I can barely contain myself at www.containerstore.com.
Written: Oct 29 '09
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I've recently developed an addiction to A&E's Hoarders, a show which - amazingly enough - manages to terrify me into cleaning and organizing my home on a weekly basis. Enter http://www.containerstore.com/, which promises me the answers to all my clutter-containing needs.
Shopping
The Container Store's online site carries a wide variety of, well, containers. These include storage options for kitchens, bathrooms, closets, garages, and offices. There are special seasonal storage products for holiday needs and wrapping paper for all year round. Literally, if you can think of a thing that you put other things into, it is available on the site.
While the site presents its merchandise colorfully and attractively, I have a few beefs with its functionality. Perhaps in keeping with the "organizational" theme, items are divided and subdivided practically to death. For example, going to the general category of "closet" produces the following results:
New Closet Products, New Low Price, Made in the USA, Elfa, Hangers, Shoe Storage, Storage Boxes, Racks & Wardrobes, Accessory Storage, Drawer Organizers, Cubes & Bins, Hanging Bins, Drawers, Clothing Protection, Underbed Storage, Storage Bags, Shelf Organizers, Closet Rod Storage, Overdoor Storage, and Drawer & Shelf Liners.
A click on subcategory "Clothing Protection," in turn, produces the following results:
Cedar & Natural, Chemical, Dehumidifiers, Accessories, Archival, and Drawer & Shelf Liners.
A click on these sub-subcategories finally gets you to some actual products with prices. This drill down structure, and the search engine in the top right, are both well and good for a shopper who knows exactly what she is searching for and/or what it is called. For those just hoping to browse and get some organization ideas, however, it can be extremely frustrating. I do not understand why containerstore.com does not offer an option to, for example, "Browse all Closet" or "Browse all Clothing Protection" like most other online retailers do.
The Container Store makes up for these inconveniences somewhat by having some nifty bonus features like a "Wish List" option, which I use to store things I stumble across and may want later. It also offers some free advice articles on organization, home décor, and holiday gift ideas which are fun to read, even if they are intended mostly as an advertisement for The Container Store's products.
Buying
Making purchases at containerstore.com is pretty easy - just throw them in the "shopping cart" and hit "check-out" when you're done. Many organizational products (hangers, storage bins, canisters) are meant to be purchased in bulk, but it is easy to tell how many of each item I am ordering.
The Container Store is very clever at coming up with ways to part me from my money. One way it does this is by adding an option to purchase items that are complimentary to whatever product I am viewing. Wrapping paper might be coupled with bows and scissors, a soap dish with a toothbrush holder. This feature is both a blessing and a curse, as it almost always suckers me into buying some "matching" item or other.
Prices at constainerstore.com are higher than those for comparable products at Walmart or Target and similar to those at Bed Bath and Beyond or Linens & Things. Discount codes and coupons are often available for containerstore.com for those signed up to the email list. Some of these offers are also available to the general public. For example, right now everything is 20% off as part of some type of Christmas celebration.
For some reason, I do not often receive my promised order confirmations and find myself unable to access them within my online account. The first time I called the company and had the email resent, but since then I've just kind of had faith the order would b delivered.
Shipping
The Container Store's shipping is expensive and sloooooow. I've never gotten a shipment out for less than ten dollars, and I've paid as much as thirty dollars for larger items. Those looking for expedited shipping may pay fifty dollars or more. There are rarely free shipping promotions available.
Packaging for shipment typically takes two to three days. All of my orders have been shipped with Fedex Ground and taken at least five to seven business days to arrive. One "got lost" for weeks until I provided directions to the carrier (I live on one of two main streets in my town.) This is more of a problem with Fedex Ground than with The Container Store, but it was still aggravating not to get my products when I'm supposed to.
Receiving
For the most part, I've been very happy with the products I've ordered from containerstore.com. The specialized storage containers are generally affordable and of good quality. An underbed gift wrap organizer in particular has revolutionized my life, in that I no longer waste precious time scrambling to find paper before a bridal shower or birthday party. The travel shampoo/lotion/conditioner bottles I received are much thicker than the average drug store offerings and offer a twist top so they won't pop open on an airplane. My favorite purchase to date is a paisley neoprene lunch box. It is just the thing for toting fruit and sodas back and forth to and from work in style!
Unfortunately, I have also received a few real duds from The Container Store. I was so excited about my "to go" milk and cereal bowl until I learned that the milk compartment leaks all over my bag, clothes, desk, etc. Additionally, I recently ordered a case of twenty-four clear shoe storage boxes (one per pair) and while I am pleased with how sturdy the plastic is, I find that the tops don't fit particularly well. If a top is left slightly off kilter, the entire stack of shoes will come sliding down into a messy heap.
Overall . . .
I have a love/hate relationship with containerstore.com. I keep going back because I love the concept of having an organized life and home, but I am a bit troubled by the possibility that I may now be a hoarder of containers! I also wish the website was more user-friendly and I hate the high shipping costs. Still, if you love having a place for everything and everything in its place, you owe yourself a quick spin around this organizational mecca.
Recommended:
Yes
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? Many different ones!
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