rubbermaid-esque transparent storage boxes

[Paul Czege]

Hey Ralph,

On the http://www.indie-rpgs.com/viewtopic.php?t=11278">[GenCon 2204] Booth design and logistics thread, you wrote:

A slightly off the wall suggestion would be to ask all sellers to purchase the same model of stackable rubbermaid-esque transparent storage boxes of a size large enough to hold a dozen or two copies. Ideally even the kind that function as drawers after you stack them.

And Ron promptly drafted you into figuring out which brand and model.

Have you made any progress? I was at Target over the weekend, and couldn't find any drawer type for sale that wasn't a set of three.

Paul

[Valamir]

I had made some initial searches and actually found a few that seemed like they would work, though its hard to judge dimensions on websites that don't necessary give the measurements you want...but then I sort of got distracted and never went back.

I did find at Office depot just yesterday some really slick three drawer wheeled carts for about $30 apiece.  They're low enough that they should roll under a table or be useable as a display stand.  They're meant for hanging files but they'd fit regular sized game books lieing flat in a stack, about 6-10 per drawer depending on thickness.

My concern was a) not enough space even with 2 to store a significant amount and b) they don't break down for easy transport.

As far as the first concern, I haven't seen a final list of what games are going to be sold at the booth so I don't know exactly how much space we'd need.

I did find these cardboard drawer style bankers boxes which are not nearly as attractive, but are only $14.00 a box

[Keith Senkowski]

Hi

If the plan is to get the cheaper less attractive cardboard drawer boxes we may want to order them through somebodies work.  I know that my office and my wife's office both get discounts, particularly if they are a part of a bulk order.  I would even be willing to order them as long as I get reimbursed.  Just a thought.

Keith

[Paul Czege]

This drawer maybe?

http://www.epinions.com/content_131345911428

Other drawers from the same product line:

http://www.sterilite.com/Category.html?Section=Storage&ProductCategory=44

Paul

[Christopher Weeks]

I have a bunch of Sterilite boxes and drawer things.  I use the ones in that specific line for sorting and storing our large Playmobil collection.  One thing worth nothing is that the translucent plastic is somewhat brittle and will crack if dropped, puncture under the right circumstances and shatter with whole-hog force.  I haven't yet found a nearly transparent affordable plastic for which that is not true.  But if you go with opaque rubermaid stuff, it's nearly indestructable if you keep it out of the weather.

Chris

[Valamir]

Ok...in case it isn't immediately obvious, I've completely dropped the ball on this one.  I've found a couple of nice 3 drawer cards for about $35 odd dollars apiece that would fit under a table (I think) but I'm not sure the drawers are large enough to hold more than a dozen books each, so I'm not sure they're big enough.

In the meantime I've gotten distracted by the miracles and marvels of electronic cash registers <ooohs and ahhs>

So, any volunteers out there to pick up the ball on this one?  I could use the assist.

Translation:  I'm punting and need someone else to take over coordinating this.

[smokewolf]

How about these:
http://www.stacksandstacks.com/html/55061_underbed-storage-box-32-quart.htm

I figure they would hold about (24) 1/2" books. It says they are sold in sets of 2 and are priced at 19.99. Free shipping with over $100. Someone could buy 5 sets and then the other could repay them (do not look at me though, my wife has already capped my spending).

[Paul Czege]

The optimum solution, in my mind, is not for someone to buy a bunch of storage boxes/drawers that everyone will use:[list=1][*]Because it puts folks in the position of transporting their games to the convention center in some other container, transferring them to the sanctioned containers at the booth, and then we all figure out what to do with the cardboard boxes and whatnot that got the games there.
[*]Danielle and I have looked at a lot of plastic storage boxes/drawers since this standard storage initiative was suggested. The problem with relying on the dimensions listed on websites is that they're external dimensions that don't accurately convey what the interior storage space of the container is like. Many many storage boxes/drawers compromise the internal storage space with curved intrusions for handles and for lid latches. And most storage boxes taper inward toward the bottom, so the bottom surface is actually smaller than the stated exernal dimensions. We've also seen a lot of storage boxes with bizarre protrusions upward from the bottom surface, or a rippled bottom surface that I see as being problematic for softcover game books. You really have to physically look at a box and evaluate the inner dimensions before you can truly know if it's well suited for game books. Bluntly, with the all the implications these oddities could have for warping someone's game books, and without being able to know the exact dimensions of everyone's books, I've determined that I simply don't want to be in the position of choosing a storage box for someone else's inventory.[/list:o]Unfortunately, there are also problems with asking everyone to buy the same box/drawer:[list=1][*]A container that's well-suited for 8.5" x 11" game books like Riddle of Steel is not well suited for 5.5" x 8.5" game books like Kill Puppies for Satan.
[*]The only drawer type containers I've seen are produced by Sterilite, and they are all compromised by a curving interior intrusion for the drawer handle.
[*]Having looked at storage boxes/drawers at Target, Meijer, K-Mart, Walmart, and Bed, Bath & Beyond, I'm not convinced it's going to be easy for everyone to find the same makes and models of containers anyway.[/list:o]So, I suggest we just agree to some size limits on storage boxes, make some recommendations about specific boxes, and hope enough folks buy the same box that we get some elegant stacking:[list=1][*]My suggested size limit for someone selling 8.5" x 11" books is a 32 qt. box that's wider than it is tall. If you can find it, I recommend the Sterilite 1856 storage box. It is a 28 qt. box. I've only seen it at Walmart. It has a flat-bottomed interior surface, and will hold two stacks of 8.5" x 11" books side-by-side.
[*]My suggested size limit for someone selling 5.5" x 8.5" books (or basically any book with a height of 8.5") is a 16 qt. box that is again wider than it is tall. I have two very nice 16 qt. "sweater" boxes I bought from either K-Mart or Bed, Bath & Beyond that are perfect for My Life with Master sized games. Unfortunately, I peeled the stickers off already and I can't remember the brand. I distinctly remember the sticker calling it a "sweater box" though. Embossed into the plastic on the bottom is a logo labeled "Tamor" and the phrase, "product of distinction."[/list:o]Whaddya think? Ultimately they're guidelines. The goal is just for everyone to get a share of the space, so you buy a container that meets your needs with the expectation that you can't have your whole inventory at the booth.

Paul

[btrc]

Whaddya think? Ultimately they're guidelines. The goal is just for everyone to get a share of the space, so you buy a container that meets your needs with the expectation that you can't have your whole inventory at the booth.

That's probably the most important point. You only need to have a little more than 1 day's worth of sales at the booth at any given time. Even if you overdo it and have 2 day's worth there, that's still only half of what you brought for the show. The rest can be transported from your room in the morning.

Paul's suggestion cuts the number of books in the booth at any given instant in half, or more. For my part, I'm going to get a few Sterilite (or similar) boxes and start thinking about how much inventory I want on hand at any given time.

If we have enough people getting the same brand of stacking drawer, they will look halfway nice, even if stacked up in the open at one end of the booth space, or a "tabletop" could be put on a sufficiently high and wide stack and used as a place to put promo literature or flyers or a bowl of candy or mousetraps or whatever.

-If- we have enough people getting the same model stacking drawer (I estimate 8 or 10 of a single drawer model, depending on the depth of the drawer), and
-If- I get sufficient notice,

I'll volunteer to cut out and bring a plywood tabletop that can be attached to the top level of drawers. I'll even volunteer to wander around when no one is looking and steal a table drape to put around it...;)

I'm thinking that a box that lets you store books spine-up will make it easier for you to find items, -if- you have something you can use as a spacer to keep them from slumping -and- the bottom of the drawer is flat to avoid denting the book edges (or has sufficient clearance for you to put in a cardboard floor piece).

Greg Porter
BTRC

[alchemist]

My products are all software in DVD keep cases, so either size of suggested box works great for me.    Has a (suggested) size/brand been decided upon?

[alchemist]

*bump*

Well its probably getting a little late for mail ordering anything.  Is there a plastic box that most people have decided upon?  Id like to get one but dont know what to get.

Thanks,

Dan
Digital Alchemy

[Valamir]

Last minute FYI.

I found (and purchased for my use) quite a nice clear box at Office Depot for under $15.00

It was simply the office depot brand, found here

roughly 11x14x23, mostly square.   Its not a drawer, but the ends of the lid independently flip up which should be fairly easy to pull out half way and flip open.

If there are any folks like me who waited till the last minute to pick one up, this is the one I got.

[Ron Edwards]

There you have it folks. Buy one if you can.

Best,
Ron

[Matt Snyder]

Ugh. I bought one, and now I'm afraid it's too damn big (66 qts!). If so, I'll work out something else to save real estate.