I would like to start this whole thing off by saying that I did not used to be like this a year ago. It all started in early 2020, when the world was first coming to grips with what we now refer to as “the pandemic”. Unless you have been living under a rock for the past year and a half, you know exactly what I am talking about. Unfortunately, a lot of us have been affected by the pandemic in a huge variety of ways. For me, I ended up losing my job and was forced into unemployment by the circumstances that I found myself in. To make things worse, there were almost no businesses that were hiring in 2020 because of the pandemic. Most companies were just trying to figure out how to exist amidst the pandemic and could not be bothered to try and make a dent in the ever-growing unemployment rate that our country was facing day by day. Well, it took a long time of searching for jobs all over the city and local counties, but after several months I finally found a place that would hire me even in the middle of COVID19. Where did I find a job you might ask? Well, you won’t be surprised to hear it. I ended up finding a job at an Amazon warehouse in my city, and they hired me pretty much on the spot.

That’s right, I spent my quarantine days in an Amazon fulfillment center, putting shipping boxes on carts and conveyor belts all day. Amazon was actually one of the most profitable businesses during the COVID19 pandemic. Believe it or not, I am sure that 2020 was the most profitable year on record for Amazon. The reason is because there were so many businesses being forced to close down in order to keep the population safe from severe COVID spreading.

Since the government was worried about people being at in-person stores and spreading the virus, many businesses that were deemed as non-essential were forced to close down. The fortunate side effect for Amazon is that many people could no longer find the products they normally buy in stores. That means that people had to order a lot more things online. Of course, where is the go-to for all online purchases? Amazon baby. If you think about it, it is kind of insane that Amazon basically has everything you could ever want on its website (within reason of course). Well, Amazon definitely had no shortage of work to do during those COVID months, and they even had trouble keeping up with all the orders that were coming in. 

It got so busy that they even had to disband their two-day delivery guarantee for prime members, which is completely unheard of! However, it is true that they could no longer keep up with the insane amount of orders that were coming each day from people buying products online. All that being said, I was at least grateful to find a job during that time, even if it meant just throwing shipping boxes around all day. Sure, it’s not my ideal way to spend my time, but the job paid well and I listened to my own music during my shifts. In fact, I could work pretty much as much as I wanted.

I am not going to lie, but there are some pretty bad gifts that you can give and get on holiday work parties.  I think it is really funny to snub people with gifts because I don’t like them.  That is why it is super cool to get office people office gifts.  I’m not sure about you, but if you work in an office and your workplace isn’t hosting some sort of holiday get together, I would be upset. Whether you’re having some holiday cheer with the coworkers, meeting up for dinner at someone’s place or out on the town, or even doing something small during your lunch break on a cold day in December, kicking back and enjoying the festivities with those you see 40 hours a week can be refreshing from the constant pace of the grind.

If you happen to be doing a gift exchange at your office, consider replenishing their office and shipping supplies. These make wonderful gifts to coworkers in your office without you having to think of something truly special and tailored to them.

Is there anything worse than getting sharpies for Christmas?  Now that I am in eCommerce I think the gift would be lovely, but for most people, it is the worst type of gag gift.  A classic go-to in the office, sharpies work anywhere at any time. Whether you’re writing a sign to put on your office door, labeling a manilla envelope, or writing on cardboard, sharpies get the job done and last a long time.  I am totally for messing up people’s holidays and yet giving them something useful. 

Now givign someone a rubber band ball is not the worst gift, but it is really not great.  Don’t knock the idea. Whether you bundle this with some other cheap shipping supplies or just hand them a ton of rubber bands, this is one highly usable gift that can be put towards any task. When’s the last time you were upset to have rubber bands handy? Honestly, I have not used one in the office for about 2 years, but some people actually like them.  

The eCommerce side of me wants more tape and packing tape especially all the time.  Tape dispensers can make an office desk look legit if placed right. Obviously, there are nicer, weighted tape dispensers out there that look a lot better than one bought at a dollar store, so consider gifting a mid range priced one to your coworker that shows style and utility.  It can be pretty cool to have fancy dispensers and to make jokes about your fancyness. 

One cool gift is an nice EDC pen. While the other items on this list aren’t as spendy, you can never go wrong gifting a nice fountain pen, especially if it’s to your boss. Whether you drew their name out of the hat or are just feeling generous, fountain pens are a sign of class and remain as a timeless staple to a refined business person’s desk.  Consider this the step up from the tape dispenser. Heavier duty, classier, and just as (or possibly more) useful, the stapler is a desk essential. You don’t even have to ask around to see who has one and who doesn’t; if one of your coworkers’ desks are bare of a stapler, they couldn’t deny that this was a need for their office if you were to get this for them.

One of the areas of business that I love is selling online.  There is so much excitement and potential when you open up your market of selling to the entire world and not just your local foot traffic.  Being local is even more complicated when you are living in the United States in 2020.  Most of our local stores are struggling to deal with the COVID-19 regulations that have shut down so many small businesses and made people buy online.  This is why a lot of those companies are actually changing to selling online and this can be a huge change for some companies and it has a lot of costs and a whole lot of savings with it as well. But jumping into this world is hard and there are a few things that are simply nice to know before losing money.

One of the biggest things to know is that selling on certain platforms has fees involved.  That is no reason not to use them but you need to understand what the costs will be and be able to traverse the wide world of differences in the online industry.  The new platforms are truly useful and amazing to reach tons of people so quickly.  I am definitely excited that you are interested in getting into it and I want you to be able to dominate the eCommerce world.

I am a big fan of making sure you pay for all of your shipping supplies, not at the USPS store.  This is something that so many people lose money on and get overcharged on.  It is also something that they end up getting forced into by the pressure of sending things.  I am certainly aware of the pressure of sending things so quickly.  But be calm and don’t fret, a little time to get the right items and especially getting them early is totally worth it.  I am a huge fan of totally rocking the whole shipping supplies industry and this is an area where you can save tons of money if you are wise enough and take the time to look into it.  I think you need to also think about the reason why getting a good box or bag is important.

You want to make sure your items arrive on time.  I am totally certain that you should always make sure you are getting items that protect your items.  I know that returns are the death of an online company and if that is because you are using a box that is not padded enough or a bag when it should be a box then it is going to be an expensive problem.  You not only pay to ship the item but pay to get it back and it’s all for a broken item.  Then you probably have to pay for a replacement and this is all at most likely a financial loss. That is something that is not sustainable for any period of time. 

But how do you know if this is going to work for you? How do you know what items to even use without testing it out on your own?  The answer is to talk to the big online companies that do this for millions of businesses and have sent billions of dollars of goods.  A quick call to the customer service line can save you so much money and time.

When it comes to the actual meaning of sustainable packaging, it directly relates to the packaging materials that can reduce ecological footprints. It is a name in the packaging industry that can upgrade the use of life cycle inventory (LCI) and life cycle assessment (LCA). Sustainable packaging means improving and increasing the sustainability of the packing material. The concept has derived to decrease the pollution and footprints of the harmful ingredients in the packaging. This includes the entire cycle of launching a packaging. It starts from manufacturing to marketing a product. It is the notion of giving rebirth and a new shape to the wasted packaging. This idea will improve the quality of packaging, human life, nature, marine life, and the entire ecosystem.

Sustainable packaging means it will meet all the needs of functional and economical demands of packaging and products. Also, it does not mean you need to compromise on the design, looks, and quality of the packaging. This concept has been built to enhance the abilities and qualities of the packaging. This is a continuous process of improvement.

Sustainable packaging has specially designed for the healthy future of the nature and environment. This is an innovation in the packaging world. This needs a deep thought on packaging designs, materials selection, and processing. Also, it requires a different way of documentation. This means reducing the carbon footprints from the environment. Also, it will decrease your cost. Because you are going to reuse your old packaging stuff. You do not need to buy and spend on entire packaging materials. Recycling enhances the quality of the material and it decreases your budget for the packaging line.

Thus, use the films and other materials that are biodegradable or recyclable. Sustainable packaging is not just about the fake green movements or to impress the world. It is a real concept and planning to reduce the carbon and harmful gases from nature. Thus, this emphasis on lowering the use of plastics and polythene. This is not just about the human begins. This relates to the plants, trees, animals, and marine life. They also need a sustainable world to live a healthy and easy life.

Benefits of Sustainable Packaging

When it comes to the advantages of sustainable packaging, it does not has any limit. Also, it not only relates to a healthy and green environment. The concept is not only for the greenwashing campaigns. It has many other benefits for your companies as well. The first thing is it gives you to cut the cost of the packaging. When you reuse your old material, you only need a small budget to redesign and revamp it. You do not require a huge budget to buy the entire materials and packaging stuff to generate new. You can recycle your old product and create new designs. Thus, you can manage it on a small budget as well.

Also, it supports long-term human and ecological health. This is another necessary element for all of us. It improves the health of nature and our people also. It also provides safety, regulation, and protection to the products.

Also, you can enhance and change the design at any time. You will need minimal material for the product of the packaging. It will reduce the use and cost of materials. It will decrease the layers you will need in the packaging. Thus, the mass will also be lower. Apart from the primary ingredients, you will also require less use of supporting elements. You do not need an entirely new contract to make the new packaging lines. This is one of the efficient ways of reusing your used packaging material.

The holidays are really an awesome time.  There is so much joy that happens and it is also a time where many people get really stressed.  If you have kids and are hosting then boy do you know what I mean.  But during this time of year, it is a time that families are able to get together and to sometimes relieve some of that stress.  It is also fun to have fun in different ways.  Let’s be honest: getting crafty with the kids is something that is great for their own expression, their tactile development, and simply bonding with them. However, it’s something you may not look forward to at all because of the impending cleanup and the time it takes to prepare. 

So don’t get bogged down in super fancy decorations.  The fact is that decorating during the holidays can be expensive if you don’t have a stowed away stash of garland, trees, lights, ornaments, and figurines. Why not take the opportunity to do some arts and crafts with the kids that you can hang up for the next month or so? They’ll be proud of their work and you’ll be proud to show it off for them.  So take advantage of your kids and all the fun things that they can provide for you.  So even if you consider yourself as uncreative as me, you can do these few things to bond with your children and have fun doing it, too.

Being prepared for a wild time is a smart idea.  Never get caught with a mess.  You don’t want paint, glue, and paper scraps everywhere on your nice hardwood table, do you? Buying some sort of cheap plastic tablecover will protect your furniture (and even the floor). This also saves you a lot of time during the cleanup process. 

I also find that being economical during this time is a smart and more fun move.  There’s no reason to spend a lot on art supplies or specific, high-dollar tools and paint when you can use a lot that you have around the house already. You want to save money doing this for your decorations anyway, right?  You’d also be surprised at what all you can get out of your assortment of things at home, such as random shipping supplies: scissors, packaging tape, cardboard boxes, and bubble wrap are all things that you could use to get crafty with your kids.

Relax and remember that it is all just for fun.  Don’t stress about the mess. Don’t worry so much about the time involved, either. The whole point should be to have fun with your kids and encourage them to have fun. Bonding and laughing and being creative together is very beneficial to your children. If they see that you’re not having a good time, they’ll be far less likely to enjoy it themselves. 

No matter how much you lack in creativity, it’s easy to set aside time to just do something new and hands-on with your kids, and the holidays are the perfect excuse to get your craft on. You’ll love it. They’ll love it. Craft time with the kids isn’t as hard as you thought. Bust out the shipping supplies you cast aside long ago, grab some cheap paint and plastic table covers, and get to crafting. And remember to have a Merry Christmas.