen in my life.

The older I get, the less things in life make sense to me.  For example, today, there are firms that want you
to rent plastic bins to move with, instead of using cardboard boxes.   Their proponents argue that this is a
"more green approach" to moving......cause you return the bins after you use them....so they are greener than
boxes made of 50% recycled cardboard and paper........and that you only need 20 bins, instead of 60 cardboard boxes.....(get this).....cause you can reuse the bins......lets just think this out.

Say you are moving 10 miles away to your new place and you have a economy car like a Chevy or a Ford
and you pack up 5 bins.   Then you have to carry those bins to your car, and load them into your car, drive
them over there (20 miles total) bring each bin up to the new place and then unpack them, and then load
them back into the car and do it again 5 or 6 times.   How long will this take to move this way and is this not harder on the customer to shlep these containers back and forth and do all the work, not to save any money?  

Please tell me so I can understand this logic as it makes no sense to me and I suggest that every person
who is moving should ask the right questions as none of these modern ways to move are less expensive
or are advantageous to the customer, ask me.

College Shipping-Getting Home For Summer

At this time of year, colleges will be freeing their student captives......as in the next 6 weeks, virtually all college campuses will conclude their spring semesters and summer begins--for college students, anyway.

For many students, the need to move or ship their clothes, their books and papers, and their household
items, is clear enough.   In California, for example, some of the University of California campuses have
upwards of 30,000 students (i.e. Cal Berkeley and UCLA) who generally leave campus for the summer.

At Box Brothers, we have been helping students get their items home or to their new homes, if graduating,
and the size of most of these moves or shipments are not big by normal moving standards, as few if any
students have time or the need to accumulate a lot of possessions while in school.

But having some idea how to get this done is important, as a lot of effort and expense can be
unnecessarily if you do not have some guidelines to go by.

First, we suggest you get the proper moving boxes to pack your items, no matter if you store them (e.g. mini storage), ship them via a package carrier (e.g UPS or Fedex) or hire a professional shipper or mover to
assist in this effort.

The general rule is that heavier objects, like books or tools, go into smaller boxes, or book boxes, as they
are called in the moving business.   If you had a large TV type box and filled it with books, you might need
only one, but who is going to lift it, and it will cause damage in transit if the box tips and it is too heavy.
Besides, filling a book box with books or papers will already, on average, weight about 50 lbs.

Always fill the box to the top as boxes are stacked in storage and in transit, so if they are not packed full,
they will crush and cause damage to the contents.   Tape all sides and seams--with good tape as you do not
want the tape to open in transit or in a hot storage unit--so that no bugs or water can easily penetrate the
cardboard.  Label the boxes with more than books, as if the box is heavy, also note that the box is heavy so
no one gets hurt lifting them.   This also tells the shipper, if they look at all (package shippers are notorious for ignoring fragile stickers on the outside of boxes) that these heavier boxes need to be on the bottom of the stack so there is no pressure on the bottom box.

For clothes, since they compress and are light, you can use larger boxes, same with linens and towels,
but you may want to use some of the towels to cushion your boxes with breakables, if you choose not to
purchase bubble wrap paper for protection.   This is not a bad way to save some money, but be careful to
really protect your breakables, as normally, if you pack the box, and the contents arrive broken, the carrier
will claim they are not responsible cause they did not pack it, you did.

If you want insurance protection, you have to let the shipper pack the items, as this is the same rule all movers have, packed by owner boxes (PBO) are not covered unless there is evidence of mishandling by
the carrier, which is hard to prove.

Once you have all goods packaged, you can then compare some prices and different ways to moving
these items.

Or you can just call Box Brothers and we will assist you in the procurement of the proper supplies, boxes or you can simply use us for packing advice, as we have stores staffed 7 days a week for your convenience and we even offer on site pick up at any college, packaging services, and a multitude of shipping options
for whatever your needs might be.

This is a service we have provided to college students for over 2 decades now, and we are happy to answer
any questions you may have that relate to packing materials costs, packaging costs, insurance, storage
and shipping services.   Whatever your budget, we can help.  Visit boxbros.com for more information and congratulations on finishing another school year.

Another Problematic and Inadequate Moving Alternative: Atlas' Smart Move Program

As someone whose firm has helped over 100,000 customers with shipments less than 2000
lbs, moving from one state to another (interstate moving), I was shocked and surprised to see that one of the nation's leading Van Lines, Atlas, chose to embark on a unique Small Shipment
Program, aptly named, Smart Move.

I can't find anything smart about it.

As the first firm in the nation to actually interact with the Less than Truckload Freight Industry,
Box Brothers simply created a system that allows for small shipments to be transported across state lines, by utilizing the existing infrastructure of the United States Freight system.

At the time, everyone in the moving industry, simply felt that they had nothing in common with the freight industry, as plain and simple, the movers were specialists and the freight guys were just haulers. As is often the case, there has always been more synergy between these two industries than anyone in either industry has admitted.

After all, about 25 years ago, it was a railroad, Norfork Southern, who owned North American Van Lines, and who decided it was foolish to have drop frame trailers, as someone there theorized that if they had equipment and orders but not the right equipment to haul freight, even if they were going in the same direction, they could not capitalize on it, due to the fact that
drop frame trailers were not suitable for palletized freight shipments.

Conceptually, this was not a bad idea, but it never worked and North American Van Lines, never seemed to get up to speed hauling a lot of freight. It could be that the Moving and Storage Industry is sometimes, decentralized with agent drivers and agents, who did not want the freight and of course, there were those who argued that it would be penny wise and pound foolish
to have a van line driver miss a job to load 5000 lbs when the freight firm needed 400 lbs picked up and delivered in a few days--something that the household driver and industry was simply not prepared to work out--then.

So here comes Atlas with this idea to create these heavy duty plastic type containers, similar to what we call a lift van, but much sturdier, and I suspect, as a very high cost. Never mind the carbon footprint so often discussed today.

But then, Atlas did something new in its program, it announced that it would not use the Atlas
over the road fleet to help facilitate the movement of these units, instead, deciding to put the
whole program onto a freight platform, to most likely obtain the benefit of quicker delivery dates than the moving industry can deliver, due to its structure of utilizing owner operators for interstate service.

Of course, the problem here is the same problem with all of the other small shipment solutions
the van lines have come up with in the past, merely addressing the need to offer a small shipment alternative, but with nothing compelling to the customer or nothing that moves the service and price quotient any closer to giving the customer a good and valuable transparent service, which is just what the industry is lacking today.

How does one size fit all a good solution. If you have 200 pounds to move, it will cost over $10.00 a pound just to ship it through their system. How come they can't tell the customer that the coverage they claim to provide to the customer that is included with each shipment,
is bogus. I think you would need to have a spaceship land on your container for you to be able to make a claim, as the whole issue here as with all of these new alternatives, is that the customer, becomes self insured and two, he moves himself, but pays as much as he would for a
full service move and does not have insurance to cover any losses.

This is the crap we get from one of the nations largest van lines. No transparency, no value in pricing and they do not tell anyone that their coverage will not cover the customer for self loading or packed by owner boxes. If this is a do it yourself service, how come they can't just tell you the truth? Why do they need to lie. Do you go to the market and buy fruits and vegetables, do you have to pay for 5 lbs of carrots, if you only want to buy one lb?

How does this help the moving industry, to promote a non transparent and one size fits all service, when the entire industry is about being able to deliver good service for a fair price. In
this day and age of renewed called for more regulation, not less, do we get a service that only promises an 11 day transit, over the freight system.

Maybe someone should tell Atlas and their "Smart Moving" program that Fedex, for example,
will take LTL freight from my dock on Monday, 4/16/12, and have it delivered to someone's
new home by this Friday, in New York, on 4/20/12, with standard freight delivery.

I might be wrong, but when we created our Small Shipment Services Program at Box Brothers, over 20 years ago, we set out to create an environment that leveled the playing field for the
smaller loads and their customers: We gave them certain dates and specific times for our crews
to do the pick ups; we took professional inventories; we packaged their possessions like they were our own, utilizing more and better packaging (air cushioning, void fill, eps foam sheeting, ethafoam for very heavy and breakable items like stone, glass, and statues, piano's, etc, and we boxed everything in customized cartons that were made to fit the item, not the other way around, and finally, palletized the shipment so that the only way that the shipment was moved, was with a forklift or a pallet jack--so that no item would be moved individually.

We also worked to obtain a mutually beneficial insurance program with a third party insured,
who specifically covers all items which need to be declared and valued prior to the move. We offer different deductibles, replacement cost protection and in the event of a claim, 99% of them are closed within 30 days after a formal claim form is submitted by the claimant.

But the biggest factor in our continued success is that we have a top to bottom commitment to the customer and to rendering top quality service, no matter how small the job is. You turn your lemons into lemonade and and you do not mislead your customer, nor do you convince him or her that a one size solution is best for all.

Atlas is a fine van line, one of the best, but I think this program, including suggesting the use of stock boxes, not official moving boxes is also a mistake by Atlas here, as on the one hand, they tell people that dish packs should be used for packing dishes and glasses--the standard for many decades in the moving industry--and they encourage the use of a single wall carton if you do it
yourself. Why?

I just wish that sometimes, large firms do their due diligence correctly, as we seem to forget what we have learned over the years, that we need to be service oriented and we need to provide good solutions for our customers, not something that is only a partial and not a complete
solution for their current and future small shipment customers. At the same time, these efforts only ensure that firms like Box Brothers will continue to play a part in this segment of the industry.

Self Service vs Full Service Moving; Who Stole the Savings?

For many years, consumers have always seemed to understand their choices when confronted with having to relocate or move their home. The thought process usually runs as follows:

"If I do it myself, and rent my own vehicle, and not use a mover, then I can savee some money..."
or
"If I hire a mover, it will cost a lot more than if I do it myself..."

Obviously, if someone does not have the means to hire a mover to move all of their possessions,
they really have little choice as moving options.

Today, with fuel prices so very high, it is our belief that each situation is different and should be
evaluated on its own merits. For example, there is a huge difference in moving locally vs moving
a longer distance, usually over 100 miles, as the farther away you move from your current residence, in both full service and self service moving, costs will rise the longer the distance between locations.

But what is most telling is that longer moves, over 1000 miles, I just do not believe that the savings in self service moving are great or compelling, if you have a choice. Consider these issues:
1) Fuel at $4.50 per gallon and YOU MUST REMEMBER THAT MOVING TRUCKS
DO NOT GET MORE THAN 10-12 MILES PER GALLON, ON THE ROAD. Going
Los Angeles to Chicago would easily cost over $1000.00 in fuel costs, or more
depending on the quantity of goods and how much weight is in the truck itself

Consider these additional factors:
You have to load the truck yourself or pay others to do it;
You are self insuring all of your goods for damage or loss and
there is no insurance carrier that will cover your own packing
moving negligence that leads to loss or damage; You are self
insuring your move;
You are not at all trained how to load a truck, with weight
distribution and making sure the load is packed correctly and
safely, as if the load is not secured properly, it can shift while
on the road and could lead to an accident;
Are you an experienced truck driver, used to stopping at truck
inspection stations, border crossings and you know all the roads
that are subject to flooding, or are not safe? Do you know where
the mandatory fire extinquisher is in the truck;
How about the toll lanes and bridge fees.....
HOw about the loading equipment and pads, they are extra...

I could go on and on, but my point is that if you carefully shop for your relocation and open your
search to a broader spectrum of choices, both the self service moving market and the newer containerized moving (i.e Pods) options are all very expensive in my opinion and the best approach in making a choice is to make sure you compare "apples to apples"

People need to become aware of how they are going to be charged: for full service movers, local moving is by the hour. End of story. But for long distance moves, it is usally by weight in the U.S. One needs to be wary of other means by which some firms charge, as in all cases, one needs to know what they are buying or paying for. So your move is based necessarily on what you have to move, not what you want to move, but what you actually take with you. Professional relocation firms, movers and firms like Box Brothers, always price their services on weight and iprice accordingly. What I see most often is that firms can under estimate the weight and make you feel that your cost will be x, when in fact, you are going to pay for every pound on that truck, no matter what. IT IS JUST LIKE BUYING BANANAS OR TOMATOES AT THE MARKET, WHAT YOU BUY IS WEIGHED AND YOU ARE CHARGED FOR THAT WEIGHT.

No mystery, no guessing, no fun and games. If you have 5000 lbs of goods, you will pay for 5000 pounds of goods. So you have to make sure when you compare services, you are comparing correctly to ensure that you are getting the best price per pound and the service
requirements you need, to start your new home, your new job, your new schoooling or whatever.

So many times, we find that our prices that we provide to our customers might seem higer than some of our competitors, as most people are confused by moving by weight as who would have any idea how much a bookcase weighs or how much their dining room table, 6 chairs and hutch weigh.....no one really does until is is weighed but I have competitors who ask their customers to guess how much it weighs, as it does not matter how they quote or how much you guess, you are paying for the whole enchilada, with cheese....

So please look at all your options, never be afraid to ask questions and you can ask any of us who
are professional to bind their estimate or guarantee their rates and services, so that you can get the best value and the best service, but you have to be willing to invest the time to obtain an understanding as most consumers just go for the thinking spelled out above, that one is always cheaper than the other and the other one is more expensive, but that analysis is so shallow, it will not be persuasive and correct for most moving consumers.

Bass Pro Shops, Shops at Bonhams and Ships with Box Brothers....

As always, our San Leandro Office handles valuable and rare items.... Last month when I was in that office, we got a call from Bass Pro Shops Corporate Office.... They were the winning bidder on a Kiowa Painted Buffalo Robe from the Native American Fine Art Sale... We picked it up From Bonhams and Butterfields, crated it, shipped it and insured it for over $20,000.00 in value... Ganzo and Biamba made sure that it arrived in perfect condition... They also handled a rare stained glass that arrived in perfect condition... Here are a few photos of the stained glass and the buffalo robe.....

Cardboard as an Artform?

I got a call from a customer, who wanted to find out if I was interested in some retail space
in the San Diego Artists Colony, as he thought we would be a good addition to his space there,
as it is located in the heart of a new burgeoning art area near UC San Diego.

After he explained the purpose of his call, I asked him how it was that he came by us as a source
for packaging and handling art, for both artists and their customers.

He told me that his wife, was an artist, and that she had a recent showing of her latest collection
of artwork, in a gallery with the wife of the actor, Jack Black. The show in a gallery, in West
Hollywood was a big success and other shows are scheduled.

I still was not sure what specific business we had done with these customers, but the gentleman,
a Mr. Golden, told me his wife buys our boxes and has used them as a canvas, and painted directly onto the cardboard boxes. In some case, she has almost done a three dimensional piece
of art, by painting half the portrait or scene on the left side of the box and the other portion on
the other side of the box.

This is the first time in almost 25 years that I have heard a story like this, and it has stuck with
me, as many people dabble in art, but to use a commodity as standard and ubiquitous as an old
cardboard box--that each and every one of us has used countless times in our lives--as a means
of maybe defining their artwork in a cardboard kind of way. Something so simple and yet so
staggering.

See for yourself, at: floragoldenart.com

I got to speak with Mrs. Golden the other day, as I told her husband that if his wife wanted any special cardboard, it would be our pleasure to get it for her. I let her know that I can get her
a stronger double wall piece of cardboard, to ensure a greater strength to the canvas, as paintings
with certain paints, can be heavy.

That is about how far my involvement with creating art goes, I am afraid, as I knew early on that for me to be involved with art, it was not going to be cause I was good at creating it; more like better at packaging it, crating it, admiring or even trying to figure out its true meaning.

But most important for me was that I got to work with some of our fantastic customers that we have at Box Brothers. In fact, after being the President of Box Brothers for almost 25 years,
meeting and speaking to our customers is still the single biggest rewarding aspect to how I make
a living. I sometimes can forget what I do, when I am lost in the world of payroll taxes, personnel, medical insurance, hiring and firing and working with staff and vendors.

There is an old saying in the retail trade, in fact, more than one that comes to mind, but in retail,
you do not get to pick your customers and in a service business, you learn quick that the same
rendition of service can lead to accolades from some, and serious negative complaints from others.

That is why the customer experience is so great here at Box Brothers, as these customers know
that they are the reason we come to work; that without them, we got no oil in the engine to make our business go. I just got reminded how rewarding and special, these customers can be.
Happy New Year.

The new sexy looking Lomita !

The before and after, of the Lomita store. See what a face lift can do. Dave Collins with the help from Paul in the Redondo Beach Box Brothers did a great job on changing the whole store. You should be able to see this store from Palos Verdes or even Long Beach. If your ever in the area please stop by and visit Dave the new manager and buy a box or a roll of tape.

1827 PCH Lomita Ca, 90717... 310-530-8986

Box Brothers San Leandro

Well here we are, all settled in in San Leandro. We have some small improvements to make, but our retail face is almost complete with a crate-style countertop ready for a retail scale and plenty of flashy signs and displays.
A big improvement from the old West Oakland location, the new San Leandro facility has a sizeable warehouse, office spaces for all our hard working paper pushers, a nice kitchen and washrooms, and rooms for art and high value storage. We also have ample parking and a real loading dock! More to come as we build up this retail space into the pride of the North Bay.

If Summer is Over...why is it still hot????

I have written in this blog numerous times about the seasonality of the Moving and Shipping
business, which is a large part of what we do at Box Brothers.

As few as 60 days ago, all hell seemed to break loose, after a few years of dismal not seasonal
summer months, for everyone in the Moving/Shipping Business. Things were said, like, we did
not have a summer, and to be frank, this industry shrank. More long haul drivers left the business, more retailers closed up shop, other firms consolidated and still, true to form, about
20% of the rest continued to lie about their results. One would think that misery would love company....but there is always some in a group who need to outshine the others, and they try to make the rest of think that maybe it is just us who is slow.

My vendors do that. They come to me and let me know that their sources, indicate, a busy month, for August. After all, for those of us on the west coast, due to the heat and tradition, most of our schools and universities, do not resume the fall schedule until after Labor Day.
Well, it is only the 5th of August, but every single mover from San Francisco to Los Angeles,
to Las Vegas, is slow. Same song....the phones are not ringing. Can you name this tune........
a big hit from 2009 and 2010: where did our summer go.........no no no no no no no more......

It is amazing and all kidding aside, it is hard to believe that the moving and shipping season seems to have come to a halt, for those of us in it. Of course, there are exceptions or pockets of
areas that seem to counter the overall flow, but it is a vivid reminder of how bad this economy is and how much people feel scared to spend.

I know that is how I feel at times, I always tend to second guess purchases, due to the fact that
no one can really say what the next six months will bring. And every day there is a mixed or bad signal, like the recent losing streak on Wall Street, that is really scary, as they used to say that the stock market is a bellwether indicator of what is going to take place in the next 3 to 6 months. Who can say for sure, as every week these guys (guru's???) tell a darn different story.

I was just getting excited to learn that we are going to have both college and pro football seasons,
with all their glory, and then we get kicked in the gut, reminding us that the struggle for survival is now on again, just like it was prior to June. We all need to get in gear and remember that no matter how tough things get, the ones with the best teams, always win, and for the last 26 years,
I am proud to say that there is no better company to take care of your moving and shipping needs like the Box Brothers Family, both in good and difficult times.

And don't worry, there has to be a number of procrastinators out there who did not get done what they need to get done and we will be waiting and ready to service them, in this heat.
O'h well, summer is almost over. Bring on the fall....

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/117463791

http://lockerz.com/s/117473337

Did 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

A week of Reviews & Thanks & photo of the week

Beverly Hills, CA.. This is Review today For Ray and the Santa Monica Store.

6/20/2011

I've been visiting Box Bros. @ 21st and Wilshire in Santa Monica for the last 14 years. I can always count on Ray and his team to provide excellent service and support to assist my individual or business needs. Have a question on how to stage your upcoming move, Ray has the answer and resources to make it a breeze.

For business, for personal-- Box Brothers SM always delivers. I heartily recommend visiting them soon. The pricing is great. Free parking in the rear of shop.

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6/16/2011 Photo of the Week Thanks Ryan

At Box Bros. Burbank for going the extra mile. 818.842.0544

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Box Brothers Inglewood Ca. aka The Warehouse

Steve G.

Hi Liz,

That's great to here! We make it our mission to take care of our customers. In this economy, it's the only way for us to set ourselves apart from the competition.

Thanks again,

Steve

On Thu, Jun 16, 2011 at 9:02 AM, E. wrote:

Believe me, with the patience you've had on this one, you are first on my list!

On Thu, Jun 16, 2011 at 8:52 AM, Steve Garrigan <steve@boxbros.com> wrote:

Please keep us in mind for any future projects. Anything from local deliveries to International air freight.

Thanks,

Steve

On Thu, Jun 16, 2011 at 8:49 AM, E wrote:

Great! Thanks for everything!

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6/18/2001 Google Review oh and it's a five star one!

Dave C. Box Brothers West Los Angeles / Brentwood

Box Brothers is all about service. And David's Box Bros. is outstanding even in that company. Efficient, helpful and attentive. Highly recommended.

Dave has done a awesome job in getting reviews.

You can reach Dave C. at 310-478-4008

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6/14/2011 The Warehouse Inglewood ca.

800.474.7447 ask for Steve

Thanks for all your help and flawless execution of this move. These things can be very stressful but you have been a joy to work with. I will be recommending your company to others. Thanks so much!

Best,
~ H.

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6/14/2011 The Inglewood Warehouse in Southern Calif.

Steve G. 800.474.7447

Thanks Steve……the large box has arrived, fantastic packing, it took me an hour to get into it.

A friend was so excited by the box , I had to pack his pieces into it and he took it off,

I look forward to the next time I buy at Bonhams,

Best wishes,

C.

Their you go Weho 5 Star Yelp Review

Well Dave this is your first review on Yelp and it's a 5 Star

First to Review

I'm in the process of moving from LA to Seattle and needed to get the packing done over Memorial Day weekend. After comparing prices at a couple places, Box Brothers was one of the most reasonably priced. There are lots of locations, but I went to the one located on Santa Monica, just west of La Cienega in WEHO.

I went in Saturday morning and Dave had me out the door with all needed supplies in about an hour. There was parking right in front of the store and they loaded everything into the car for me. Dave made sure I had everything needed and checked this list with me at least twice so I wouldn't have to make several trips. Then at check-out, the bulk prices made it an even better deal than I had estimated.

If you are moving or need special attention for your shipping needs, I'd definately reccomend Box Brothers on Santa Monica.

For great service come visit Dave at:

Box Brothers Weho

8533 Santa Monica Blvd.

West Hollywood Ca, 90069

310-854-0542

Debbie Reynolds....the Auction

Box Brothers is pleased to announce its participation in the Debbie Reynolds Auction, to be held
on June 18th, 2011, at the Paley Center for Media, in Beverly Hills.

As a logistics partner of this fine auctioneer, Profiles in Courage, we are proud to participate
in this event, which showcases one of the grand stars of the Golden Hollywood Era

Ms. Reynolds, a veteran star of such films as Singin in the Rain and the Unsinkable Molly Brown,
to hundreds of rolls in theater to television, she has been in the business since her firm debut in
1950.

Some collectors have expressed the opinion that the Debbie Reynolds collection, is one of the world's most significant collections of Hollywood Memorabilia ever amassed. I have read that some of the items included in this auction are: Costumes and props from Gone With the Wind,
The Sound of Music, Singin In the Rain; and Casablanca. Some of the items were worn, not by
her, and they include, outfits worn by Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland, Charlton Heston, Elizabeth Taylor, Gene Kelley and Richard Burton, to name a few.

In fact, the auction catalog, put together by Profiles in History, is amazing, with full color pictures
of so many items, the catalog, in full color, is over 300 pages. If anyone is interested in this auction, you can contact the auctioneer, via their website, at www.profilesinhistory.com, for further information.

This should be a signature event for a classic and long term Hollywood star and grand entertainer that we all grew up with and who was one of the biggest stars ever.
We are proud and honored, at Box Brothers, to be able to participate in this event.

Pictures from the Disney Institute Event

Here are some pictures from the event. That Linda Wilson had sent us today. Linda will be opening a Box Brothers store this summer in Los Angeles. She has been going to events like the Disney Institute Event and Networking as well as bring brand recognition and off to a great start. Here in the Photo is Linda and Senator C. Price