Cratification

May 28, 2009 8:56 PM

Looking for sturdy cheap plastic crates in the Boston area

Does anyone know where I can get something like this? I would like to get 10-15 of these types of crates, and ideally spend a few dollars per crate. Any searches I have done typically show the crates as costing ~$15. I want them for storing books, folders and clothes. I have 3 and they work very well in the space that I have.

posted by a womble is an active kind of sloth to home & garden (7 comments total)

There are Container Stores in Natick and Chestnut Hill, and they have them for ten dollars each.
posted by liketitanic at 9:43 PM on May 28

Economy Hardware, various locations. Their online store says they're $5.99 and the real store will probably be comparable.
posted by cocoagirl at 3:03 AM on May 29

Those are called Milk Crates (and they're awesome). Maybe that will help in your search!
posted by royalsong at 5:04 AM on May 29

And if you lurk behind college dorm cafeterias, you can probably score some for cheap-as-in-free. I did this ten years ago in the Boston area and doubt much has changed.

Otherwise, Target is a good bet. The nice part of purchasing milk crates/cubbies is that they tend to stack together better and have less, uh, alley gunk to clean off of them.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 6:09 AM on May 29

You can find them for free behind just about any fast food place. They stack them up by the back doors so the milk delivery guy can retrieve and reuse them.

They're owned by the milk company, so taking them is, well, stealing, but nobody, from the store manager to the milk truck driver, is going to notice or care.
posted by bondcliff at 6:19 AM on May 29

thanks for the suggestions - I'll probably settle for economy hardware. I'm aware they are stored at the back of stores, but seeing as I want a large number I thought I would try purchase them.
posted by a womble is an active kind of sloth at 7:23 AM on May 29

Years ago, at Dairy Queen, we also stacked these things outside the store, and we were charged by the dairy for missing ones. The deposit was low, like $3/each. The owner would let employees take as many as they wanted so long as they paid the deposit.

I've found that the actual used-for-deliveries variety is considerably more durable than the ones you buy at retail.

You might try just asking at local restaurants if they'd be amenable to a similar arrangement.
posted by chazlarson at 11:44 AM on May 29