The Herman Miller Aeron literally sparked an entirely new generation of office chairs. Suddenly ergonomics began to be highlighted and aesthetics that focused on simplistic design were desirable. The Aeron’s adjustments set the standard for office seating. Features such as lumbar support for the user’s back, fully adjustable arms, pneumatic height adjustments, seat depth adjustments, tilt lock and tension adjustments, a state-of-the-art elastic back for optimal breathing and more made the Herman Miller Aeron the ideal ergonomic office chair. The Aeron’s elastic Pellicle material created a futuristic look that has since been unmatched. The Aeron was designed to last. An entire aftermarket of used Herman Miller Aeron chair dealers emerged to offer the luxuries of the Aeron at a discounted rate.

To this day the Herman Miller Aeron is still recognized as the Band-Aid or Jello of office chairs. All the other chairs want to be like it, but no other chairs will ever come close to the iconic status that is the Herman Miller Aeron.

Features

The Haworth Zody task chair is outfitted with cutting edge ergonomic features, some of which are unparalleled. The Zody’s features include: adjustable seat depth with a Technogel® Soft Lite Gel seat, seat height adjustment, 4-D arm rests, and fully adjustable lumbar and pelvic support. The 4-D arms rests have the ability to adjust in 4 directions – up and down, in and out, and front and back. The 4-D arms give the user the ability to adjust the Zody’s arms to the perfect position of comfort. Zody’s differentiating feature from other ergonomic task chairs is its fully adjustable lumbar and pelvic support – the PAL Back System™. The PAL Back System™ consists of a series of circles that intertwine and flex according to the user’s back’s movements, another insert that focuses on the small of the user’s back which can be adjusted to provide more firmness on the left or right side of the back, and a pelvic support pad. The pelvic support pad helps maintain the natural “S” curve of the user’s back. Combining these spinal support features differentiates the Haworth Zody from all other ergonomic task chairs.

Design

The Haworth Zody has a unique aesthetic design that has a sleek and modern feel. The seat can be fabricated with a number of colors and patterns to match perfectly in your office. The mesh back can also be outfitted with a slew of colors to complement the seat.  The unique design of the lumbar support gives the Zody a distinct look.

Awards

The Zody has several awards to its name for its ergonomics, design, and environmental achievements. The Zody is the first task chair to achieve MBDC Cradle to Cradle Gold Certification. Some other awards include: Best on Neocon, International Design Excellence Awards, Interior Design Best of the Year award, and FIRA Ergonomics Excellence.

The Haworth Zody task chair is an excellent choice for users who want both design and ergonomics from their office chair. This mid-priced task chair is a can’t miss.

Refurbished office cubicles are a great way for businesses to save on their office furniture purchase, without sacrificing quality. Refurbished cubicles can often be mistaken for new cubicles, as a majority of the cubicle is cleaned, refinished, repainted and more. What you can not mistake between a new office cubicle and a refurbished office cubicle is the price and environmental impact of the two.

Refurbished office cubicles can be completely made-over to “like-new” condition. For example, Herman Miller Ethospace is a cubicle system comprised of a frames and tiles. The underlying steel structure of the Ethospace cubicle is nearly indestructible, which makes it a perfect candidate for refurbishment. The tiles can be stripped of their fabric or laminate and reupholstered with a brand new fabric, thus giving you the look you desire. Refurbished cubicles can also be complemented with new parts. In the case of refurbished Herman Miller Ethospace, customers can opt to furnish the cubicle with new wood laminates and special add-ons to create exactly the cubicle they desire.

Refurbished cubicles are highly economical for businesses that want office cubicles that look like-new but without the new price tag. New cubicles can be a pricey investment. Refurbished cubicles offer businesses a way to still get the bang for their buck by outfitting the cubicle with all the amenities and aesthetics they are after, for a fraction of the price compared to new. Often times by opting to purchase refurbished cubicles the business is able to get more features compared to purchasing new.

There is also an environmental advantage to purchasing refurbished office cubicles. With Herman Miller Ethospace in particular, the steel frame and tiles can be used over and over again without losing value. If you want to update the look of the cubicle, the tiles can simply be reupholstered, the frame reconfigured, and wall-ah! A brand new looking cubicle. By purchasing refurbished cubicles, businesses are preventing the use of extra raw materials required to assemble a new cubicle, as well utilizing cubicle parts that may otherwise be sent to a landfill.

As you can see the benefits of refurbished office cubicles can outweigh purchasing new cubicles. The user isn’t losing any quality, but perhaps gaining it, saving money, and making a “green” choice for the business.

In today’s work environment a majority of workers are spending long hours planted at a desk. Hours on end workers sit in a static position, rarely with proper posture. These hours spent hunched over pounding away at a keyboard can have a lasting effect on your body, which is why employers invest in ergonomic seating options. We all know the benefits of ergonomic task chairs, helping back, joint and neck health, but what parts of a task chair help provide this relief?

Lumbar Support

The lumbar support of a task chair is one of the most important components to supporting the user’s back health. The lumbar support can be found on the back of the backrest, and can be found in a number of shapes. Some lumbar supports are simply a bar, an oval shape or something in-between. The optimal position for the lumbar support is where the back begins to arch. This helps the back posture remain upright and in line with its natural curve.

Pneumatic Height Adjustment

The pneumatic height adjustment is used to change the sitting height of an office chair. This feature is standard on nearly all office seating. The preferred height is where the balls of the user’s feet can rest comfortably on the floor, while sitting in an upright position and the user’s elbows are parallel with the keyboard.

Fully Adjustable Arms

A good ergonomic task chair has fully adjustable arms. Fully adjustable arms have the ability to change the height of the arm rests, the width from the user’s sides and arm-pads that rotate inward and outward. The ideal height of the armrests is parallel with the work surface, with the width set that the user’s arms can rest comfortably.

Tilt Lock and Tension

Every sit in a chair and lean back only to think you are falling freely? I have and it feels like I am on a rollercoaster, only slightly more terrifying because who wants to face plant in front of fellow coworkers? Tilt lock and tilt tension can help avoid this office free fall. The tilt lock does exactly what it implies, locks the tilt of the chairs back into the user’s desires recline. The tilt tension helps create a tension in the recline of the office chair.

Seat Depth 

One last feature that is important to an office chair is the seat depth. Most ergonomic task chair’s seats have the ability to adjust the depth of the seat, which means the user can slide the seat of the chair in or out. This feature helps the user sit properly and comfortably. The best positioning for the seat is  when front of the chair runs into the back of the user’s knees.

Next time you are on the market for an ergonomic task chair be sure to check for these features. Chairs such as the Herman Miller Aeron and the Steelcase Leap chair meet all of the above mentioned criteria.

The Criterion is one of Steelcase’s most dependable office chairs. Built with a sturdy frame set to handle up to 300 pounds (the Criterion Plus holds up to 500 pounds), the Criterion is sat in by nearly 6 million users. From corporate offices to machine shops the Criterion’s solid core makes it the ideal office chair for nearly any environment.

Ergonomic features are at the forefront of every Steelcase task chair, the Criterion is no different. The Criterion is equipped with the full gambit of adjustments to provide the ultimate sitting experience for its user. The adjustments include; a variable backstop, adjustable back tension, seat angle adjustment, pneumatic seat height, adjustable back height, and arms that can change height, width, and pivot. Aesthetically, the Criterion can be fabricated with your choice of color and is available as a stool as well.

Overall, the Steelcase Criterion is a highly functional, extremely durable, long-lasting task chair that is a perfect fit for any working environment. It’s price point and ease of use make it a popular choice for your business.

How often do you sit in a chair throughout the day, 8, 9, or even 10 hours? That is more hours then you spend standing. Now imagine that the chair you are sitting in is extremely uncomfortable and even hurts your body. Suddenly, 50 or 60 hours a week sitting is nearly unbearable. Selecting the right ergonomic task chair is imperative to your health and overall comfort in the workplace. There are several ergonomic task chairs in the industry that are fully loaded with adjustments designed to keep the user healthier. The following are some of the industry’s leaders in ergonomic design.

Herman Miller Aeron

At the forefront of all task chair discussions lies the Herman Miller Aeron. The Aeron’s industry leading sleek design is complemented by an array of adjustments aimed at creating the ultimate sitting experience. Gold winner of the “Designs of the Decade” in the office furniture category, the Aeron set the standard for office seating.  Some of the Herman Miller Aeron’s adjustments include; seat height, tilt tension, arm height and angle, front tilt, lumbar support, PostureFit and more.

Steelcase Leap Chair

Also atop the discussions for best ergonomic task chair is the Steelcase Leap chair. The Leap chair is known for its comfort and slew of adjustments. Winner of the Red Dot Design Award, the Leap chair boasts on the company’s website that “In a year-long study, people who received Leap chairs and office ergonomics training achieved a 17.8% increase in productivity. It shows how it reduces lower back pain, discomfort and musculo-skeletal disorders.” Some of the Leap chair’s adjustments include; seat height and depth, tilt tension and limiter, lumbar support, flexible seat edge and more. One feature in particular that sticks out in the Leap is the live action back support. The back of the chair contours your back and adjusts automatically as you move.

Humanscale Freedom 

The Humanscale Freedom task chair is also a highly ergonomic task chair. Winner of the ID Design Review 2000 competition, the Freedom task chair is well known for its ergonomic design. Some of its features include; weight-sensitive recline, height adjustment, dual arm adjustments and more.

There are a number of other ergonomic task chairs available in the market. The previously named task chairs are just among the industry’s leaders in design and functionality. Be sure to keep in mind when the time comes for your next office chair purchase that you have ergonomic features as a necessity.

Study after study has been released in regards to employee health in the workplace. On the forefront of these studies is the importance of ergonomic seating. Steelcase, one of the leading designers in ergonomic seating, recognizes the importance of a good office chair that complements the user’s body type. Introduce the Steelcase Leap chair.

The Steelcase Leap task chair is stuffed full of ergonomic features designed specifically with the user’s health in mind. The full gambit of adjustments include; responsive LiveBack technology, seat depth adjustment, adjustable lumbar, upper back force adjustment, lower back firmness adjustment, seat glide, and adjustable arms. The LiveBack technology is a padded seatback that flexes with the user’s movements. The upper back force adjustment controls the amount of force needed to recline in the chair. The seat glide allows the seat to adjust as the back reclines, this helps maintain proper posture. The Leap chair is fabricated with a mesh that allows for maximum air flow to the user’s body.

The beauty of the Steelcase Leap chair is its ability to adjust to any user body type. Every movement made by the user warrants a purposeful movement by the Leap chair to ensure complete comfort and usability.

The Leap chair also has an award winning aesthetic design. Its sleek design and slew of fabric choices make it a must have for businesses looking for a cutting edge design.

Learn more about the Steelcase Leap chair http://www.steelcase.com/en/products/category/seating/task/leap/pages/overview.aspx

Purchasing a used office desk is about more than just the price tag. How large do you want the desk? Do you want an L-shaped or a U-shaped? What storage is equipped with the desk? Does the desk have data capabilities? There are a number of factors that need to be considered before making your purchase. In this article we will aim to answer these questions and more so when you are ready to purchase your next office desk, you’re an expert.

What dimensions should the desk be? 

How many times have you seen this happen; “I just bought an awesome new couch! Can you help me move it in?” Move-in day roles around…”The couch doesn’t fit. I am an idiot.” We’ve all been there before. When looking at an office desk, make sure you take proper measurements of the workspace (triple check) and decide on the desk accordingly. Make sure you also keep in mind that if you want to add guest chairs or a book shelf that they are taken into consideration while measuring.

What shaped desk do I want? 

There are several desk styles to choose from; L-shaped, U-shaped or double pedestal. An L-shaped or double pedestal desk is ideal for a small office. Conversely, a U-shaped desk is ideal for larger offices and instances where more surface area is needed.

How much storage is there?

Make sure you are aware of the desk’s storage options. Does it come with a bookshelf or a wardrobe closet? Are there two pedestals? Is there a hutch? Choose a desk that has enough storage to handle your needs. Also, if the desk has a hutch, be sure to ask if it is wall-mounted or surface-mounted. This is important to ask in instances where the office has brick or hard walls that don’t allow for a wall-mount.

Another factor to consider when purchasing a used office desk is the style or finish. Do you want a nice light maple finish or a dark cherry? All of these factors and more should play a role in your next office desk purchase. If you are unsure of answer to any of the previous questions, don’t be afraid to ask for more information!

Refurbished Cubicles

Pros:

• Allow for customization and flexibility in the design. The user can select the configurations, color schemes, and functionality.
• Extra parts or add-ons can be ordered at any time, with ease. They can also be matched to the existing cubicle.
• Cubicles can be added on in the future and maintain the standardized look in place.
• Most refurbished cubicles come with some form of a warranty.
• Priced lower than new in most instances, and generally have a quicker lead time than new.

Cons:

• The lead time can be much longer than a standing inventory’s.
• The cost of refurbished cubicles tends to be greater than a standing inventory.
• Most office furniture companies don’t give you the option to see a physical representation of what the refurbished cubicle will look like.

Standing Inventory

Pros:

• Opportunity to see the used cubicles in person.
• Shorter lead time than refurbished.
• The cost can be significantly less than refurbished cubicles.

As you can see there are several differences between the two options. Refurbished cubicles allow for flexibility in design and aesthetics, where as a standing inventory is a take-it-or-leave-it scenario, with limited ability to foster growth. However, the upside of a standing inventory of used cubicles is the price and lead time. For businesses in a time and money crunch, a standing inventory is ideal.

When the time arrives for your next office cubicle purchase be sure to keep these factors in mind, and when in doubt, ask questions!

“When people see an office that’s messy, there’s an assumption that you’re not on top of your work,” says Linda Samuels, a certified professional organizer in Westchester, N.Y. “A messy desk can give a very bad first impression.” What to do first? It’s simple. Corral your papers, find ways to contain your clutter, and whatever you do, keep the kids’ drawings out of your workspace.

As you get started tidying up, here are five ways to keep your office looking spiffy — and stylish products to help get you there:

How it helps: ”By using each [color] for a different purpose, you’ve sorted them by category,” Samuels says. “That pre-thinking allows you to get to something sooner because you’ve already determined what’s in each container.”

TIP: Use one box for invoices and one for contracts, or reserve a single bin for each of your clients.

Related: 5 Tips for Boomer-Friendly Retail Design

How it helps: ”Having multiple trays divided by different topics or categories of action organizes the action,” Samuels says. “These trays help you prioritize the things that need immediate attention from the ones that can wait.

TIP: Also, you can use the drawer to store a small set of office supplies that you use daily.

How it helps: ”This sorter is great for keeping at your fingertips the project/action files you reach for frequently,” Samuels says. “It can sit on your desk or on a surface behind your desk, keeping your desktop clutter-free. Best of all, priority files are visible and reachable.”

TIP: Group projects or types of documents (bills, invoices, receipts) into specific slots. Also, consider using the front slot to display your business cards or brochures.

Related: Smaller Retailers Tap Into the Power of Digital Displays

How it helps: “These are great for stowing catalogs and magazines and can sit on the floor, a ledge or on your bookshelf,” Samuels says. “They might also work for grouping bulky materials for specific projects like samples or oversized binders. These keep your important items accessible, but contained.”

TIP: Label these boxes by writing the category on an index card (i.e. To Read or Gadget Accessories) and then attach the card with a binder clip or clothespin.

How it helps: “Wall files can be used to communicate with your staff,” Samuels says. “For example, they’re a great way to help route things or get your team motivated in the morning. You can ask them to head right to these bins in the morning and collect their important work for the day.”

TIP: Samuels suggests labeling these bins for tasks to be completed on certain days, or by work status, such as outgoing, follow-up, pending or HOT.

Although you can buy many different kinds of screen cleaner from 100 different sources there is one that stands out from the crowd, Ecopure solutions. Ecopure  has created the most unique and safe spray for cleaning lcd’s, touchscreens, digital signage, plasma, laptops, mp3’s cell phones and optics. Ecopure uses the world’s most advanced organic cleaning technology that offers businesses a cleaning solution that far surpasses ordinary spray cleaners or gels. Using a sophisticated manufacturing process, Ecopure spray cleaner is the expert’s choice for cleaning electronic devices even if they are in active use! Ecopure produces an ultra-fine misting spray that is specifically formulated for critical cleaning. Ecopure – for when clean means absolutely clean!

Check out our bulk pricing options.

 Click Here to Buy 

There’s a right way, a wrong way, and a redneck way to do things or so Jeff Foxworthy tells us. The reality is shippers and manufactures don’t always realize the importance in addressing the issue of carrier compliance, the risk of prosecution, a fatal blow to your company image, and not to mention the loss of funds spent on legal recovery. The goal is avoiding this all together! Our customers rest knowing Bridge Logistics manages the risk before the load is even thought of. While many of our competitors may create risk by the carriers they choose to load a customer’s product on; we have dedicated an entire department of our company to managing carrier compliance.

Let’s say you hire a truck to pick up your brand spankin’… used set of Steel U-shape Desks you just purchased through Cube Clerk. If that truck drives 100 miles down the road and has an accident, who’s liable? Who’s to blame? The driver? The DOT who licensed him? You!?… Did you do your due diligence before retaining that carrier?

Implementation of a successful compliance program gives you control over your company’s future. This applies to both shippers and Brokers. It’s not as simple as hiring a broker. You should verify your broker’s compliance requirements prior to partnering with them too.

Here are a few things we believe in;

Carrier Safety Ratings: Bridge Logistics requires that carriers at all times have a FMCSA Safety Rating of Satisfactory. Our database is updated daily. Carriers who fall below a satisfactory rating are immediately placed on our ‘Do Not Load List’ no matter how minor the reasoning for rating changes. Carriers must submit inspection/correction results to FMCSA direct. Regardless of circumstances we will not allow carriers to be activated until the FMCSA system reflects the update.

SMS Basic Scores: Unlike Carrier Safety Ratings that are based solely on in house inspections; SMS Basic Scores are measured by on road inspections. i.e., driving violations fatigued driving or log book violations, controlled substances and alcohol related citations, cargo-related violations, and crash indicators. 12 month records of these results are gathered to produce a basic carrier score. We’d like to say it’s as easy as picking a number and not allowing carriers to go below that number; the truth is so many different factors go into this we believe investigating each individual on a case by case basis is our safest bet.

Financial Responsibility: $76 bucks! In the United States you can obtain a standard motor carrier authority to operate 1-3 tractor trailers, for $76 BUCKS! Of course there are other costs involved- purchasing the 1-3 tractors, buying a sweet CB radio, yada, yada. And with the 2012 MAP-21 legislation the government is finally cracking down on fraudulent “fly by night” carriers. But we’re not leaving our accountability or our customer’s livelihood in the government’s hands! [Insert big brother pun here] Lol. We run a complete history credit worthiness, Tax ID numbers and motor carrier investigation to weed out the crooked characters.

And last but certainly not least;

Performance: Carriers who load for Bridge Logistics know that from the first load to the last we’ll be monitoring their performance from pick up to delivery. Carriers are graded on customer service of the driver, professionalism, company ethics, on-time pickup and delivery, (and in the event of a service error) carrier response time and recovery.

We take great pride in setting our standards not only above what’s legally required of us but above industry standard as well. We recommend you do the same. Carrier compliance measures are vital and should not be compromised. If a carrier does not have the ability to maintain strict compliance competencies than they are not worth risking your neck! Many shippers seek short term rewards as opposed to strategic long term relationships because, What’s The Worst That Could Happen? Well if that’s the case you certainly shouldn’t google class action lawsuits like Stone v. Pinkerton Farms, Inc., Miller v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., or Shramm v. Foster. Maintaining compliance or partnering with a broker who does can be crucial to your business success.

The Tri-State Area consists of New York (NY), New Jersey (NJ) and Connecticut (CT).

Here are the top Cubeclerk Cities in the region (based on customer sales):

1.New York City, NY

2.Buffalo, NY

3.Rochester, NY

4.Newark, NJ

5.Jersey City, NJ

We urge dealers with any available local inventory to update Cubeclerk as soon as possible. While we certainly can (and do) ship used office furniture from around the US, it it is much more cost effective for businesses to buy within 150 mile radius. If you are a business looking for top quality used office furniture, we have some of the largest and most respected regional dealers in the New York Metroplex using Cubeclerk to showcase their inventory. Visit cubeclerk.com or call us now at 800.283.5947 for information on our regional dealers or our used office furniture inventory.

Cubicle partitions are essentially the same thing as a workstation or a cubicle. Its just another way of saying the same thing. A select few would disagree with me saying that cubicle partitions are a simple dividing wall with large”L” shape feet incapable of supporting components such as a work surfaces, overhead storage or shelves. Its my opinion that that type of cubicle partition is very far removed from todays office space. The only place you would see such a dividing wall would be in a warehouse, mail room etc. 

Cubicle partitions can be used in various ways to support your certain working environment, the customizations are limitless. For instance you can design your space to be budget friendly by selecting a monolithic system. You can harness your workforces creative prowess by installing a free standing, teaming workstation such as herman miller resolve. You can even go all technology and install a system like Knoll Currents for your I.T. department. Of course these options can vary greatly depending on the colors you choose, the size of the cubicle partition and the layout of your partitions. Bottom line, there should be no reason to NOT buy cubicle partitions. You can easily find the options you need and price point is no problem, especially if you’re shopping on CubeClerk.

Furthermore, cubicle partitions were first invented to divide a space without building drywall or buying expensive metal desks. ( Circa 1950 ) Ha. Thats an article in itself. They are here to save you time, money and resources. Imagine if instead of buying used cubicle partitions you built a stand alone drywall office..Off the charts expensive. You can also reuse your partitions. You don’t have to throw them away when you move your office or even if you go out of business. Cubicle partitions are made to be re-configured, meaning they can breakdown into different sizes and shapes. If your company for some reason goes out of business you still have an option. Cubicle partitions are highly sought after, especially on the used office furniture market. You can sell you partitions to a used office furniture dealer in your area and make a good chunk of your investment back.

We hope this article has shown you how cubicle partiitons work, what they are and how they can be used. If you have questions about partitions please call us at 972.716.9978.

Thanks,

Grant – CEO CubeClerk

Office chairs in general are easy and inexpensive to ship cross country so Chicago is an easy jumping off point for your office chair shipment. Whether youre looking to ship one leap chair or 100 herman miller aerons our chicago area has the inventory to supply your every need. 

Most people can have trouble finding high quality, pre-owned office chairs. Since our preferred dealers in Chicago specialize in high end office seating you’re in luck. Through us you can quickly find aerons chairs, leap chairs, kimball chairs and zody chairs.

Our dealers in the Chicago area are set up to ship and install office furniture in every state. They are some of the oldest office furniture dealerships in the country and have the best inventories available. Not only do they specialize in office seating such as the steelcase leap chair, they also work in numerous office systems such as knoll, steelcase, haworth, herman miller and more.

We hope this article has inspired you to shop for your office seating in our Chicago areas. Its the best place to find high quality office seating, trust us.

Grant Jones

Ergonomic features of the Leap chair include:

1. LiveBack®
The Leap chair’s back rest adapts its shape to support your entire spine. This will greatly reduce the risk of lower back sag and poor posture, which can weaken disc walls of the spine, stress back ligaments and causes deterioration of the spine.

2. Thermal Comfort
Thanks to slats or openings in both its back support and seat pan and the special foam that it utilizes, the Leap chair offers superb “breathability”. It effectively controls a balance of heat and moisture so you stay comfortable and able to stay in your seat for longer periods.

3. Adjustable Seat Depth
People come in all sizes. Leg and body lengths can vary greatly independent of an individuals overall height. The adjustable seat depth accommodates different body shapes for people of all sizes.

4. Lower Back Firmness
The lower back firmness or stiffness control allows you to set a constant amount of firmness / stiffness to help maintain your lumbars natural position.

5. Height, Depth, Width, and Pivot Arms
The Leap chairs arms telescope in and out, move forward and back, pivot and adjust up and down so you can find a nuetral position that effectively supports your wrists, forearms, shoulders and neck.

6. Natural Glide System
As you recline, the seat moves effortlessly forward so you can recline without leaving the reach of computer, so you stay in a position of workablilty. This promotes more varied postures so there’s less static movement on your spine.

7. Flexible Seat Edge
Whenever you recline or move forward, the edge of the seat flexes to relieve pressure on the back of your legs.

8. Upper Back Force
Upper back force control enables you to set the amount of resistance on the chair as it reclines. This is useful to accommodate individuals from 50lbs to 300lbs. The chair can move with all sizes of people.

To truly appreciate these features we have outlined we highly suggest you sit in a Leap chair for yourself. Another great feature besides ergonomics is the leap chairs ability to hold its value. They are one of the most highly sought after office chairs on the pre-owned office furniture market. The main reason for this is because they are very durable and hold their shape after years of use…not to mention they look cool. Ha Ha. We hope this article has help you make the right decision in your office chair purchase. If you are looking for an affordable, high quality, durable, pre-owned office chair the Steelcase Leap Chair is your best bet.

Grant Jones

Bridge Logistics offers a series of shipping tips. Take a look at our professional opinion on what’s most important when shipping office furniture.

One man’s cubicle is another mans… Well you get where we’re going with this. Just because it’s pre-owned doesn’t mean it’s not worth proper shipping and handling! But seriously, what is the best way to ship a few 6×6 cubicles? Hopefully you’re not throwing the new desk you just spent your hard earned money on into your neighbor Fred’s pickup, Lol. But if you are we recommend you stop that! Whether you are relocating or shipping new or used furniture, you have several options. Here are a few important things to keep in mind.

• Carrier Compliance: Have you verified your carrier is within FMCSA and USDOT regulations? This is perhaps the most vital factor to consider when shipping freight. You wouldn’t get a new roof installed without first checking out your roofer, would you? Well the same should go for shipping your freight!
• What Type of Equipment Will You Need: Deciding which method of shipping to use can be difficult. We’re here to help! The truth is you have several options which include truckload services, LTL, or blanket wrap. Take the time to fully research all shipping options to determine you are achieving the best solution. Or call us and we’ll explain your best options and help to get your shipment arranged.
• Time Management: It ain’t as easy as it looks! Shipping freight can be a timely task. The best way to effectively manage your shipment without devoting all of your time to getting it done is by working through one point of contact. Partnering with a transportation intermediary can help eliminate the headache involved with shipping not to mention free you up from the tedious details involved.

“We recently completed an office furniture relocation. This project was a 15 trailer project from the Washington DC area. Bridge Logistics provided trailers on time and completed the job as requested. They also responded quickly when our timing changed and when last minute trailers were needed. Bridge did a Great job for us and we continue to work with them on a regular basis. If you have similar needs I would recommend with confidence Bridge Logistics, Inc.” says Ken with West Michigan Office Interiors.

Be sure to stay tuned for our more in depth look at Carrier Compliance in our next feature.

Rebecca Strole

Bridge Logistics Inc.

http://www.bridgelogisticsinc.com

1. Know your floor plan. When you lease your office space chances are you have a CAD or DWG file somewhere. If the building or property manager tells you they don’t have one, they are lying unless the building was constructed in the 20′s. All modern office buildings are first designed on computers. It is essential that you know how many cubicles / desks you can fit into your space. Another thing to take note of is where the columns are located, they will impact how many cubicles your office space can allow. When you start the buying process with your office furniture dealer give them the CAD or DWG file so they can space plan in your office furniture.

2. Design. After you have given the CAD file to the office furniture dealer go over what you want to accomplish and how you want the space to look. Walk the office space and take note of where the windows are. You obviously don’t want to block the windows with cubicle walls. Its customary to purchase low cubicle walls next to windows. This is also the time to check the fire code to see how wide your walk ways should be between the walls and the cubicles ( your office furniture dealer will take care of this). Furthermore, let your office furniture dealer know if you would like any accessories at this time. This is the time in which the dealer creates their final prices to you so be detailed in your requests.

3. Educate Yourself. Its is extremely important that you go into your office furniture purchase knowing what type of employee will be occupying the cubicle. There are virtually limitless possibilities in cubicle configurations, sizes and design. Bottom line, you don’t want to start looking for an 8X8 cubicle if all your employees are telemarketers.

4. Take Your Time.  Dont rush the process unless you are on a time constraint.It is wise to start looking for office furniture at least 3 months out. This will give you time to find exactly what you need and effectively design it into the space. Allow at least 1.5 weeks for space planning and up to 2 weeks for delivery and installation. Those variables only apply to used office furniture. if you are buying new office furniture you have to deal with lead times ( how long it takes your furniture to ship). Shipping times for new office furntiure can be anywhere from one week to 3 months. ouch.

We hope this article has been useful to you. Remember to take your time, know your workforce and to have the CAD file ready before you start the process.

Thanks,

Grant Jones

CEO-CubeClerk

• They have an extreme flair for creativity
• They hire high end design firms.
• They have a diverse group of employees
• They care about their workforce
• They notice the little things
• The office appears to be environmentally friendly in some areas
• They have a high need for large social gathering places ( this is becoming more popular in all offices not just Google)
• It doesn’t look like their office caters to the mundane office cubicle
• They value team building ( you can see this from the value they place on their conference rooms.

Herman Miller Aeron Design Story

The Design started in 1994 with designers Don Chadwick and Bill Stumpf. They began work on the Aeron by thinking outside of the box on one concept…”What should an office chair really be”. Here are some of their conclusions.

Ergonomically, a chair ought to do more than just sit there. It should actively intercede for your health, (help you stay healthy) when you sit in the chair for long periods.
Functionally, it ought to move and adjust with your body in fluid motions. It should support you in all positions and in all tasks your job requires.
Anthropometrically, a chair needs to fit any size person not just large or small and it needs to not only fit them it needs to work with them.
Environmentally, it ought to be benign. Its needs to have minimal impact on the environment and use as may sustainable materials as possible.

The result of their hard work and design requirments birthed the Herman Miller Aeron. A chair that fit its user more than any other and it did so without fabric or padding of any kind.

Cool facts about the Aerons sustainability and design. 

• It adapts naturally to virtually every body
• It’s 94% recyclable
• Even if it’s black, it’s green!
• Aeron’s designers called for the use of renewable and sustainable raw materials
• They also made components easy to remove and replace for recycling thus extending the chair’s life span.

Designer Bill Stumpf stated,

“It was a matter of deliberate design to create a ‘new signature shape’ for the Aeron chair, competitive ergonomic chairs became look-alikes. Differentiation was a huge part of the Aeron design strategy, and it remains one of, if not the most, critical aspects of Aeron’s success.”

“The human form has no straight lines; it is biomorphic. We designed the chair to be, above all, biomorphic, or curvilinear, as a metaphor of human form in the visual as well as the tactile sense. There is not one straight line to be found on an Aeron chair.”

The Herman Miller Aeron is most likely the greatest office chair ever built or designed. It holds it value more than any other chair, even pre-owned Aerons can sell for over $500 (a testament to its design and durability). And even after 18 years the chair is still widely sold, remanufactured and sought after. Here are CubeClerk we are anxious to see just how long the Aerons steam will last. If its anything like the Herman Miller Eams chair line it will be a while.

Bathroom and Break room areas

1. Purchase paper towels and toilet paper made from 35-100% post-consumer recycled materials.
2. Eliminate paper, styrofoam, or plastic cups, plates and utensils in the kitchen area. Use mugs, dishes, and silverware instead.
3. Use environmentally-friendly cleaning chemicals for daily use such as a non-toxic multipurpose cleaner or glass cleaner.
4. Install a filtered water tap at your sink or a water cooler for drinking water, instead of purchasing bottled water, to save money and reduce waste.
5. Choose re-usable cleaning products like sponges instead of paper towels.
6. Purchase trash bins and liners made from 35-100% post-consumer recycled materials.
7. Offer an office composting program for food waste.

Business and Organization

1. Set computers to enter system standby or hibernate after 30 minutes of inactivity. Set monitors to enter sleep mode after 5 to 20 minutes of inactivity.
2. Print and copy double-sided when possible, to significantly reduce paper use and waste.
3. Inform your customers about your business’ efforts to become environmentally friendly and follow green practices.
4. Purchase products and services from green-certified or Green Business Bureau vendors.
5. Use a green web hosting service for your business’ website. This is typically available at the same price and is completely carbon neutral.
6. Reuse paper waste and have a scratch paper bin which people can use the back of unused printouts for drafts, scratch paper or internal memos, etc.
7. Implement a policy to purchase used or recycled office equipment and furniture.
8. Include “Please Consider the Environment” footer in all of your email signatures.
9. Choose re-used, recycled, or FSC certified boxes and bags for retail use or shipping.
10. Update the contact information on your company’s mailing lists regularly, to reduce wasted correspondence.
11. Reduce junk mail by removing your business’ name from national direct marketing databases.
12. Purchase Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) to off-set your business’ energy consumption.
13. Purchase ENERGY STAR qualified electronic equipment, globally recognized as the most energy efficient equipment available in the market.
14. Eliminate envelopes from marketing materials – use fold and mail when possible.
15. Sign up to pay your bills online and receive invoices and receipts electronically.
16. Enroll in a waste exchange program where your waste can become another company’s resource.
17. Donate a portion of your profits to an environmental cause.
18. Request that your payroll service eliminate the printed version of the pay stub and envelope. Ask them to email pay stub information instead.
19. Examine entire supply chain, including overseas suppliers.
20. Eliminate unnecessary paper forms; instead use electronic forms when possible.
21. Establish a paperless billing program for your customers and encourage use by creating incentives.
22. Complete a solid-waste assessment to help identify and quantify the items in your business’ waste stream.
23. Use rechargeable batteries, instead of disposable alkaline batteries.
24. Reserve one day a year when your company volunteers for local environmental or community projects (e.g., Habitat for Humanity, Earth Day, Save a Tree).
25. Relax the office dress code to allow for attire that doesn’t require drycleaning. Also, encourage employees to make the switch to non-toxic dry cleaners.
26. Use water-conserving cleaning methods and strategies while cleaning.
27. Develop an energy conservation policy.
28. Set up an office supply re-use center.
29. Sell or donate unneeded furniture and equipment.
30. Serve and encourage employees to purchase local, organic and fair trade food and drink.
31. Optimize your servers and web hosting services.
32. Green your meetings, conferences and parties.
33. Use telepresence or other long-distance communication to replace travel when possible.

Office Space

1. Properly dispose of batteries, paint and chemicals, lightbulbs, and electronics.
2. Replace regular light bulbs with Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs (CFL), that last longer and save energy.
3. Install timers on non-essential electrical appliances.
4. Own/Lease your business space in a LEED certified building.
5. Establish a paper recycling program. Paper includes newspaper, office paper, direct mail, white and colored paper, cardboard, envelopes, magazines, and catalogs.
6. Expand your recycling program to also include: glass, plastic, and aluminum.
7. Arrange the workspace to take advantage of areas with natural sunlight; design future spaces with natural lighting opportunities in mind.
8. Upgrade from older T12 tube lights with magnetic ballasts to more efficient T8 or T5 fluorescent lamp tubes with solid-state electronic ballasts.
9. Use natural odor elimination.
10. Minimize air conditioning needs with natural ventilation.
11. Use air-filtering plants throughout the office to improve indoor air quality.
12. Use your lighting more efficiently with task lighting and daylighting.
13. Reduce phantom “vampire power” loads.
14. Use washable electrostatic furnace and air conditioning filters to reduce waste and improve indoor air quality.
15. Add insulation and a timer to your hot water heater.
16. Install a heat recovery system that converts waste heat to energy.
17. Recycle unwanted cell phones and PDAs.

Significant time and thought has been put into re-architecting Cubeclerk.com. We listened to both our customers and dealers and took what we learned to create an innovative, yet easy way for sellers to quickly liquidate their furniture and cubicles while letting buyers find great deals on premium inventory.

“Unlike many other ecommerce businesses, buyers and sellers in the used office furniture market have a huge challenge finding one another.” states Cubeclerk CEO, Grant Jones. “We have cracked this and have made used office furniture market much more liquid with the introduction of Cubeclerk Marketplace. While we still have a few more things to fine tune, our goal is to provide sellers with a fair market offer for any lot of furniture within 10 days of listing.”

“Used office furniture sellers typically don’t have the luxury of time or extra resources to sell their furniture”, said Grant Jones. “There are significant re-configuration and logistical challenges that come with selling 10 or 1000 cubicles, desks, and chairs. Our in-house experience and network of shipping and installation teams makes Cubeclerk the one stop shop for buying and selling used office furniture.”

Jones said, “The new updates have significantly enhanced usability and back-end workflow. We have been welcomed with a great deal of customer traffic and listings. In the past two weeks alone we have received over $9 million in high quality used office furniture listings.”

Future planned updates this year will include additional dealer integration and updates to inquiry and instant user notifications.

Cubeclerk is the fastest growing used furniture marketplace on the internet, specializing in top quality brands from Herman Miller, Haworth, Steelcase, Global, ION, Knoll, and Allsteel. Cubeclerk provides listing, configuration, and shipping services to greatly speed time to sale and processing. Dealers nationwide use Cubeclerk to promote their furniture to greatly improve visibility and capitalize on Cubeclerk’s active advertising and online promotion. For more information visit http://www.cubeclerk.com or call (800) 283-5947. For press inquiries, please email press(at)cubeclerk.com.

Cubeclerk and the Cubeclerk logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of SENJONS, Inc.

You don’t win in business by wasting money. Even the most successful entrepreneurs pinched pennies in the early days–and many still do. Here, several multimillionaires share their best cost-cutting tips when you’re trying to get your startup off the ground.

1. Cash in credit card rewards. Before the success of the George Forman grill super-charged sales at his direct-response television marketing firm, Rick Cesari became resourceful in using his credit card points to buy event tickets or thank high-performing employees by sending them on weekend getaways. Today, the founder of Seattle, Wash.-based Cesari Direct, charges between $125,000 to $200,000 on an Alaska Airlines Visa Signature card, and still uses the rewards to save several thousand dollars each year on employee perks at his $5 million company.

Related: Three Things to Know About Business Credit Cards

2. Skip the fancy furniture. “I didn’t buy new furniture for the first six years I was in business,” says Brett D. Reizen, CEO of Entertainment Benefits Group, LLC, Aventura, Florida, a $100 million provider of travel and entertainment services. Of course, you can start by checking out local used furniture shops or search on Craigslist. There are also furniture rental services likeCORT, which can reduce the upfront cash you need to outfit your office. It also sells that rental furniture at deep discounts when clients are done with it. Find more online at CubeClerk, an office furniture marketplace.

3. Recycle and reuse shipping supplies. Even though his online garden supply retail business, Growers House, skyrocketed to $2 million in revenue in its first nine months, founder Nate Lipton only spent $300 on shipping supplies. Whenever the Tucson, Ariz.-based business receives its shipments it turns around and reuses all the boxes. If you’re shipping via Priority Mail, the U.S. Postal Service also offers free boxes and envelopes. Of course, there are discount cardboard box sellers, such as UsedCardboardBoxes.com, you can turn to as well.

Related: Five Tips for Saving Money on Shipping

4. Be creative about space. Instead of springing for a posh office to sell RetroFitness health club franchises, founder Eric Casaburi used an extra room in one of his health clubs. It wasn’t pretty, he says, but it saved him more than $10,000 in office rent and also fit with the company’s bare-bones brand image. Co-working spaces are another option to cut costs. Cambridge, Mass.-based HubSpot was headquartered in a Boston co-working space until it hit 100 employees, sharing conference rooms, coffee machines, and even a receptionist and phone system. LooseCubes and CityFeet are good directories of shared and co-working office spaces.

Related: How Small Shops Economize by Sharing Space

5. Check out deal sites. Liz Gaspari, co-founder of Gaspari Nutrition, an $8 million nutritional supplements company based in Lakewood, N.J., uses daily deal sites like Groupon and LivingSocial to offer employee perks. Whether it’s through discounted meals and shows or gym memberships, the coupons have saved the company hundreds of dollars, she says. When it comes to business purchases, sites like RapidBuyr and Bizydeal can help you save on computers, office furniture and supplies, and even training courses.

6. Cross-train employees. Startups are no place for a “that’s not my job” attitude. After Jeff Platt began to train employees to fill multiple roles at his Sky Zone Indoor Trampoline Parks, he saved more than 5 percent on payroll for the $15.7 million Los Angeles-based recreation company. Casaburi did the same thing at RetroFitness, attending his first International Franchise Association trade show with the manager of one of his gyms acting as a franchise sales representative. “Having employees move from hat to hat to hat saves you money and keeps your operations lean,” he says.

Related: 10 Free Online Resources for Business Tech

7. Do your own research. In his boot-strapping startup days, Casaburi also used to conduct his own market reach by sitting in parking lots of prospective locations and counting the car and foot traffic to see if there was enough activity to support a new gym. He analyzed every metric, such as population, vehicle and foot traffic, and other aspects of his most successful locations and tried to find locations that had similar activity and characteristics. Now that he’s staffed up, he no longer does this himself, but he estimates he’s saved more than $100,000 per year in salary or consulting fees before he hired help. Instead of hanging out in parking lots, you can take advantage of technology like ZoomProspector, a free service that lets you find communities by parameters like community size, education levels, and recent job growth.

Material Selection. Older desks are made of solid wood. To be honest these are extremely heavy and come with an impressive price tag. If you’re looking for a high quality desk without the cost or wight go with a wood veneer desk or to save even more money start your search for a laminate desk. Laminate desks are durable, inexpensive and light wight so you can move them easily.

Metal and glass desks are also a practical  solution although they can be difficult to find on the used office furniture market. A plus for metal desk is if it starts to chip you can just have it re painted and poof… you have a new desk. If you do get your metal desk repainted look for an electrostatic painting service. It will allow the paint to stick to the surface more effectively.

Select the Correct Size. Of course your new desk needs the ability to hold all your paperwork, task lights, files, computer, keyboard, elbows, etc. However, most people forget that the desk needs to fit into your office space. Its a good idea to leave at least 42″ in the front of the desk where the guest seating will go. Same goes for the door area, always leave at least 42″ so the door can effectively open and close.

Location Location Location. Your desk needs to fit correctly into your space, take note of any columns that may be present in the space. This will greatly affect how your desk will be laid out. Watch the door area, windows, etc. If you are purchasing a u-shape desk you will need to get the correct hand of furniture. In laments terms… make sure you don’t accidentally buy a desk where both ends of the desk touch the wall…you wont be able to access your desk. Ha Ha.

Another reason to watch for the windows is its likely you will want or need a hutch for extra storage and appeal. When buying a desk with a hutch and the desk will be next to a window make sure the hutch is either not blocking the windows or will fit on another part of the desk.

Select your Accessories. Most business owners require a lot of extra space and accessories in general. Some things to look for are bookcases, files, storage bins, shelves, lateral files, keyboard trays, marker boards, wardrobe towers etc.

Prepare the Location. After you buy your desk make sure the space is clear of debris and clean. Its also a good idea to have any hallways or elevators ready for use. You may want to check with your building or property manager to view required regulations on when and where large deliveries can be made.

~Grant Jones

Even though most people think that AO1 is for the budget conscious  or the famed boring boss think again. Herman Miller AO1 has transformed over the years to still make a dent in the market. In my opinion thats how you know something was done right the first time. The original design is still intact and it still competes with the coolest of cubicles like the Knoll Currents and even Herman Millers own Ethospace. Herman Miller has done a fantastic job over the years with reinventing the AO1 system. They even came out with a sister cubicle called Herman Miller Ao2 that provides a little more storage, more room for cables etc. I imagine when AO1 first came out you probably had a handful of fabric choices, sizes were limited and it was probably a tad pricey. Now, you can find the worlds first cubicle almost anywhere, you have an enormous arsenal of fabrics to choose from including your own custom fabrics and you can create almost any cubicle size. 

AO1 and Ao2 are loved by the furniture industry. I have been in the industry my entire life and I have never heard anyone say “man I just don’t like Herman Miller Ao1″. LOL. The reason its so loved is that everyone knows the system..installers, sales people, even buyers. Its easy to tear down, reconfigure, store in a warehouse and stacks beautifully in a truck for shipping. Its also one of the most widely sold used cubicles in the world, CubeClerk alone has over 300 ads of Herman Miller Ao1. Its doesn’t even stop there. There is so much Herman Miller Ao1 in the used office furniture market that it spun off another industry…the remanufactured market. There are office furniture dealers that buy up loads and loads of old, dirty AO1 and AO2 and clean it up. They re-paint all the files, overhead storage units and shelves. They re-fabric all the panels and add fresh laminate to the work surfaces. After they are done the cubicle looks brand new. You can buy remanufactured cubicles at very low cost. They are more expensive than buying straight pre-owend but then again you got new paint, fabric and surfaces. 

Herman Miller AO1 truly is the classic cubicle. It was the invention of the century when it comes to the workplace. It has stood the test of time, created multiple industries in and of itself and allowed thousands of industry professionals to fall in love with creating cool, functional office spaces.

~Grant Jones

1. Herman Miller Ethospace has some of the most high-tech features of any cubicle on the market. It offers a huge cable capacity inside each panel and boasts above and below work surface power options. 

2. Ethospace can also evolve with your business. Whether you want to change out a single tile or reconfigure an entire floor of cubicles, Ethospace can handle the job. As a general rule, Ehtospace is one of the most highly reconfigured sysems on the market.

3. It was the first frame and tile system to hit the market. We have all seen the standard cubicle panel or wall. One solid color of fabric from bottom to top. Those are called monolithic systems. They offer one color per panel and inside the panel is either particle board or a dense card board. Herman Miller Ethospace was the first cubicle that was frame and tile. Meaning it comes with a rigid, hollow steel frame and tiles clip onto that frame. This was revolutionary to the industry becasue you could now store wires inside the panel walls and have the ability to stack panels on top of one another and change tiles to suit your color and customization needs.

4. Ethospace also comes with a wide variety of options to choose from. Poeple who buy Ethospace on the new market will almost always get high quality fabric, paper management tiles, glass tiles etc. It makes it an ideal canidate for their office furniture purchase.

5. Buying Used Herman Miller Ethospace is a great way to furnish your office with the most up to date, technologically sound system on the market. A new Ethospace cubicle could run you at least $3,500 EACH. When buying preowned or used you can get them for around $900 – $1,300 each. Thats a big difference. However, act fast on your purchase. These caliber of cubicles do not last long on the used office furniture market.

We hope this article has helped you to better understand the uses and benefits of Herman Miller Ethospace. If you require assistance on your office furniture purchase or need help finding the right cubicle please give us a call at 800.283.5947.

Don’t get me wrong, above surface power is not just for younger employees to plug in their iPods or iPads. Its also very useful because more and more employers are switching to laptops and some even tablet devices. In those cases its essential to have above surface power. Imagine crawling under your desk every time you wanted to plug in your laptop. Its either that or buy and extra power cord…..No thanks. In my opinion above surface power is one of the first steps in showcasing your companies drive for change in the workplace. The days where you can have a power strip running along the floor are coming to an end. Employees need and want more from their cubicle. Its not just about solitary confinement anymore. I know so many data entry people, coders, marketers etc that love to plug in their iPods or iPhone while they work. I even love to work while listing to music. Its a great way to stay focused and not disturb anyone else. Above surface power can also be useful to outside sales people with touchdown sites at a location. They come in with their laptops and PDA’s, plug in, connect to wifi at the office and they are good to go. All you lack now is an onsite Starbucks. LOL. In addition, above surface power can be useful for companies that adapt on a regular basis. Lets say your current employees have no need for above surface power but in 3-4 years they might. Shoot you may have a different team sitting in those cubes all together. Its just a smart move to plan ahead for change. Above surface power is not even that expensive. It usually a very doable purchase. One thing to note: not all systems carry above surface power. You will have to find a cutting edge system to accommodate this. We recommend Herman Miller Ethospace, Knoll Currents, Steelcase Kick, Steelcase Turnstone. Those systems have the best technological benefits. They just so happen to be some of our top sellers. Funny huh?

Cheers,

Grant Jones, CEO

Standard Cubicles

When we say standard we mean a 6X6 or 6X8. Those are the two most popular sizes of cubicles however, its not uncommon to see a 5X5 or even smaller these days. SO what would be the standard layout ( how your cubicles are arranged in the space)? All office furniture dealers will try and get you to use a spine with wings layout. Meaning You have cubicles running down the center of your office space with one common spine along the center and you have wing panels coming off of that spine. The reason this type of layout is the most common is it allows you to reuse panel walls on other cubicles (the spine panels get used for two cubicles). This saves money and in most cases space. It is by far the most widely used layout and in my opinion the best.

Cubicles Along a Wall

Some businesses will come into an office furniture dealership and want all their cubicles along the walls of their space, this creates a huge expanse in the middle of the office allowing for numerous things to take place, extra conference rooms, teaming tables, training rooms ect. We always, always shy against this type of layout. It is the most expensive layout their is and is a very poor use of space. When you build cubicles in your space you want to pack as many in as you can. This creates the questions: what if we’re not going to fill up the office space at this time? Well, its still a good idea to use a spine with wings layout because if you ever need more cubicles you won’t have to tear the ones that are standing down and relocate them and you are getting more bang for your buck office space wise. We rarely see an office with cubicles along the walls. When we do see it, we think…looks like the sales person couldn’t convince them otherwise. Ha ha ha.

Serpentine

A serpentine layout is a fairly common layout in telemarketing offices. This layout is almost always sold to the customer as a new product instead of used or preowned. A serpentine layout looks well, like a serpent or a snake. It utilizes 120 degree connectors instead of 90 degree connectors to join the cubicles at the ends. This too is a very poor use of space. In most cases the buyer will see a photo of this in a brochure and fall in love with it. It looks cool when its up but it can be very difficult to sell on the used office furniture market.

Floor to Ceiling

Floor to ceiling stations are cubicles that go from the ground and attach to the ceiling grid. These are rare and they take a very special buyer. You will almost never find these in large quantities on the used office furniture market. If you want floor to ceiling cubicles you will really need to buy them new. These cubicles are very, very expensive. But they can be reconfigured in any space and if you actually reuse them (which most companies never do) they will pay for themselves. However, floor to ceiling cubicles are mooch more expensive than drywall. We urge you to think long and hard before purchase this type of cubicle. They are bulky, expensive and in most cases difficult to install. You would really have to be going for a certain look.

I hope this article has been useful to you. As always if you have any questions about your office furniture purchase or require assistance in finding the right cubicle please call us at 800-283-5947 or email us at support@cubeclerk.com.

Cheers, Grant Jones CEO

Poor seating creates very distressed employees and keeps people from being able to concentrate for extended periods.  And while Herman Miller Aeron is a durable chair, other leading manufacturers like Knoll, Humanscale, and Steelcase have taken ergonomic seating to the next level.

In a review recently released by medicalxpress.com they found five top office chairs for  maximizing ergonomic seating comfort.  We all know poor seating creates distressed employees and keeps people from being able to concentrate for extended periods. Browse through our selections and give your employees a chair they can work hours in from a leading manufacturer like Knoll, Humanscale, Herman Miller, Steelcase or Haworth.

Top 5 Ergonomic Office Chairs:

Embody by Herman Miller: “The Embody is the healthiest Herman Miller work chair of them all.”

Life by Formway Design for Knoll: “A sexy, streamlined alternative to heavy, “all eyes on me” ergonomic office chairs like Embody is Knoll’s award-winning Life task chair (2002)”

Diffrient World by Humanscale Healthcare: “When you’re sitting in an office chair designed by Niels Diffrient, the man known as the “granddaddy of the ergonomic revolution,” you just know it has to be good for you.”

Leap by Steelcase: “Steelcase spent four years studying how the human body, specifically the back, is affected by extended sitting.”

Zody by Haworth: “the first task chair to score Cradle to Cradle Gold certification due to its high levels of recyclable and recycled materials.”

Regards,

Brent Gaynor ~ VP of Marketing

1. Know your budget. Most companies today prefer to save money. Wink, Wink. This, therfore explains why more and more companies are looking to used or pre-owned cubicles as a viable option. New cubicles can range from $1,500 all the way up to $10,000 EACH! Thats a stiff price. Used cubicles can range from $200 to about $1,200 for high end product. Now you see why so many businesses buy used cubicles. The savings are just too great. Also, be sure to leave room for shipping costs for your furniture. No office furniture dealers will state what the cost of shipping is per cubicle because its too difficult to know off hand. It helps if you look for cubicles in your area, obviously, the closer the furniture is to you the less the shipping will be.

2. Know your employees. In other words know what type of person is going to be sitting in the cubicle? What do they do all day? Do they require a lot of storage? Do they require a lot of filing space? Just some things to think about. We have noticed the cubicle getting smaller and smaller over the years, which is unfortunate. In general, the larger the cubicle the happier the employee. If your employees are telemarketers buy call center stations. If your employees require a little more privacy a popular size is a 6X6 cubicle. Top sizes for managerial cubicles are 8X8 and 8X10. Back in the old days an 8X8 was standard issue to everyone in the company.

3. Have your floor plan. Very important: have a DWG or at least a PDF file of the floor plan of your office space. This will expedite your office furniture purchase and help your office furniture dealer draw the furniture into your space to ensure it will fit. This will also dictate how many cubicles you can fit into the space, allow to make preparations for fire code and allow you to choose the layout of the furniture.

4. Have an electrician ready. Most office furniture buyers don’t realize that you have to hire an electrician to hook up your cubicles electrical. It is always a good idea to obtain several bids on your office furniture electrical needs. Your electrician will want to see the furniture drawn into the space which was outlined in step 3 above. He needs this information so he knows where the base feeds or (power cords) will attach to the wall or ceiling. Electricians typically come into the space while the furniture is being installed to make the connections.

5. Have a data provider and installer. Data is obviously essential in todays workplace. This situation is very similar to the electrician. He will need drawings of the furniture, this is so he knows how many miles of wire to pull and to bid for. he too will be there on installation day.

6. Storage options. Choosing the correct amount of storage is not difficult at all however, the more storage you have in each cubicle the higher the price. I always tell people, when in doubt get more storage. You never hear anyone say ” man I just have too much storage”. Typically each cubicle will have one box box file and one over head storage bin. If your employees require more storage than that you could go with a lateral file and an over head storage bin. The options for starge are limitless. You wil find that most used cubicles come with an adequate amount of storage. Quick note…shelves are a thing of the past. We rarely see cubicles with shelves. If choosing between a shelf and a overhead storage bin, pay the extra money for the overhead storage bin. They are lockable and hide clutter.

7. Extras. If I were buying my office cubicles I would tack on a few extra items that spruce up the look and feel. Here are a few items you can think about. Keyboard trays, marker boards, glass tiles, above work surface power, lateral files, mobile pedestals, drop down wing panels, up lighting ( very cool).

I hope this post has been beneficial to you in your office furniture search. As always if you have any questions about your office furniture purchase please call us at 800.283.5947.

It is our opinion that a new breed of entrepreneur is hitting the stage. We have consistently received calls from business owners in their late 20′s and early 30′s when in the past most of our calls were in there late 40′s or 50′s. I myself am 28 so I can testify as to why a young business owner would want Herman Miller Resolve in their office space. Im going to go out on a limb and attempt to speak for the whole of my age group. Our generation doesn’t like being stuffed or crammed into

an office space and we don’t want our employees to feel that way. We like open, creative workspaces that harness creativity and complex thought. I want my employees to talk to each other, to work together and to hopefully be more productive in the process. I also don’t require a private office of my own. I sit in a cubicle thats exactly the same as my employees. I want to be apart of the creative process just as they are, after all I am a part of the team. Why should I get a bigger cubicle or
private office just because I own the company? To satisfy my own ego? No thanks. If I need to speak privately with someone there is a conference room available. I like Herman Miller Resolve not just because its versatile but because of what it represents. Cliche? I don’t want my company to be the average. I don’t want floors of cubicles packed with people that don’t enjoy their work. I want a company like instagram where I hire the right people and I create the right environment so we don’t need 50 employees we only need 10. In my opinion the right person coupled with the right working atmosphere can be 10 times more productive. At CubeClerk we have very outspoken, creative people on board. I know the type people we hire, because I’m the same as them. If I stimy or shoot down their ideas they will get bored and eventually want to leave the company. In order to facilitate their ideas we have a massive marker board where they can jot down ideas as they pass by and we discuss the board later that week. No one is considered greater than or less than. Everyones opinion counts. There is always someone that knows something you don’t. Also, i think that my generation likes cool stuff. Ha Ha Ha. We love iPhones, iPads, Androids, MacBook Pros, cool apps and most importantly we love using those apps. I just can’t envision creating a drab office environment that doesn’t have wifi, or cubicles to where you can’t see anything or be able to talk to the person next to you. If our employees need quite, put in your earbuds and go to town. I prefer skull candy or beats earbuds, don’t waste your money on bose. I have tried them all. LOL.

Startups also love Herman Miller Resolve because its inexpensively cool, especially on the used market. If you bought Resolve brand new out of the box, yes, its going to cost you big bucks. For this reason most startups were going after Hon Consensus for years. Its the least expensive “new” cubicle on the market and was the most sold cubicle for a long time. One thing you should know, Hon in general almost never makes it to the used marketplace. Why, because it falls apart. Thats all I’ll say about that. Buying used or pre-owned herman miller resolve can save you thousands of dollars and still allow you to have that cool office you always wanted. You can have the lighting, the cool filing cabinets the works and for pennies on the dollar. Another thing to keep in mind while shopping CubeClerk for Resolve…please act fast. I know I have said it before and it sounds like a cheap marking scheme. Used office furniture saves people thousands of dollars, you are not the only one looking at that particular load of furniture. Once its gone, its gone forever. They don’t manufacture used cubicles. So act now!

I hope this article has been in-lighting as to why I think Herman Miller Resolve is becoming more popular. As always if you have questions you can email us at support@cubeclerk.com or call us at 972.716.9978.

Cheers,

Grant Jones ~ CEO

Productivity

It is my believe that productivity will be the area most impacted by new technology in the coming years. We have already seen tremndous enhancements in collaborative meetings (FaceTime) (Skype) etc. My prediction is that functions like FaceTime will become a backbone of communication in the workplace. It won’t just be something you do with your parents and grandkids, it will be something that is used to meet with multiple people across the world. You will be able to instantly show multiple people your desktop screen and all parties will be able to interact with your screen as if it was there own…with the touch of a finger. The really cool part is that you would be able to do this from a coffee shop, your home, your cubicle…anywhere. Employees could now work just as easily from home as they could at the office making it much more difficult to play hooky. You could also enable live chat with a real persons face on the other end much more efficiently. It will become foreign to speak to someone without seeing there face. I imagine the makeup companies will not be lacking. Entire offices could participate in the fun as well, imagine having a staff meeting where all your employees are present but in different parts of the world or being able to select a certain group of people in your office and video chatting with them while they are spread out across the office space. Neat.

Emails

So what about email, everyone talks about future technology but in my opinion they neglect one of our most fundamental systems. I believe that email will almost always exist in some fashion it will just transform. There are numbers ways in which it could be enhanced upon. Having to compose an email for instance, a slow process for most. I believe emails will no longer be sent through your mail server, but information will be passed along a world wide cloud that everyone and every company is a part of. Ooooo the security problems. Lets hope that gets ironed out. Instead of sending an attachment, the cloud knew what you were discussing in the email and you could grant access to certain files in your cloud to another person. This technology already exists just on a smaller scale. If everyone stored information in the same place it would allow information to be moved and shared more efficiently. You wouldn’t have to wait on attachments to be uploaded to the server, they would already be there. All the recipient would have to do is access the file. I also believe that paper will be a thing of the past. There is no reason even today that paper should exist or be used on a massive scale. All documents will be saved and stored electronically. Huh, you could fit all the files in the pentagon in your pocket, talk about space saving technology.

The Office

The office space will be different all together. Bulky desktops will be replaced with hand held iPad (tablet) devices that all employees will be issued. Instead of cubicles, your office could don a very sophisticated hospitality feel almost like a huge coffee shop for some. Employees could use their device for everything, taking calls, video chatting with clients, accessing the pertinent company information. I also invision the capacity for employers to show and view all their employees tablet screens all at once, effectively keeping an eye on everyones work at once. When a manager is needed he simply joins the video chat. This also allows people to easily stand and do other activities while they work. They wouldn’t be stuck in one place. They could work from this side of the office one day and in the foyer the next. Location based work becomes a thing of the past.

These have been just of few of my daydreams about the future of technology. I could go on all day but I don’t like writing. Oh and one more thing, I believe everyone will use their voice to communicate, whether your voice is translated to text or you send a voice message. However, video will be the next big wave. I could go into holographic imagery, teleportation and flying cars but thats another post.

Cheers,

Grant Jones

How do companies create these cool office spaces? 

1. Use a design firm. The number one thing companies do to create an office like this is hire a design firm. Spaces like the ones below are created by professionals. Not only would have to know your way around a color wheel. You would have to know about furniture selection of multiple brands, styles and sizes. If you aspire to create an office there are some great interior design firms to choose from. The best ones we know of are Gensler, HKS, HOK.

2. Utilize natural light. If you notice almost all these spaces feel open and airy. This is in part because they allow natural light to do the work instead of drab incandescent bulbs. If you are designing your space and you don’t have the option for a ton of natural light, choose your bulbs wisely. You can actually find light bulbs that imitate natural light.

3. Think out side the box. Don’t always go for the norm. Its so easy to shop for your office furniture based on price and lets face it, these companies threw out the check book when they built these offices. However, you can select cool looking office furniture on a budget with CubeClerk. One of the most popular cubicles our dealers stock is Knoll Currents cubicles. They are very stylish, design friendly and come packed with features. There are companies that seek out these cubicles on the used market on a regular basis. Quick Tip: If you find a cubicle system on the used market ” PULL THE TRIGGER”. Don’t wait to buy them. Chances are, another buyer is waiting to snatch up your would be office furniture.

4. Know Your Work Force. I can’t believe Im about to say this, but not all people are cut out to work in an office like this. EEEEK. In my opinion these types of offices “could” be  better suited for a design oriented staff. One that promotes creativity and forward thinking. If most of your staff is data entry and you don’t want your office space pulling out the A.D.D. in your employees than you could shy away from the bright colors and lean more towards neutrals. We have noticed companies creating different environments for different departments. The marketing department almost always has something cool. Poor telemarketers…we’ve all seen it. Sitting there in their tiny cubicle, having to look at your co-worker all day long while they pick their nose or talk to their mother.

5. Select the right space. If you are going after this type of space or something like it you need the right office space. Spaces like this are almost always on the first floor. Given, spaces like these will fetch a pretty penny but all in all they are worth it. You will need the correct commercial real estate broker. We recommend CBRE, Grubb & Ellis, Staubach or Caldwell Watson.

Cheers,

Grant Jones

Check Out These Cool Spaces

Know your brand. When trying to sell your office furniture its crucial to know what kind of office furniture you have. It will determine how much you could possibly earn from it. Brands like Herman Miller, Steelcase, Knoll, Allsteell will fetch more than brands like Hon, Office Depot, Ikea and the like. In most cases office furniture dealers will not even entertain buying your furniture if its its not one of those top brands.

What size is your office furniture. Its important to note the size of your office furniture. If you have cubicles dealers will want to know what the footprint is ex: 6X6, 6X8 etc. If you have desks measure the front of each desk in inches. Most desks are around 72”. Do the same with every piece of office furniture you are going to sell.

Inventory, inventory, inventory. Know how many pieces of furniture you have. This will be greatly beneficial to the office furniture dealer that would want to purchase your office furniture. I suggest creating a spreadsheet of all the times you have and noting the quantities. Although the dealer will likely come to inventory your office furniture himself it still help s to have a point of reference.

Don’t get sticker shock. Almost all businesses that are selling their office furniture for the first time have some kind of sticker shock. Reason being, if you bought your office furniture new you paid a premium. Most likely several thousand dollars a piece for your cubicles, thousands of dollars for conference tables and seating etc. You want to get most of your money back, especially if your furniture is in good condition. Unfortunately, this is not usually the case. Used cubicles can get anywhere from $50 a piece to $250 a piece depending on the quality, the brand, the quantity you have available and so on. A NICE desk can get around $500, chairs get around $20…you get the picture. Why does this occur? Keep in mind that the dealer that buys your office furniture still has to tear it down, ship it and store it which greatly adds to his cost of owning your office furniture and on top of that he has to turn a profit.

Take high quality photos. High quality photos are essential to gain dealer interest in your product. The more high quality photos you have the better.

Floor plan. When you bought your office furniture you likely had a floor plan of how it was laid into the space. Its a plus if you have this available to give to dealers. Dealers will want to see how the furniture fit into the space. This helps them identify how they could potentially reconfigure the furniture for a new buyer.

Have sufficient quantity. Office furniture dealers have minimums of what they will buy. Most of them will not look at your project if you have under 20-30 products to sell. The higher quanity of items you have to sell the more interest you will receive. Most projects that are bought by dealers are in the 50 cubicles – 200 cubicle range. Desks are a different story, if you have 10 high quality desks a dealer could still be interested but it varies. You could always give us a call to go over what you are trying to sell. 972.716.9978.

Keep it standing. If at all possible try to keep your office furniture standing or built. Some companies have no choice but to tear down the furniture and store it themselves to make room. Trying to sell your office furniture with it torn down would be like trying to sell a car when its in the shop. It can be done but its more difficult.

Know your office building guidelines. Most building have rules about what elevators can be used, what time of day install crews can access the site, what dock to use. In general here are the best case scenarios. Its best to have access to a dock high dock so that an 18 wheeler could access the building. Its good for installers to have access to the space during normal business hours, its good to have designated freight elevator. Having those things will likely boost the price of your office furniture because the dealer spends less money tearing down and shipping your furniture.

Utilize CubeClerk. We are always at your disposal whether your looking to buy office furniture or sell your existing furniture. CubeClerk has the nations largest used office furniture dealer database. All the members who list office furniture on CubeClerk also buy office furniture. You can list your products with CubeClerk and put your office furniture in front of them in minutes. There is not another service like this on the planet. We have helped countless people sell floors and floors of office furntiure at a minimal cost. Cal us today to find out more. 800-283-5947.

Cheers.

Grant Jones

Know What You Want

For starters its always important to know what you want to buy or your superiors want to buy. It happens every day, we create a lead on CubeClerk and the shopper says, I don’t really know what Im looking for. This takes up valuable time and if you have read our “Tips on Buying Used Office Furniture” you know that when you buy used office furniture time is of the essence because the furniture can get sold to another buyer very quickly and you would have to start your process all over again. So its important for you to decide beforehand how many cubicles you could need, what size your employees would like to site in or what they need to sit in. . Same goes for conference tables, chairs and the like. We are not saying that us or one of our dealers won’t help you find the perfect cubicle, conference table or chair. We are simple saying give us a place to start, its will speed everything up and make the process less painful for everyone.

Browse By City or State

When you start shopping for office furniture on CubeClerk its always wise to start in either your city or state. You can quickly find the largest city closest to you and all the adjoining office furniture by clicking the Top Used Furniture Cities sidebar on the home page. The reason its important to shop by City or State is it will dramatically cut the cost of shipping your office furniture to your location. Remember, on CubeClerk we have office furniture all over the Untied States and even Canada so choosing office furniture somewhere close to you can be a big help.

Know You Price Point

This may sound a bit forward but we know that CubeClerk has the best deals on office furniture…in the world. You will not find more deals on office furniture than you can find on CubeClerk. So why shop anywhere else?  Knowing your price point or what you want to pay is essential to quickly finding what you need. Its important to note that all the prices on CubeClerk are per piece. So if a price says $599, it means that each cubicle is $599 same goes for chairs and so forth. If you know that you have $50,000 to spend on office furniture and you need 50 cubicles we would recommend a price range between $300 and $400 per cubicle possibly even lower. Reason being you have to allow wiggle room for shipping and installation.

We hope this blog post will aid you in your office furniture buying escapade. If you have any questions please feel free to contact us at sales@cubeclerk.com

Cheers.

Interior Designer

If you haven’t already done so and you have the budget left over, which you probably do because you’re shopping on CubeClerk we highly recommend hiring an interior designer to design your office. Designers have the expertise and know how to select the perfect colors, fabric swatches, flooring, paint colors you name it. Most interior designers are paid by the hour and are very reasonable with their time. So if you have the money, hire a professional.

Color Selection

Just like everything else color is a matter of opinion. It really comes down to what you like, what your business colors are and so forth. If we had to give one piece of advice on color selection it would be to make sure your colors match, nothing worse than having colors that clash, having red carpet with orange chairs is most likely a no no in any case. Also, if you have the option to choose the color of your flooring or carpet choose something neutral. Flooring in an office space is the color you will see the most of so choose wisely. In addition, color can set the mood of your office. If everything in your office is red, its likely your employees want to jump out the window. Most companies either go with clam blue colors, easy neutrals, or flashy greens and violets. ( Writing that down made me feel like a pansy).

Go Easy on the Clutter

Cardinal rule: don’t over crowd your office space!!!! Theres nothing worse than going into an office that is seating 200 people when it should seat 150. Jamming people into a space will not only hurt the look of your office but the work flow of your staff. This applies to conference rooms, private offices..everything. We see it all the time, we go into a conference room and see two buffet credenzas on each end of the table when it should have one or a private office with a small conference table that clear doesn’t fit in the space. So the lesson is here, if you’re running out of office space go find a bigger space.

Lighting

If you have ever seen a photographer at a wedding you probably noticed that he fiddled with his lighting apparatus quite a bit. Always checking the settings and switching lights. Reason being is lighting can make or break the shot. Same goes for your office. Natural light is always best for your space. Not only so your workspace feels open but so your employees don’t feel trapped all day. How do you active more natural light? Obviously you would need more windows or if you’re really lucky if you have an option for a skylight. If you find your office space to be lacking in the natural light department you can always supplement with regular incandescent lights. I prefer can lights or track lights but those don’t always fit the bill..literally. Most offices use track lighting or can lighting for a show piece conference room or board room where they would wine a dine potential customers if you will.

We hope this article has brought you one step closer in achieving a great looking office space. If you require assistance in finding the perfect chair, cubicle or conference table that would make your office stand out in a crowd feel free to contact us at sales@cubeclerk.com.

Cheers.

Here are some of our staff picks over at cubeclerk.

Panel Extenders

Ever noticed the peeping tom in your adjacent cubicle? Well now you can easily put an end to the low levels of privacy with Obex panel extenders. Obex panel extenders easily attach to the top of any cubicle and to any work surface with ease. They come in a wide array of colors and are available in sizes from 24″ – 72″. The panels include acoustical tiles, polycarbonate tiles, or custom printed tiles so you are sure to find a panel that fits your individual needs. We are seeing more an more clients purchase panel extenders for their office, especially in telemarketing environments.

Peel and Stick Whiteboard / Notepads

Ever had an idea and you couldn’t find the right surface to quickly jot it down? These peel and stick marker boards are compact enough to fit anywhere in your cubicle. They are constructed of vinyl with a small amount of adhesive which means you can re-stick them up to 5 times around your office or cubicle. These are almost like post it notes but better. The notepads come with 4 blank notes, 3 lined notes, 3 check-box notes, and 1 dry erase marker and are 5.5″ x 8″ in size. Notepads start at $19 but think about it, you can re-use them over and over.

Build Your Own Keyboard Tray

Have carpal tunnel? We know the feeling. So why chince out on your keyboard tray? Humanscale has come up with an ingenious build your own keyboard tray feature on their website. You can customize the mechanism, keyboard platform, mouse platform, palm support and track length. We have never seen this many customizable options on a keyboard tray. With this list of features you should be able to find a tray that fits your individual needs from soup to nuts.

Check out our latest video of CubeClerk CEO Grant Jones speed modeling a cubicle. Talk about cubicle customization.

When you select an office furniture installer or you choose to use your office furniture dealer for the installation, they will likely handle most of the project management for you. All the office furniture dealers on CubeClerk will handle it for you unless you decide otherwise making the furniture buying experience as seamless and painless as possible.

However, lets say you wanted to hire your own install crew or just want some more information about the office furniture installation process. Here is how office furniture installation works from the ground up.

Click here for a list of our preferred Office Furniture Installation members.

Step One: Drawings

The office furniture installer would acquire drawings from either you or the office furniture dealer of the space. These drawings will show exactly how many cubicles, desks, chairs, files etc are going to be in the space, where they go, and in most cases measurements will be provided so the cubicles can be properly positioned in the space.

Step Two: Project Meeting

In medium sized to larger projects their will be project meetings so that the electrician, general contractor, data provider and installer can be on the same page. This is necessary because almost all cubicles have computers that are connected to the internet. So, as you can imagine its important for the data guys to know when the product will be installed so they can show up the same day to run the cables inside the cubicles, its important for the electrician to know where to run wiring for the cubicles to hook into and its important for the GC to know everything about everything.

Step Three: Installation Prep

Preparing for the installation is a simple process. You need to check with the building or property manger of the office space to see if there are any regulations that need to be met. Some property managers will make you install your office furniture after business hours as to not disrupt the whole building. Some will make you lay down a protective covering by the elevators, carpeted areas and so forth. Almost all buildings will require some for of insurance from the installer before they are allowed in. Just food for thought.

Step Four: Installation

Depending on the size of your project the actual installation time will vary. Remember, its not just the time to put the furniture together. It takes time to move large quantities of furniture out of the truck and up to your office space.

The first step to installing the furniture is obviously moving the furniture to your space. After which the product is staged. Meaning cubicle parts are laid out in their appropriate positions, conference tables are laid in their appropriate rooms and so forth. After staging is complete the installers will start building your cubicles who will be followed by the data company who is simultaneously wiring them for data. The data guy will want to start at this stage because the work surfaces of the cubicles will not yet be installed and it will be easier for him to move in and out of the cubicle. After all the cubicle walls are up the installers will move onto cubicle components such as files, overhead storage, work surfaces and shelves. Conference tables, break room furniture etc. could technically be installed at anytime during the office furniture installation. I will tell you, its important to save your office chairs for last. If your project will be going on for several days. Have your install company leave the chairs in there warehouse until the last day. If you bought the chairs yourself and are managing your own installation, be sure and ship the chairs to arrive the last day of installation. Why, with all the construction going on in most job sites, all the people moving in and out of your future space. Its very easy for your “Rolling” office chairs to grow legs. They are very easy to steal, so its important they arrive on the last day to avoid such a tragedy.

CubeClerk does not recommend that you manage your own office furniture installation. It is always better to leave some things up to the professionals. But hey, now you know how the process works and you can better assist your office furniture installer or office furniture dealer in their efforts.

Desks in general are for the top brass of the company. For the people that have worked hard, paid their dues and moved up in the company. So naturally people in these positions have more responsibility which means they will more than likely need more storage, more privacy and more space. Desks provide an ideal working environment for these people because they have more storage, and almost all desk have a built in conference table at the very end or the front of the desk…think about it. So how do you decide which desk is right for who? Here are the differences between a budget desk and a wood desk so you can better decide for yourself.

When selecting a desk that fits your teams needs it will come down to one thing price. Price is the major factor driving the purchase of your office furniture purchase but especially the desks you will purchase. Why? In most cases desks are more expensive than cubicles and the price range varies greatly depending on what you are looking for.

A wood desk, although more expensive is not what it seems. The desk is not solid wood. What it really is a a piece of MDF or particle board covered in a sheet of real wood called veneer. Veneer is whats making the desks more expensive, along with better glides for drawers, better hinges and so forth but veneer is the driving factor. Veneer allows the desk to look like solid wood, have a better finish and in general “look expensive”. When bought new veneer desks can range from $3,500 to tens of thousands of dollars. The great thing is, on CubeClerk you can buy a pre-owned wood / veneer desk that originally cost $15,000 for about $1,800. Now you see the allure of buying used office furniture. You can save thousands and thousands of dollars.

Budget desks are very similar to wood desks but instead of veneer they use a laminate finish. Most people have heard of laminate, its used on countertops, kitchen floors and so forth. Laminate is a man made product vs. veneer that is essentially a tree that has been cut long ways to produce a thin sheet of wood. The upside to a budget desk is they don’t scratch as easy so they tend to look better for longer and they are obviously cheaper than a wood desk. However, most budget desks will use a lesser grade of MDF or particle board so if they are moved around quite a bit they can break or split. But if you are looking for an inexpensive desk, you’re not planning on moving the desk around much a budget desk will suite your needs very well.

It all depends on what you want to spend. Both budget desks and wood desks can be purchased used without much worry. Just be sure to check out the storage options, color options and where the product is located so you don’t have to ship it cross country.  When you ship files and bulky items you are essentially shipping air. Something to think about.

If you have any questions or require assistance finding the right desk for your office email us at support@cubeclerk.com or call us at 972.716.9978.

Office chairs can be one of the most crucial office furniture purchases you can make. Lets be real, most office furniture dealers are going to quote you the cheapest office chair you can find. Office furniture dealers don’t make much money in the way of seating. If you were going to second guess a selection you made on your office furniture quote, let it be the office chairs. Office chairs can single handedly make or break your office space. Why? You can buy high quality cubicles that look very cool to attract new talent, buy conference tables that fuel creativity, select colors, carpet, computers and what have you to aid your work force but if you select crummy seating your employees will be uncomfortable ALLL day. Office seating is the backbone of your working environment. It is crucial that your employees are comfortable throughout the day and that that have enough adjustablity options so that the chair can fit their individual needs. Here are a few tips on buying quality office seating.

1. Don’t buy cheap.

Chairs are like anything else, you get what you pay for. If you go down to your local office supply store and pay $100 for a brand new chair….you could have done better. Those chairs may be comfortable for the first year but, soon after the seat pan will start to wear out and you will have to replace the chair or a host of others parts. Quality office chairs can last a very long time, their parts are warranted and they are not cheap. Here is a good rule of thumb to find out if a chair si worth buying: go up to the chair with one arm and pick it up by the arm rest, if its heavy / difficult to pick up you most likely have a quality office chair. It should be heavy. If its heavy it means the mechanisms within the chair are heavy duty, the materials used are high quality and the chair will last longer.

2. Buying used or new chairs?

Buying used office seating is done all the time but some businesses prefer to buy new office seating because they have been through the ringer on office seating before. Here are some good rules for buying used office seating.

Used office seating is a great way to save money on quality office chairs but, DO NOT ever buy low quality used office chairs. What do we mean? We mean a used chair that was originally purchased from a chain office furniture store. Chairs that are low quality to begin with are sure to be even worse when purchased preowned. If you do decide to save money buying pre-owned seating buy a name brand only. Herman Miller, Haworth, Steelcase, Knoll just to name a few are good brands to stick with. Their chairs last a very long time and can be purchased used without any problems. Herman Miller Aerons for instance are highly sought after in the pre-owned office furniture market as are Steelcase Leap chairs.

A chair that fits the office

Another good tip would be to find a chair that can fit any person in your office. People come in many different shapes and sizes, some big, some small, some heavy, some skinny. It important that you select and office chair to accommodate the bulk of your workforce. This means finding a chair that has many adjustments available. The most common are height, seat pan, arm rest and lumbar but their are chairs with over 25 adjustable options available. The more options the chair has, the easier it will be for your employees to fit right in.

These were just some basic guidelines for finding and buying the right office chair. If you have questions or require assistance in finding the right office chair please email us at support@cubclerk.com or give us a call at 972.716.9978.

The fact that used office furniture can save you money is not a new term. It can save you tens of thousands on your office furniture purchase. If you don’t believe us, go get a quote for new office furniture from your local dealer. You will see that used office furniture can come in up to 50% less.

So how does that effect you? Number one it saves you money but it also creates a problem for both you and the used office furniture dealer. Other companies from around the world like saving money too and used office furniture is not as prevalent as new. No one is manufacturing used office furniture. A load of furniture comes in, it gets sold, its gone forever. So there is a somewhat limited supply of used office furniture but that stops no one from buying it, you just have to know how to purchase it.

The Cardinal Rule of buying used office furniture is to act quickly. I know it sounds like a sales pitch…ACT NOW. Ha ha. But in this case its true. Lets say you are looking at a listing on CubeClerk for 50 cubicles. At any given time there could be up to 10 people eye balling that same load of furniture. The first company to pay for the furniture gets the furniture and remember once that load of furniture is gone, its gone forever. I have seen it time and time again. A company starts the process of drawing the furniture in the space and a company that has been looking at the furniture for some time comes in a buys the entire load making said shopper find something else. So how do you protect yourself from this? Have the money or down payment in hand when you are shopping for used office furniture. If you take too much time another company will come in and buy it from underneath you. The savings are just too great.

SO number one rule, have the money in hand and act quickly when buying used office furniture. Otherwise the process could take longer than expected. The good thing is, if you do have to start over, used office furniture has a zero lead time meaning it can usually be shipped right away. Almost all new office furniture comes with a lead time which can vary between 2 weeks to 3 months. Eeeek.

CubeClerk is here to supply you the highest quality used office furniture in the world. If you have questions about buying used office furniture or would like to discuss prossible solutions for your space email us at support@cubeclerk.com or call us at 972.716.9978.

Finding the right conference table at the proper length is actually one of the easier office furniture decisions you will make during your office furniture purchase.

1. Measure the room. No matter what size room you have the conference table needs to be at least 48” from the wall on all sides. You could always allow for more room than 48” but we would highly you keep the minimum length to 48” Why? Keeping the table the proper length from the wall is crucial not only for fire codes…hint hint…. but for allowing the chairs to easily slide in and out and still have enough room for people to walk around you with the chair slid out. This rule of thumb applies if you have a credenza or a buffet table in the conference room as well. Simply allow for 48” from the table and you will be good to go.

1. Whats the maximum number of people that will use the room at any given time? The reason you ask yourself this is to not only see how many conference rooms you will need in your office but to also decide what size the room needs to be before construction or what size conference table is appropriate for that particular meeting space. Heres the rule of thumb most office furniture dealers go by. If your space needs to seat 10 people you will likley need a 10’ conference table. If you have 20 people you will likely need a 20’ conference table. Knowing that, makes it much easier to shop for the proper table.

1. Power and data. When selecting a conference table you need to think of the power and data needs of your employees. In our office all our conference tables have power but no data. Why? In this day and age almost everyone has WiFi of some kind so we don’t really need an ethernet cable to connect to but….we do need power. We all sit down, connect our laptops to the receptacles, our laptops stay connected to the WiFi we were already on and we go to town. Another reason you would need power on your conference table is to power a projector if you so choose. We use projectors on a daily basis. Wont it be exciting when they invent wireless power??? You could walk around plugged into a power source just like you do the internet…..hmmmm.

We hope this article will aid you in your search for the right conference table. If you follow these simple rules of thumb on how what size conference table you need you will surely succeed. If you have nay questions or need help finding a conference table in your area give us a call at 972.716.9978 or email grant@cubeclerk.com.

What will your employees be doing in the cubicle. The most important thing when buying a cubicle is to know what type of work your workforce does. Are they on the phone all day like a call center, do they conduct small meetings in their cubicles, do they require a lot of storage for papers, files etc. These are things to think about before hand. You obviously don’t want to waste money on a 8X8 cubicle for a call center type environment and you don’t really want a person that requires a lot of storage jammed into a call center cubicle. A standard size cubicle is a 6X6 or a 6X8 call center cubicles can vary from 4X3, 4X4, 4X2 and there wall heights are usually low enough that you could see over them while sitting.

What about storage? If your employees require a great deal of storage you will need one or a combination of the below elements. Over head storage, Box box file, file file, or lateral file. Over head storage is what it sounds like, its the storage that hangs off the cubicle wall above the workers head. These are good for accessing binders, files and what have you. Box box files are files that have two small boxes then a file below that hence the name box box file. These files are good for workers that don’t require a large amount of filing space but need more room for other small office supplies. File file look exactly like a box box file but in place of the two boxes they have another file, so there are two files hence then name file file. File files can be a great way for employees to store a larger quantities of files and documents. Lateral files are like having two file files under the desk. These would best suite a person that handles very large amounts of fileable documents. If your employees require a mix and match approach to storage that can be accommodated. What is most commonly done is utilizing a box box file and a file file side by side so that the worker gets the best of both worlds and adequate amount of small storage with sufficient file storage.

Extras. In our opinion a cubicle extra would be anything that contributes to the appeal and comfort of a cubicle. Extras are not something to just pass by, they can greatly contribute to the happiness of your employees which in turn allows your workforce to be more efficient in their efforts. Here is a list of extras that you will want to think about. Glass tiles in your cubicle, having a drop down wall, lighting under the over head storage, marker boards, mobile pedestals (a mobile box box file or file file), Higher end fabrics and colors on the cubicle in general. Utilizing a few of the extras will help your office stand out, look professional, help you attract new talent and aid your work force in there efforts.

These were some simple tips on finding the right cubicle for your office space and workforce. If you have any questions about buying used cubicles please give us a call at 972.716.9978.

This is what a conference table would look like in virtual space.

The Allsteel collection comes at a reduced price with over 350 units. The units are
smaller than most standard cubicles at 5 ft. x 4 ft. dimensions. They would be ideal
for telemarket, customer service focused businesses with employees who share
office space while working on different shifts.

Inscape offers open design “L” shaped cubicles at 6 ft. x 6 ft. and 6 ft. x 9 ft.
dimensions. The units have a unique design with 54 in. paneling, 43 in. door panels,
and 24 in. x 24 in. work surfaces. They include a single drawer and a 30 in. wide
lateral per cubicle. Power ports are located in the spine under the surface and data
ports are above the surface on the wall panel.

Kimball Reasons units are uniquely modern using a variety of materials including
fabric, slatted walls and glass tiling. The units are 6.5 ft. x 6 ft. x 69 in. The work
surfaces are slightly angled on each side with the dimensions 24 in. x 42 in., 24
in. x 30 in. and a 24 in. x 36 in. return. Box – box – file and file – file pedestals are
included with each unit.

Harper’s Interworks Cubes have dimensions listed at 5 ft. x 8 ft. x 42 in. They are
sold in groups of 8 to 12 units. Each unit has a box – box – file and file – file pedestal
across from each other at the entrance. The units are “U” shaped and covered with
tan laminate and dark brown trim on the edges. The open design of these models is
perfect for the person who wants to modernize their place of business and present
an open office design. CubeClerk has 190 of these units currently in stock and ready
to go.

CubeClerk only offers the best furniture choices only after they are examined under
our rigorous inspection process down to the minute detail. We only accept the best
because our loyal customers only deserve the best! Our team of experts can help you
come up with an effective floor plan for your cubicle purchase as well as installation.
Many of the units also offer expedited shipping options. Due to popularity- we run
through inventory at an incredible rate so call ahead and do not let this amazing
offer slip through your fingers!