Rebate Roundup! Cash Back for Getting Organized

On top of all the great savings we normally offer, our rebate page is a chance to earn even more back. Opportunities to claim free items, gift cards, and even cash are available from manufacturers if you buy the right items and fill out the information. Here are three rebates available through the first quarter of 2017 that will reward you for getting organized.

Presto Storage Box

Bankers Box is always a go-to choice for archiving files and creating stackable storage. Both the Presto and Mystic series feature boxes that assemble in an instant, leaving less busy work and more time filling them and cleaning out desks and cabinets. They even feature locking lids, preventing boxes from accidentally opening and threatening its contents. Now, ordering $100 of one of the two earns you a cash rebate- $25 for Mystic boxes and $30 for Presto boxes!

Through the end of April, Swingline, Quartet, and Cambridge are running a flexible rebate program on a number of their items including dry erase boards, staplers, and shredders. The amount you earn back increases the more you buy, but will be about 10% cash back. Bigger departmental shredders have their own rebate offers, going up as high as $750! A wide variety of products are available, making this a great way to pick up several different kinds of office essentials and accessories.

Victor Monitor Stand

Victor is rewarding desk organization with a free gift. Right now, you can earn a free pencil holder by ordering one of seven qualifying products- options include monitor risers that add storage space under your screen, a printer stand with trays for paper and accessories, and desktop organizers with up to five compartments. Like the Fellowes rebate, the Victor offer lasts until the end of March.

Check our our rebate page for a full list of all the great offers!

Staying Productive and Motivated Through the Holiday Season

As the holidays approach, we all have various annual traditions we like to honor. We have our ways of celebrating Thanksgiving. We may have a typical time and unique ways to put up a tree. We have parties we like to go to, shopping to get done and plans to make for both. There's also one more tradition popular in offices around the country- counting down the days until we're off work for the holidays. It's an exciting time, but also easy to get distracted and maybe even overwhelmed. That makes it important to have a plan for getting the work done leading up to the end of the year.

House of Doolittle Calendar Desk Pad

End-of-year work is a bit of a double whammy- there's often a lot on everyone's plates as the year winds down, whether it's because of reports or holiday marketing or deadlines before the calendar changes. It's also a time when employees are using the rest of their vacation days, worrying about holiday plans, and waiting for both of those to get here. There are ways to cut through that and stay productive. Start now and list everything that needs completing and when. Make a schedule, (taking into account when co-workers are off if anything involves collaboration), and write it into a calendar- better if it's something nice and visible like a desk pad. As projects get completed, there's extra satisfaction in crossing the days off like an Advent calendar.

Juggling everybody's time off can slow down projects. Instead of being surprised by someone's out-of-office reply, keep track of who on your team is going to be out. Either add it to your calendar or, if there's a shared collaboration space, consider an organizer board that everyone can add to and view.

Optimal Desk Setup (courtesy Fellowes)

Are you getting so antsy for the holidays that you start to feel uncomfortable at your desk? Maybe your desk setup needs improving. Consider a variety of ergonomic solutions such as keyboard managers, wrist rests, footrests, and proper screen placement to make it easier to get through the day. Fellowes has a nice site for identifying potential problem areas. Also, check your desk to make sure only the only items on it are necessary, and that those items are in easy reach. No sense having a file on your desk if it's tomorrow's project. Stash it away and don't think about it until then!

Holidays, festive as they are, can also be a stressful time. Many workplaces have a bunch of holiday-themed activities. They're plenty fun, but only if they don't add to your stress. Don't be afraid to be selective about what you participate in. The company-wide Secret Santa game may be meant to bring everyone closer together, but if it leaves you wondering what gift to get and when you'll find time to get it, don't feel like it's an obligation. Stick to the activities you'll actually enjoy. And on that same note, make a determined effort to enjoy the time off you get. Holiday preparations can be involved and the family gatherings can be exhausting, but make time to refresh. It's important to do what you love and spend time with the people you care about. It makes the countdown that much more pleasant.

Fellowes AeraMax Air Purifiers

Outdoors, allergies are always on the mind of anyone who suffers from them. Allergens such as pollen and ragweed are everywhere outside, but the air indoors is equally bothersome. At home, pollutants such as pet dander, dust particles, and toxins and residue embedded in furniture and carpets pose major health risks. Even the air in the office can be contaminated by vapors from markers or toner, mold from air vents, or a number of germs and particles lurking in cubicle walls. Unregulated office air is considered one of the most dangerous environments we're exposed to.

Fellowes AeraMax Air Purifier

Air purifiers are the solution. Purifiers draw in air from the room and cycle it through a number of filters. This eliminates unwanted odors, particles, germs, dust and many other allergens. The new Fellowes AeraMax purifiers go a step further with a unique AeraSafe filter. This removes bacteria, mildew and fungi that can lead to odors and produce allergens. Released air also includes particles that remove additional pollutants from the air.

Even Bigger Fellowes AeraMax Air Filter

The Fellowes AeraMax is available in three sizes, each serving three different room sizes (90 square feet, 190 square feet, and 290 square feet). Ordering a purifier in one of the larger two sizes will net you a gift card of up to $25 for BP, Exxon Mobil, or Subway.

A Box for Stanley Kubrick

A link was recently sent my way to a site talking about Stanley Kubrick's quest for a perfect box. G. Ryder & Co. Ltd. were approached by Kubrick's people because Stanley wanted a box with a lid that wasn't too loose or too tight and was the perfect size. You can watch a video that looks to be part of a different documentary by visiting the G. Ryder & Co. Ltd. site and pressing the Kubrick Video button in the lower right corner. It'll be worth it just to hear somebody say "It's a Lovely Box."

Stanley Kubrick's Custom Box

They don't actually discuss the dimensions of the box and some people report the box is still for sale, but I wasn't able to find any information to back up the claim. In a day and age where there are hundreds of boxes for hundreds of uses, it is difficult to sift through the rabble and find a decent substitute.

I could tell by the video that the Cardboard Kubrick Box was wire stitched, but checking for that only came up with results of wire stitched notepads and wire stitched brooms. So we have to throw out a properly constructed box. We are going to have to make some compromises in the quest for a general facsimile, but we know we know the general shape and we know it needs to be high quality.

Fellowes Bankers Box Liberty Storage Box

Unfortunately, we have to forgo the ever important lid to get an appropriate sized box. With the string and button closure instead of a lid it is actually a little easier to keep the box closed, but allows easy access without the lid sticking. I don't have the proper dimension of the Kubrick box but this looks about right. Fellowes produces several varieties of these boxes so you can find the one that makes you feel the most like Kubrick and stock up. Take special note of Fellowes 4.25" high, 9.25" wide and 23.75" deep box as it is the most economical of the group.

Stop Paper Shredder Injuries

I've never really been up to date on shredder technologies because I never put much thought into them.  To me shredders were that plastic box that you put sensitive papers into that have all the silly pictographic warnings about not putting paper clips or your tie into it.  Fortunately, one of my co-workers told me that those warnings aren't just a joke, they can cause serious injuries.  It might be funny to watch a business man get his tie caught in a shredder but most business people have good enough reflexes and are strong enough to stop anything except some minor tie damage.

Most major shredder related injuries come from young children or animals who can't really comprehend what the shredder is for or what damage it can do.  It isn't hard to find reports of various shredder injuries when you browse the web and you can find some pretty harrowing photos if you want (I won't spoil your lunch), but there are few places that offer much for a solution.  Everybody says the only way to keep a shredder safely in your home is keep it unplugged when not in use.  You can turn it off, but if there is a finger, tail, or tongue that can get caught in it, those body parts are connected to others that could find a way to turn the shredder on.

One of many SafeSense Shredders

I can't tell you that buying a new shredder will allow you to safely keep your shredder plugged in while children and pets run amok, but I can tell you that the latest shredders from Fellowes have some impressive safety features that might put your mind at ease. The primary safety feature in these shredders is the patent pending SafeSense override that stops shredding when fingers get close to the shredding input port.  We have a Fellowes PS-79Ci Shredder in our office that has the SafeSense feature.  Even thought I wasn't allowed to get out my tools to find out exactly how it worked I was able to do some testing and it seems as if the chrome trim around the shredder input has a capacitive sensor that shuts off the shredder.  The Fellowes advertising tells you it will shut down your shredder if your fingers get to close which sounds like it might have been a proximity sensor, but at least on our shredder you need to make physical contact with a sensor to trigger the SafeSense feature.

A Jam-Proof Commercial Shredder with SafeSense

The capacitive sensor on the shredder we have works well enough to keep an adults finger out of the shredding mechanism, but if a child had small enough fingers they could slip between the sensors.  Something as large and slobbery as a dog's tongue would easily trip the sensor, but a cat's tail may or may not trigger the sensor (I am not going to test it). I can't say for sure that all SafeSense enabled shredders use only capacitive sensors, but looking at a Commercial Grade Shredder with Fellowes SafeSense I can't see anything that sticks out as a capacitive sensor, so it might have a more sensitive system to keep fingers out.

Unfortunately, even though shredder technology is advancing rapidly, the current crop of shredders isn't going to be a fool-proof accident-proof replacement for your current shredder.  You should still unplug them if they are not in use, and at the very least turn off the auto-on feature to avoid accidents.  If problems arise from Shredder of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fame and not a common office paper shredder, I'm sorry, I can't help there.

Fellowes Makes a Great iPad Stand

With the release of any new Apple product you can only expect to see a flood of new accessories on the market. With the iPad, Apple seems to have lifted the accessories market to new heights. The selection of iPad cases, iPad sleeves, iPad docks, and iPad stands is overwhelming. Most people already have a bag to carry around their sleek new friend in, and a lot of people wouldn't dare to sully the sleek metal case with some neoprene or silicone cover-up. I have a feeling that iPad stands will probably be the biggest piece of the iPad stand pie.

If you have an extremely keen eye for design and demand that all your accessories fit your product like a glove you can find some nice options for $49.99 or even $129.00 but if you are like the rest of us and your iPad purchase has forced you to limit your food choices to Ramen or Toast you are probably going to want a stand that's a little more economical.

The Fellowes Study Stand was designed to hold books and magazines upright at an ideal angle for hands-free reading.  This ideal angle for reading is coicendally also the ideal angle for watching movies or viewing a slide show.  You can get them at such a great price you'll probably want to buy one for the kitchen, one for the office, one for the living-room and one to keep at the in-laws.

Fellowes iPad Stand Alternative

This alternative iPad stand is made from a heavy duty wire that is plated with chrome.  It has some rubber stoppers on the ends to help to keep things in place.  You can see some photos of the Fellowes Study Stand in use as an iPad stand over at Just Another iPad Blog and see that it looks great in portrait or landscape mode.  If you are worried about the coils of wire possibly scratching the back of your iPad you could easily put a piece of felt between your iPad and your Study Stand and you'll have just upgraded yourself to a Premium Study Stand.