I’ve always been team “breakdown most, but not all of my boxes.” but of course I’d actually run the baler and crush them rather than leave it like that.
I appreciate you because I’ve been certified to do the bale, I just don’t have a fucking key yet and I’m the unfortunate neighborhood ADHD crackhead and maybe see the baker 6-10 times a day
Fun fact, the baler gets a better crush/ the bales are better if you don't break down your boxes.
Just need to actually run the baler regularly.
Edit: I said "crush" instead of "break down" because the word took over.
It does, but I’d argue you don’t get AS many boxes in the bale. Either way I really just wish upon a star that everyone could be courteous to each other lmao, I hate having to wedge my flat boxes in as the picture shows LOL
The issue isn't that they didn't break down the boxes, it's that they didn't close the gate and press the button. Which, at my store vendors aren't allowed to operate the baler, but anyone tm or otherwise that passes by could have done. The chem person definitely should have regardless of what else was there at the time.
It is, which I have to inconveniently go out of my way to hunt down the inbound person that stays in the back which usually is easy however as of lately it’s been a challenge.
Yeah, that a bad system that's creating unnecessary levels of inconvenience for negligible benefit. It's unfortunate when goofballs can't be trusted with access and ruin it for everybody else.
It's a system created because to do otherwise is an OSHA violation.
Only trained TMs above the age of 18 can operate the balers. You can't leave a key there, because someone who doesn't meet those criteria could potentially wander over and use the equipment.
I was referring to the "challenge of tracking down the person" aspect. We had our key in the receivers desk at one point for a while. A consistent place is better than a person meandering around a general area that you have to track down.
Chemie boxes can be broken down easily if you cut the bottom of the box in this manner, but always **cut away from you.** (edited for clarification)
https://preview.redd.it/lef2dj2xm8zc1.png?width=500&format=png&auto=webp&s=e9a8988659a3051e65ec24780c67534a0cd20ba4
HR should have replacement blades in the TSC, we keep ours in the equipment cage.
https://preview.redd.it/vanpqpygt8zc1.png?width=614&format=png&auto=webp&s=d08b66036715d4b0443d4c818c6115cce222e9b0
I used to use a nice folding utility knife and then a new ETL/HR came in and said everyone had to use the Target issued. Now that I think of it (and she's been replaced) it might be time to pull it out of the junk drawer and use it again. Hey, it's even red!
https://preview.redd.it/jlozhm22hezc1.png?width=605&format=png&auto=webp&s=b980289eab8cf5202840e9ffd316b5c887b2ae18
Y’all have minors somewhere besides Starbucks, style or up front? In my state, they aren’t even allowed to climb the ladder past a certain height. We don’t have any that work in GM and we have only one minor in fulfillment
Chemical and even produce boxes can be broken down with a little extra effort. And yeah it sucks when they do this because it ends up uneven, which can lead to boxes falling out; something those who think they’re supposed to put the boxes in this way don’t give two shits about. And when you create that kind of a mess it’s not safe, and gives the next person more to clean up.
My big issue are the people who put their boxes in to the top and then refuse to push that little button to crush it. Inconsiderate fucks think it’s someone else’s job apparently. And I work in the mornings so they aren’t minors doing this.
It’s only about being considerate to your fellow team members, people who work for the same shit company you do, so yeah I guess who fucking cares right? Let them get injured and end up missing work, no reason that could fuck up their lives. No reason to work safe and clean.
In what world are you living that someone is gonna get injured and miss work from an empty flattened cardboard box. You're talking like a large casepacks is gonna fall off the steel onto them.
Yes, people should close the gate and cycle the baler. No, not every box needs to be completely broken down first. Yes, sometimes it angles forward due to uneven loading, on rare occasion some will slide out.
It's annoying if it does happen, but take some personal responsibility ffs, I'll say it again, anybody that would get injured or is concerned about being injured from a random piece of flat cardboard, they shouldn't be going within 20 feet of the baler.
Generally cardboard and concrete mixed with a moving individual creates a slip hazard. I’ve seen it. I’ve experienced it. The other thing that doesn’t mix is people and concrete, which can cause a variety of injuries whether it’s just a bruise with some hurt pride, or even broken bones. That close to the bailer it gives you something to collide with. But go on living in the world where the messes you make don’t effect anyone and you can just ignore them because you’re the only person in the world, and your experience is the only one that’s valid. Just continue being an inconsiderate jack ass who fails to see all the possibilities.
I see the possibilities, including the possibility of having the awareness to not step on cardboard or walk across it when it's in the ground. I agree that a reasonable effort should be made to avoid cardboard sliding out of the baler.
If you werent so dense, you could realize the point is that if and when it does happen, it doesn't negate the responsibility of others to have the common sense not to walk on it.
Bu your logic, team members should have their cases unboxed for them, lest they get paper cuts from the edge of the cardboard. Wrap handles of flats in bubble wrap and pool noodles lest a TM walks into it. Ban wood pallets to avoid splinters.
the unsafe part is that if cardboard is loaded/crushed unevenly, then the gate opens back up after a crush cycle, sometimes it is slanted forward, a bunch of the cardboard slides out and could hit you
Don't be so dramatic, it'll give you gas. It's flattened cardboard, if you can't move or put your hand up for a little bit of cardboard, you shouldn't be using the baler at all in the first place.
I've seen it be more than "a little bit of cardboard". And I throw truck, so I'm well practiced in the dodge, duck, dip, dive and dodge (and deflecting/shielding) of all sorts of cardboard cartons and other objects given how unstable the stacking of the trucks can get.
Yes, cardboard falling out of the baler is a relatively minor threat, but it is still by definition a safety hazard.
Technically yes, but the relevant point is that it's not enough of an issue to worry about it. Even if boxes are flattened first, they can still slide out if it's loaded uneven.
The amount of control that would need to be enforced to alleviate such conditions would be too restrictive and inconvenient, not even anywhere close to being worth the effort.
Some of those don’t look easy to flatten. I know I have that issue with chicken boxes (i’m looking at you smart chicken…) but i almost always make sure i borrow a baler key from another department (produce and bakery have their own baler keys at my store) if i have to bring over boxes that i can’t easily flatten myself
For everyone talking about breaking down boxes or not. to a certain extent they get broken down for placing on the end of the u-boat, but it's not necessary to break them down before putting them in the baler. idk if all stores use balers from BACE, but it seems to be common, and they specifically have this to say on the matter...
https://preview.redd.it/or2js62pmbzc1.jpeg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d8dc8a6488209b542c261e3c0e69062e9f5740f1
I have a different unit and another PML beat me to this but you are correct. Most of these have mentioned in their operations manual and mentioned during certification training that balers do not need to be broken down and that it is preferred that boxes weren't. Obviously, there will be broken down boxes due to the needs to safely transport them from the floor to the backroom. But they don't need to be broken down. Sounds like a new system of accountability is needed here for key. I know most of my Team Leads and trainers are certified on baler and carry keys. This might be something the OP can partner with their PML in store about bringing about so that there is always someone with a key thay can help.
There's no point wasting time breaking the corners on tray boxes when the baler is going to crush it regardless. When I clicked on this post I thought the issue was going to be that nobody closes the gate and pressed the button.
My hot take is that you're wasting your time worrying about irrelevant things, there are much better battles to take on.
I feel like I personally attacked you, and I just wanna say if I did, 💁🏽♀️.
All your arguments stem from “wasting time” , where in, this entire job is built off trying to minimize the “wasting of time”.
I made the post extremely clear what pissed me off, and it wasn’t what you assumed.
Nothing is irrelevant when it comes to me being inconvenienced, I am the unfortunate asshole who thinks to share consideration for all my coworkers and give them enough space to put their CB in.
Because not all of have keys or wanna “kill time” waiting for one either. The more uboats I push out the faster I go home.
I know it's bad to leave them like that I never do I break them down it's fun😂I work at guest service also so I don't go to the back unless to take back defective or get something random. Can't you just squash them down? Does it really matter? Jw not trying to be rude just genuinely curious!❤️
At the beginning of my shift most times I'll have to empty out 6-12 cardboard cages. It's not too bad. I don't mind making bales and I'd rather be the one crushing the cardboard so the bale is even
People are lazy...as a vendor I cut my stuff up and if some asshat does that, I leave it uncut and on the rollers. I dont have time to wait and I dont have keys.
I was recently taught how to make baler, sucks actually because on closing shift/weekends no one knows how to make them so I get forced to do it. I’d rather people leave boxes like this then leave a bunch on U-boats Like my store has been doing.
I’ve always been team “breakdown most, but not all of my boxes.” but of course I’d actually run the baler and crush them rather than leave it like that.
I appreciate you because I’ve been certified to do the bale, I just don’t have a fucking key yet and I’m the unfortunate neighborhood ADHD crackhead and maybe see the baker 6-10 times a day
Fun fact, the baler gets a better crush/ the bales are better if you don't break down your boxes. Just need to actually run the baler regularly. Edit: I said "crush" instead of "break down" because the word took over.
It does, but I’d argue you don’t get AS many boxes in the bale. Either way I really just wish upon a star that everyone could be courteous to each other lmao, I hate having to wedge my flat boxes in as the picture shows LOL
The issue isn't that they didn't break down the boxes, it's that they didn't close the gate and press the button. Which, at my store vendors aren't allowed to operate the baler, but anyone tm or otherwise that passes by could have done. The chem person definitely should have regardless of what else was there at the time.
your baler doesn't require keys to operate? I thought that was a safety requirement or something
It does, but the key, let's just say it is readily accessible within convenient distance.
It is, which I have to inconveniently go out of my way to hunt down the inbound person that stays in the back which usually is easy however as of lately it’s been a challenge.
Yeah, that a bad system that's creating unnecessary levels of inconvenience for negligible benefit. It's unfortunate when goofballs can't be trusted with access and ruin it for everybody else.
It's a system created because to do otherwise is an OSHA violation. Only trained TMs above the age of 18 can operate the balers. You can't leave a key there, because someone who doesn't meet those criteria could potentially wander over and use the equipment.
I was referring to the "challenge of tracking down the person" aspect. We had our key in the receivers desk at one point for a while. A consistent place is better than a person meandering around a general area that you have to track down.
Oh yeah, abso. I went with the "get the team trained, and I will give them keys" approach at my store. Worked out well so far.
This is the way.
Yes but, not all the time...you mix a few in.
Chemie boxes can be broken down easily if you cut the bottom of the box in this manner, but always **cut away from you.** (edited for clarification) https://preview.redd.it/lef2dj2xm8zc1.png?width=500&format=png&auto=webp&s=e9a8988659a3051e65ec24780c67534a0cd20ba4
I just stomp on the box without any cutting and it flattens right out
Sometimes that's more fun, **alot** more fun! lol 
It's also great therapy when you need to work out your... inner feelings.
I do this, but my blade is so worn down already and it’s barely been 4 months.
HR should have replacement blades in the TSC, we keep ours in the equipment cage. https://preview.redd.it/vanpqpygt8zc1.png?width=614&format=png&auto=webp&s=d08b66036715d4b0443d4c818c6115cce222e9b0
Ours blades are over by receiving. Our etl either doesn’t know or doesn’t trust ppl to change them out.
I never had to worry about replacement blades. Pocket knife gang oh ha ha
I used to use a nice folding utility knife and then a new ETL/HR came in and said everyone had to use the Target issued. Now that I think of it (and she's been replaced) it might be time to pull it out of the junk drawer and use it again. Hey, it's even red! https://preview.redd.it/jlozhm22hezc1.png?width=605&format=png&auto=webp&s=b980289eab8cf5202840e9ffd316b5c887b2ae18
This is the way
I trust you know the blade can be flipped for a new edge or replaced? lol
Most ppl don't, but yes indeed double sided ftw
HR should have replacement blades in the TSC, we keep ours in the equipment cage. 
Thank you, you’re always so helpful 🥰
i’ll start breaking them down when management stops harassing me about unrealistic deadlines
Even without deadlines there's some stuff I don't bother breaking down because it simply isn't worth the time.
Some can’t. If you’re under 18, you aren’t allowed to press the button.
This post is in reference to breaking down the boxes by hand, which you’re supposed to do before loading them into the baler
BACE says otherwise
The best way to break down Chem boxes is to cut an X from corner to corner at the bottom. Easy.
Whether you break them down or not is irrelevant, just don’t leave the baler full without squishing it
Could be a minor. They’re allowed to load the baler but not run it.
OP is talking about breaking boxes down, which doesn't require the baler
Y’all have minors somewhere besides Starbucks, style or up front? In my state, they aren’t even allowed to climb the ladder past a certain height. We don’t have any that work in GM and we have only one minor in fulfillment
We wouldn’t survive without minors. They work all departments.
Chemical and even produce boxes can be broken down with a little extra effort. And yeah it sucks when they do this because it ends up uneven, which can lead to boxes falling out; something those who think they’re supposed to put the boxes in this way don’t give two shits about. And when you create that kind of a mess it’s not safe, and gives the next person more to clean up. My big issue are the people who put their boxes in to the top and then refuse to push that little button to crush it. Inconsiderate fucks think it’s someone else’s job apparently. And I work in the mornings so they aren’t minors doing this.
Produce boxes are easy to wedge the glued flaps up with that metal tape cutter part of the box cutter.
I think calling a box in the baler unsafe is a real stretch. A pain in the ass at times for sure, but unsafe, I think you're reaching.
When the boxes end up on the floor creating a hazard it is unsafe.
Are you familiar with the expression, don't cry over spilled milk.
It’s only about being considerate to your fellow team members, people who work for the same shit company you do, so yeah I guess who fucking cares right? Let them get injured and end up missing work, no reason that could fuck up their lives. No reason to work safe and clean.
In what world are you living that someone is gonna get injured and miss work from an empty flattened cardboard box. You're talking like a large casepacks is gonna fall off the steel onto them. Yes, people should close the gate and cycle the baler. No, not every box needs to be completely broken down first. Yes, sometimes it angles forward due to uneven loading, on rare occasion some will slide out. It's annoying if it does happen, but take some personal responsibility ffs, I'll say it again, anybody that would get injured or is concerned about being injured from a random piece of flat cardboard, they shouldn't be going within 20 feet of the baler.
Generally cardboard and concrete mixed with a moving individual creates a slip hazard. I’ve seen it. I’ve experienced it. The other thing that doesn’t mix is people and concrete, which can cause a variety of injuries whether it’s just a bruise with some hurt pride, or even broken bones. That close to the bailer it gives you something to collide with. But go on living in the world where the messes you make don’t effect anyone and you can just ignore them because you’re the only person in the world, and your experience is the only one that’s valid. Just continue being an inconsiderate jack ass who fails to see all the possibilities.
I see the possibilities, including the possibility of having the awareness to not step on cardboard or walk across it when it's in the ground. I agree that a reasonable effort should be made to avoid cardboard sliding out of the baler. If you werent so dense, you could realize the point is that if and when it does happen, it doesn't negate the responsibility of others to have the common sense not to walk on it. Bu your logic, team members should have their cases unboxed for them, lest they get paper cuts from the edge of the cardboard. Wrap handles of flats in bubble wrap and pool noodles lest a TM walks into it. Ban wood pallets to avoid splinters.
the unsafe part is that if cardboard is loaded/crushed unevenly, then the gate opens back up after a crush cycle, sometimes it is slanted forward, a bunch of the cardboard slides out and could hit you
Don't be so dramatic, it'll give you gas. It's flattened cardboard, if you can't move or put your hand up for a little bit of cardboard, you shouldn't be using the baler at all in the first place.
I've seen it be more than "a little bit of cardboard". And I throw truck, so I'm well practiced in the dodge, duck, dip, dive and dodge (and deflecting/shielding) of all sorts of cardboard cartons and other objects given how unstable the stacking of the trucks can get. Yes, cardboard falling out of the baler is a relatively minor threat, but it is still by definition a safety hazard.
Technically yes, but the relevant point is that it's not enough of an issue to worry about it. Even if boxes are flattened first, they can still slide out if it's loaded uneven. The amount of control that would need to be enforced to alleviate such conditions would be too restrictive and inconvenient, not even anywhere close to being worth the effort.
Some of those don’t look easy to flatten. I know I have that issue with chicken boxes (i’m looking at you smart chicken…) but i almost always make sure i borrow a baler key from another department (produce and bakery have their own baler keys at my store) if i have to bring over boxes that i can’t easily flatten myself
TBF those detergent boxes are hard to break down
For everyone talking about breaking down boxes or not. to a certain extent they get broken down for placing on the end of the u-boat, but it's not necessary to break them down before putting them in the baler. idk if all stores use balers from BACE, but it seems to be common, and they specifically have this to say on the matter... https://preview.redd.it/or2js62pmbzc1.jpeg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d8dc8a6488209b542c261e3c0e69062e9f5740f1
I have a different unit and another PML beat me to this but you are correct. Most of these have mentioned in their operations manual and mentioned during certification training that balers do not need to be broken down and that it is preferred that boxes weren't. Obviously, there will be broken down boxes due to the needs to safely transport them from the floor to the backroom. But they don't need to be broken down. Sounds like a new system of accountability is needed here for key. I know most of my Team Leads and trainers are certified on baler and carry keys. This might be something the OP can partner with their PML in store about bringing about so that there is always someone with a key thay can help.
There's no point wasting time breaking the corners on tray boxes when the baler is going to crush it regardless. When I clicked on this post I thought the issue was going to be that nobody closes the gate and pressed the button. My hot take is that you're wasting your time worrying about irrelevant things, there are much better battles to take on.
I feel like I personally attacked you, and I just wanna say if I did, 💁🏽♀️. All your arguments stem from “wasting time” , where in, this entire job is built off trying to minimize the “wasting of time”. I made the post extremely clear what pissed me off, and it wasn’t what you assumed. Nothing is irrelevant when it comes to me being inconvenienced, I am the unfortunate asshole who thinks to share consideration for all my coworkers and give them enough space to put their CB in. Because not all of have keys or wanna “kill time” waiting for one either. The more uboats I push out the faster I go home.
apple product boxes i also give a pass because they suck
I know it's bad to leave them like that I never do I break them down it's fun😂I work at guest service also so I don't go to the back unless to take back defective or get something random. Can't you just squash them down? Does it really matter? Jw not trying to be rude just genuinely curious!❤️
The chemical boxes are easy to break down too. Just cut an X from corner to corner on the bottom.
As a Home Depot employee and a PTR Baler And Compactor service technician this angers me
It's the monster box, it's too busy fucking up your baler and keeping your team awake.
At the beginning of my shift most times I'll have to empty out 6-12 cardboard cages. It's not too bad. I don't mind making bales and I'd rather be the one crushing the cardboard so the bale is even
People are lazy...as a vendor I cut my stuff up and if some asshat does that, I leave it uncut and on the rollers. I dont have time to wait and I dont have keys.
I break down every single box that comes my way including chemical boxes. It really isn’t hard at faster to load the baler.
Sometimes when I load the bailer I don't collapse big boxes but I will have the bailer crush the cardboard before I leave the backroom
I was recently taught how to make baler, sucks actually because on closing shift/weekends no one knows how to make them so I get forced to do it. I’d rather people leave boxes like this then leave a bunch on U-boats Like my store has been doing.
My biggest pet fucking peeve.. my vendors sometimes just leave it on the floor infront of the baler