BY TAMMY MCKILLIP
Correspondent
TAMMY MCKILLIP Alan Lurie owns Boxes by the Bundle, a business that sells boxes and packing materials for moving. He also offers advice on how to keep valuables in one piece during the move. OLD BRIDGE – Alan Lurie’s family has been in the moving business for over 100 years, so when the Old Bridge middle school teacher decided he wanted to start a part-time business, he chose to stick with what he knew best.
“I didn’t want to be bothered with the everyday running of a moving company, and with my schedule as a teacher, it was difficult to find something to pursue after 3 o’clock in the afternoon,” he said. “That’s where Boxes by the Bundle came in. I was able to work during the latter part of the day and weekends, as well as summers, when the moving season is at its busiest.”
Lurie said he tailors his box delivery business to the self-packer, and he provides moving advice in addition to merchandise.
“A lot of people prefer to pack on their own rather than having the movers do it for them because that way they know what’s going into the boxes, and if something breaks, they did it rather than somebody else,” he said.
“I spend time with people. When they call, I don’t just say, well, this is the price for the box. Thank you, and call me if you want them,” he said. “I give them advice in terms of how much they need to buy and how to pack. I try to make it more of a personalized thing.
Lurie said that before he leaves anybody’s home, whether they’ve moved once or 10 times in the last 30 years, he’ll always give them a refresher course on how to pack their china boxes.
“People have a tendency to pack the china like they would a cabinet, and then they don’t understand why they have breakage when they get to the other side,” he said. “They have to be reminded to pack their china on edge, standing up, and I always go through it with them. I’ll tell them how much china to put into a box and people will usually go, ‘Oh! I didn’t know that! I would have packed it the wrong way.’”
He said he also sets up the picture/mirror boxes for people and shows them how to pack them the right way.
Lurie said that even though his boxes are from the same distributors the major moving companies use¿ he is able to sell them for substantially less.
“The truth of the matter is, the moving companies will buy a box for the same price that I pay, but instead of charging, say, $1.45 for the box, they’ll charge $3,” he said. “It’s like buying popcorn from a movie theater. They have a captive audience, so they charge more for the same materials. We’re not looking to beat the public over the head and charge an outrageous price for our boxes.”
He said his boxes range from $1.45 for a small book box to $4.60 for heavier, thicker china boxes. In addition to various sized boxes, he also sells bubble wrap, tape and paper.
Although his Web site advertises free delivery, he said he recently added a small surcharge of a few dollars, due to the rising cost of fuel. However, for those who would rather drive to the Englishtown storage facility to pick up their own boxes, an appointment can be arranged in advance.
For more information on Boxes by the Bundle, call (732) 946-2026 or visit www.boxesbythebundle.com.