Do You Buy Meat By The Cube Foot...... No !

Sometimes, people in the moving or shipping industry, use a term of measurement, that for whatever, reason,

they never seem to ever define.   Does anyone know the definition of a cube, is?   The simple answer is no.  There

is no such thing, unless you are referring to some sort of object…..

The cubic foot, is a standard of measurement, often used in air shipments, ocean shipments and as a means of

alternative calculations for weight.   It has to do with density.  Still confused, me too….

Here is some truth to add to this discussion.  Movers have used cubic footage pre set measurements, for quite a

long time to actually measure a potential customer’s goods so that they can give an estimate to someone who is

moving….allow me to shed some light to this matter

Mover have used a cube sheet, which lists furniture items, organized into small groups by room designations:

…a dining table is listed among the dining room options, and chairs, with or without arms, and china cabinets

are also on this list…..and any other items that relate to a dining room.  Likewise, in the bedroom sections of the

movers cube sheet, there are items like beds of different sizes, dressers, mirrors, nightstands, etc.

Movers have agreed, that each items has a preset designation of cubic footage next to it: like a dresser would be

30 cube or 40 cube, and a nightstand would be 15 cube, for example.   When the mover gets through walking through

the home, asking if this item is going or not going, he is checking to include or exclude a particular item, and at the end

of the process, he or she will add up the cubic footage, cumulatively, and then use a weight factor to multiply against

the cubic footage count.  

For example, if you have 800 cubic feet on your load or move, movers generally use a factor of 7 pounds per cubic foot,

so in this case, the move is estimated at 5600 pounds.   This is the secret to how movers estimate your home, for cost

purposes, as when the mover comes for this kind of (long distance) move, the mover will weigh his truck prior to the move

for the empty weight, and after the shipment is loaded, the mover gets another weight (heavy) and the difference is the

total weight of the shipment that is being moved.

The problems do come as a result of customers not getting rid of things, finding more items to move than they told the estimator

about, of maybe the estimate was off, as this is possible, but the larger the shipment, the less this does happen provided that

conditions have stayed the same.

The real issue with cubic footage, is that no one understands how to measure it, as the moving or shipping van, counts from floor

of the van to the ceiling, so when a “mover” tries to sell you space on a cubic footage basis, more often than not, if you as the customer

have to load the shipment, you will end up with more cubic footage, as it is hard for the consumer to know how to load a truck like

a professional does.   The customer ends up, usually, looking for a bargain and he or she gets just the opposite.

Movers, professional movers, have cubic footage measurements, like a ruler, that run across the length of the trailer so they can,

at a glimpse, see how the shipment looks, packed in the truck, as if the shipment is scheduled for say, 300 cubic feet or 2100

pounds (7 lbs per cubic foot, general rule).   If the shipment takes more than 300 cubic feet, then something is amiss.

But generally, charging for domestic transportation by selling it on a cube basis, is nothing more than a trick as the only way

you can get a good pricing result is if you have good density, like just boxes of bricks, they are small and weigh a lot and if stacked

floor to ceiling, that shipment will take less space than one that does not have that density nor the ability to stack furniture safely,

floor to ceiling.   This is what the movers, in my opinion, do wrong, they do not stress that professionals, can save the customer

not only money, but a lot of heartache in the moving process.

O’h yea, cube = Length x Width x Height…….divided by 1728 (which is the number of cubic inches in a cubic foot)…

we have a table that is 72 inches long and 48 inches wide, and 36 inches tall, you would do it this way: 72x48x36 divided by 1728

equals 72 cubic feet……I just hope most of you are not sorry you asked this question………

Mark S. Frydman

Box Brothers Corp.

1-800-842-6937

www.boxbros.com

 http://boxbros.com/services/#

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.

Back To School The Vacation Is Over.

Its about time, now, for the college kids to return to school, and we have seen so many advertisements,
from the nationial players, like Target, Macy's, Home Depot, Staples, Officer Depot, UPS stores,
and of course, Fedex Office, to only name a few.

Some of these retailers only sell dorm room items, like the pillow chairs, small fridges, wall items,
and others sell new computers, combo tv's with dvd/blue ray players built in and of course, you have
the stores who are interested in selling you sheets for beds, that only are at dorms---who figured that one
out?

For firms like Box Brothers, we specialize in being able to package and ship toasters, computers,
tv's, books, clothes and any other item you can ever think of, that someone might want to take to college
with them.   And when Box Brothers does the packaging, it is all guaranteed, as the idea is that college
is hard enough of a transition for these young adults, and the less stress they have about getting their dorm
rooms set up and comfortable, so they can begin their studies and focus on their college studies.

Not that this is not a good time to digress, but this is a so called right of passage, as many of us tired
to make our parents think that it was all about studying and being focused; dorm life that is.   But no
matter how much these stories get embellished, it is clear that the parents want the kids to go away from
home and they, the parents, in my opinion, are not that naiive.    The kids are the ones who are naiive.  But that is another story......

If you need any help with standard shipping and packaging services, or even freight services, Box Brothers
is the answer to being able to get your kids to college with their belongings safely and without hassles
as we have multiple ways to doing these services, and the more options today, the better.   Slower service,
targeted delivery, guaranteed packaging for your high value breakable items and the peace of mind that
comes with a firm who performed these services for college bound students for almost 3 decades, so long
ago in fact, that everyone could afford college, not like today.

But like all knowing and intelligent parents, sending the kids to college is the best news any parent could wish for, but do not tell the students......it will be our secret.........

Here We Grow Again....Nostalgia or Are Times Really Changing?

While it is difficult to always answer a question about what true direction our economy is actually
heading in, I am fortunate to be able to announce that Box Brothers is officially growing again, like we used to......

Box Brothers of Las Vegas, is officially getting a new expanded facility, just across the highway
from the famous, Las Vegas Strip.

What is most exciting is that our Las Vegas operations will now have a centralized location near all
the Casino's, and adjacent to Highway 15; that our Custom Crating Division and our Casino Services
Division will not only be closer to our clients, but these two key divisions of Box Brothers, will have expanded capabilities to do more of these services, as demanded by our clients.

This is our 19th year in the Las Vegas market, and we are very proud of our staff and our operations
as we have a reputation in Las Vegas as being one of the best service providers in this large and ever
changing environment.

We look forward to our grand opening celebration, which is scheduled to take place just before the
July 4th holiday, but our operations will begin in our new facility on June 4, 2012.

Our new location is at 4255 Dean Martin Drive, Unit H, Las Vegas, Nevada 89103.   We can be reached
at 800 355-7917, or on our website, boxbros.com

We can actually attest to the fact that we are growing again.......

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.

SENIOR MOVING

SENIOR MOVING
At Box Brothers, we understand that helping your parents or loved ones move can be an emotionally challenging task. Our staff is aware of the complexities involved in this process, and we're here to help you through such times.
Our trained professionals will come to the residence free of charge to provide you with a FREE estimate. This free quote covers all aspects of a small move for those who have reached the golden years.
•A full packing service is available, in which we professionally package and label all boxes being moved. Full unpacking can be arranged as well. http://www.boxbros.com/packing
•We inventory all items being moved, and assist with the logistical aspect of moving a loved one.
•Our guaranteed packaging and insurance options give you peace of mind that your loved one's belongings are safe throughout transit.
•Our team of experts is trained to assist those who may need additional help and care due to age or infirmity. We understand that transport of goods is just one aspect of relocating a loved one.
•Over 25 years experience in packing and moving.
•Acclaimed customer service that you can count on - always!
We understand that there may be emotional upset when leaving one's residence. In our 25 years of service, we've learned that careful planning and detailed explanations of our procedures often help in the transition from one's old home, to a new one.
Call today to schedule your FREE consultation.
For more information on small moves, visit our Small Moves page at:http://boxbros.com/small-moves

APARTMENT MOVES

People with smaller apartments are often at a disadvantage hiring a full service mover, as such movers often maintain minimum quantities and rates. At Box Brothers, our clients only pay for the services they need, without spending money on those they don't. We offer a complete apartment moving service, which includes packaging (product & service) on-site, insuring your belongings, and transporting everything to its destination.
Our service plans are fully customizable, so customers who prefer to pack their belongings themselves aren't obligated to use our packaging service. Furthermore, we are happy to professionally pack a portion of your belongings, for example antiques or electronics, without charging for a full packing service. At Box Brothers, our clients always receive a service tailored to their individual needs.
We will come to your apartment to provide you with a FREE consultation for your move. A Box Brothers expert inventories all items to be moved to provide you with an accurate quote for packing and moving. We offer expedited services, guaranteed packaging, insurance, and storage options as well.
http://www.boxbros.com/packing
•Complete moving service, including fully guaranteed packaging of anything from dishes & books, to televisions & furniture.
•Guaranteed pick-up dates & times.
•For your convenience, our services are available seven days a week, and same day service is available upon request.
•Delivery dates as soon as 48 hours from time of pick-up!
•Don't wait 5-7 days to find out your costs! On-site weight calculation will determine your price with certainty, on your move day.
•Various insurance options! Find one that suits your individual needs.
•Free storage for up to 10 days!
•More convenient & more affordable than doing it yourself!
•Over 25 years experience in the industry! Box Brothers is a member of both the California Moving and Storage Association (CMSA), and the American Movers and Storage Association (AMSA).
Visit our small moves page for more information, or call us today to schedule your FREE consultation!http://boxbros.com/small-moves

Art Agenda

I do work with them. We do crazy large glass art with them.