Where to get free boxes for moving?

Question

I refuse to pay for boxes and we are moving into a new house next week. Where is the best places to go to get boxes that wont have all food stains in them? Thanks!

Answer 1

Call your local grocery store that stocks canned products and tell them what you need. Their usually happy to save them for you if you pick them up after their done stocking in the morning.

Answer 2

You can try any storage unti faciltity. They usualle throw out tons of boxes and will more than likely let you have them for free

Answer 3

Your local store will have them from non-food departments. Also try other stores in the neighborhood.

Many stores will bale all of their boxes today so you will have to get there early. Offer to bring them back after your move so they can recycle them.

Try WalMart. I had to go the night before and ask and they saved them for me. They restock between 10 PM and 7 AM so you might try then. You can really pick and choose then.

Answer 4

I always see boxes in bins marked free at wholesale clubs. Try there if you are a member.

Answer 5

Me and my son went dumpster diving and found hundreds of boxes.  The best are behind the large fancy strip centers (not a mall).  We found the best boxes behind a large warehouse shoe store.  Free for the taking.  P.S.  Wear gloves and break the boxes down to fit flat in the car and trunk.

Answer 6

Call ahead to your grocery stores and ask what they will be stocking.  Most grocery stores have a procedure of crushing or flattening boxes and sending them in for money, and will not have whole boxes unless you specifically ask them to hold them.  If you specify what types of boxes you want (i.e.:  banana boxes, toilet tissue boxes, canned goods boxes) and they are available, they usually will hold what you ask for.  You need to specify how many as most only will save about a dozen or so.  

Another thing is find out which days they stock certain items (like shampoo/laundry stuff), if it is not a daily event, and call each week, if you have that much time to pack.

Occasionally you can find people who buy back boxes from packing/moving companies who will sell them for minimal prices (like $1-4 per box), but usually that is only in large cities, and you will usually find them listed in the newspaper, since it is based on what is available.

Third, call stores that don't sell groceries--but we've had really bad luck with them.  Most have to return their boxes to the parent company or have a contract with someone to buy their boxes to recycle.  Locally owned or smaller grocery stores have been our best supplier, and we usually have had to pick up in the wee hours of the morning (4:00 a.m.) to be able to get them before their slated destruction.  One place we've never been able to get boxes is Wal-Mart.  They had to return all their cases.  This was in a large city, however, and may not be true in small towns.

Oh, and check with office supply stores, and large business that do a huge lot of paperwork.  Hospitals come to mind--IV solution comes in wonderful packing boxes.  We would occasionally get paper boxes from an military arsenal had a huge bunch of offices.  However, you have to know someone that can bring them out, as you will be unlikely to get in as a civilian (which you may not be).

I have found that a lot of places will not let ANYTHING go out for fear that employees may think that you are getting special privileges and begin taking stuff for themselves.  I worked at a place that wouldn't even let you take a pop can home.  They considered it stealing.

Answer 7

call local store managers

They will let you know what time they take out their boxes

and you can choose the ones you want before they bundle them.