Smarter Business Packaging and Shipping
Professional advice on how to make office shipping easy and efficient.
Business Shipping 101: Office Shipping Stations
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Tip 1: Dedicate a large flat surface for shipping. Preparing packages for the mail in a cramped or cluttered space is extremely frustrating and can lead to mistakes, misplacement or minor damage to packages.
Tip 2: Install a peg board to make accessing tools and keeping the space organized as simple as possible. You may also want to hang a calendar for easy reference when calculating shipping schedules.
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Tip 3: Make sure you have plenty of open shelves and storage for related materials like boxes, envelopes, padded mailers, tape and any forms or documents you are likely to ship often. Ease of access is key to efficient shipping.
Tip 4: Make sure documentation or tracking materials are readily available, and you have everything you need to fill them out within reach (pens, labels, white out, clock, etc.).
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Easy AccessEven if you aren’t in the business of shipping, chances are your office is sending more packages out the door than ever. If there are items you ship frequently, store them near your shipping station. To help your packages withstand rough handling in shipping use Scotch® Heavy Duty Shipping Packaging Tape, which is Guaranteed to stay sealed.*
*If your box does not stay sealed, 3M will refund the purchase price of this tape. Proof of purchase required. Contact: 1-800-3MHELPS.
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Smart StorageWhen storing shipping and packaging materials, keep the larger or more unwieldy items lower to the ground. Store your most frequently used items in places that are easy to get to.
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Central LocationAlthough the tendency is to hide the shipping area in a back corner or basement, a more centralized location allows people to get in and out faster and cuts down on bottlenecks when more than one employee needs to use it. Also, if possible, keep the shipping space near the door where your packages are picked up.
Load Your Dispenser
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No matter how often you ship, dispensers are essential for applying tape smoothly and sending out professional looking packages. The Scotch® Heavy Duty Dispenser is great for power shippers. The pistol grip gives you complete control and significantly cuts down on the amount of time it takes to prepare packages.
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The Scotch® Brand Refillable Dispenser (in both 3 inch and 2 inch core) is light weight and easy to reload featuring a plastic grip and quick cutting edge.
Shipping Protection
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Cushion Wrap: Cushion wrap provides ideal protection for fragile and important items. It is made to conform to the shape of an object, and offers the most protection, although it will not keep an item from sliding around in the box.
Packing Peanuts: Packing peanuts are designed to fill up empty spaces in a package. They won’t necessarily keep items from shifting in transit, but cardboard dividers and supports can make up for this. Ideal for smaller, lighter weight items, they are not recommended for flat or dense items that are more likely to slide around.
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Kraft Paper: Kraft paper is generally the cheapest option and it can double as wrapping paper, but it doesn’t offer the same level of protection as cushion wrap or packing peanuts. It’s great for keeping items that don’t require much protection from sliding around in transit. It also works well in tandem with cushion wrap, keeping an already protected item from shifting during shipment.
