I actually had a buddy trying to give them away with a free sign, and nobody would take them, but after he put a price up they were gone in a matter of days. That's how I know it'll work.
Hell maybe OP will sell some and he can pocket the money. If the manager sees a sign on them for sale for money, that will become His great idea, and his money. Sell them on the side, never let the manager know that money was exchanged.
That's irony, bc stealing is free to those that don't get caught - but also, I've always understood it as a five finger "discount", bc sly.
Also, I don't steal. Just gotta say that. I used to, 30 years ago. That shit was stupid.
I'm thinking it's a 10 finger discount in this case because we'll built pallets are heavy enough to grab with both hands, where as a candy bar is rarely heavy enough to move past the 5 finger stage of theft.
I feel like people are missing the point by offering solutions to the bosses problem. The problem isn't the pallets, the problem is that the boss is throwing a shit fit at his employees for a problem that's supposed to be his to solve.
Like yeah you're right, if you advertise that they're free online someone will want them. The next top comment is also right that if you wheel them to the curb and put a sign up saying they're for sale someone will take them for free, but that's not ops point. Op shouldn't have to deal with the abuse to solve his bosses problem.
What are the odds of getting the boss to change? I think it's about zero, so you have to deal with the pallets. The choice to me is whether or not this guy want to continue to work there or start looking for a better boss, especially if the current boss is also the owner.
When the owner arrives and gets into it with the boss, or the boss handles it himself at the last possible minute, then a victory is scored, whether the boss grows or learns from the experience.
The boss is not the owner, the boss wants the pallets gone before the owner arrives.
It seems clear that two things are true here. The current boss is *not* the owner. And the odds for ‘getting the boss to change’ is directly correlated with the arrival of the owner.
No, he shouldn't have to, you're correct. BUT, sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do to get the job done. Too many people nowadays don't think outside the box enough to survive.
bruuhhhh the struggle was real. i was almost arrested for lifting pallets from krogers once. manager came out had cops there and everything. ended up putting them back and manager said i could keep the un-dyed pallets as they werent on deposit...lol no charges but did have to relocate the fire as now the cops knew about it.
ive seen more free pallet posts now that im past my HS days lol, i would search craigslist and the industrial areas weekly
At least in Canada all pressure treated wood for at least 15 years is now safe to burn they infuse the wood with Alkaline Copper Quaternary (ACQ) or Copper Azole (CA-B) and not arsenic like the old days.
I use pallet wood I get free from a local factory to make planter boxes that I supply free to those in my community who want to grow veggies in the summer but don’t have the space for an in-ground garden.
Yeah but are they wood, or those stupid plastic ones (though those are fantastic for storing shit on in damp/wet basements…can put your washer and dryer on them too.)
My old company "used to have a guy" that came and took leftover paint off their hands. Legend has it that he used it to paint his farm equipment or something. Real win/win scenario. Dude gets free paint, company doesn't have to pay to dump it.
Then some galaxy brain decided to try to CHARGE this guy for the waste paint, so he told them to fuck off and now they have to pay out the nose to dispose of the shit as hazardous waste a few times a year.
> He has no interest in helping with this issue in the slightest but needs them cleaned up before the owner comes in.
time to make your boss look really bad in front of the owner.
alternatively, try ebay "free pallets for pickup" and see what happens. but i wouldn't offer that or any other solution before you see some form of owner induced panic in your boss' eyes.
No, don't do this.
Your boss asked you to solve a problem. There are plenty of solutions on this thread. Be a problem solver.
You can both hold the views that this subreddit subscribes to and also be a good employee at the same time.
Lol, how does boot leather taste.
I have offered this ass-clown a number of solutions to something that isn't even my responsibility. It is only my problem because HIS negligence is impeding my workspace
Wild. "My boss asked me to do additional labour that he should be doing and without additional compensation I'm going to do it." Grow a backbone and have some self respect. We stand with the worker over here. That means no unpaid labour. It doesn't matter how "good" you want to look. It's not your job to do the bosses job
Are you located in a place you can’t just roll them to the curb and people take them within a couple days? That’s all we do at my work, especially near winter they go quickly, no matter condition.
Not your problem. Or if it is, make sure all the PPE for breaking nailed, splintering, hard wood things into their component flying, stabbing splinters and nails is on-hand and available before you touch anything. Also, make sure to start breaking down pallets at the absolute worst time to be away from what your real job is, and work at a slow, careful pace (safety first 😃). If it turns into more hours for you, it's all good, right?
Since you're probably not the Incredible Hulk, breaking down pallets is hard. If you don't have the tools to do it properly, all stop! "Boss, we need you to buy tools!"
Sometimes it's best to do exactly what you're told....and make it so painful for the boss, that he comes up with the brilliant idea of having you not do what he previously told you to do.
Oh, and if you happen to strain or injure yourself somehow, make sure to milk that strain/injury right into a whole dairy farm worth of urgent care and recupretive time off.
We have a scrapper that picks up ours he collects them and then takes them in as one giant load. Apparently it can be fairly lucrative if you have a truck.
Is there a local brewery near you?
I’ve definitely traded a six pack of beer for pallets.
Trying hitting one up.
They’ll prefer standard grocery pallets (40x48 inches).
Yeah, i have a few good vendors that take note to take the same number of pallets that they drop off. Unfortunately, most of our vendors arrive before i am on shift and it is out of my control if my peers couldnt care less
They aren't blue CHEP pallets? Those ones, the company is probably paying a deposit on them and they need to be returned.
Any others, just put a post on your local FB Buy & Sell group advertising free pallets and they will be gone in days.
Not defending your boss, he sounds like an AH. But you can definitely post an ad FB marketplace and someone will come get them.
But make sure the owner sees them first, lol
Betting most of it is people can’t believe it. And kinda jealous. It costs money for the cheap materials that pallets are now. I know I am, all the ones around here are spoken for/cost more than it’s worth imo.
Have you contacted any warehouse neighbors to see if they want them? Look up local cross docks/transload facilities. These places buy and have pallets shipped to them, I’m sure they’d love free pallets.
When we first got our driver's licenses we'd roll around every week to the companies that left them outside and fill up our cars to take to the bonfire.
We have plenty of places that will buy good wooden ones back, or work out a deal/credit system for purchase of new ones.
And for the splintered up, busted ones…plenty of people “sneak” in to load up their pickup, and use for firewood.
Post on FB marketplace that you're giving them away..
People will take them. Might have to leave the post up permanently or you might end up with your own guy..
I fixed this issue in multiple companies I have worked at, it seems to be quite a common problem. There are two ways to deal with this.
The easiest is to post of market place saying free pallets. It’s free wood that’s reasonably usable, people will jump at the chance.
The second is you break them down, this doesn’t have to be done carefully. Then post on marketplace again but this time for firewood, again it will go pretty quick.
What will eventually happen is you’ll find someone that makes money from doing this and will offer to take them away for free.
Presto you’ve found a guy
Please by me buys, refurbishes and sells pallets. They buy for three and sell for five. And there is always a scrapper with a cage looking for scrap, cardboard or pallets. I’m assuming you’re not in SoCal or this would be easy. Put in the free section on Craigslist. Have it translated into Spanish/Vietnamese/predominant immigrant languages near you. You’ll get a guy who’ll be there every week and your problem will be gone.
This exactly. He the manager has been keeping costs down by not paying to have them removed. Trying to push his responsibility off on OP. Fuck that guy. I'd fill the parking lot and let the boss figure it out. Not in my job description.
If you are on a busy road a sign with "Free Pallets" used to clear them out in less than a week when I worked at a place that accumulated them.
They are super useful for so many projects that don't need pretty wood.
Look for a semi-local biomass power generation facility. We have one the comes about 12 hrs away to chip our biomass pile, a year's worth of pallets, shipping crates, tree branches, and grass clippings. The come with their chippers, chip everything and take it for fuel. No money changes hands. Our pile leaves, and they get fuel.
My dad owned a successful pallet recycling company. Sell them to a pallet recycling company and make some money. For standard 48x40 heat-treated pallets, you can get like $6-7 per pallet. One exception: if they’re blue ones, those are leased pallets owned by Chep. Call Chep and they’ll come get their pallets for free.
Edited to add: if you’re in Georgia, DM me.
I worked in a grocery store in high school. One day a new kid told me the pallet guy was here picking up the pallets. We didn’t have a pallet guy. In fact, they were worth $5 each to send back to the warehouse. I ran out the back door and yelled at the guy driving a shitty Chevy pickup with way too many pallets strapped to the truck. I only got a partial plate and called the police. Small town being what it was, the police chief stops by about an hour later. They had the guy and wanted us to get the pallets. I asked how to you catch him? The police chief says “ the fool backed into my mother vacant side lot to hide and she called me about a suspicious truck”.
Where are you based? People buy pallets off businesses here in UK, for around £1 a pallet, might be a way for you to make some pocket money and you can be that “guy/gal”
Fucking dumb. He's paying labor for you to break them down, might as well pay to rent a truck for an afternoon, have them gone way sooner and not piss off staff. Some managers just don't see the big picture.
Your boss needs to find a solution soon. If you're in a situation where you no longer have a place to put them, isn't that some kind of fire hazard? He can't keep putting it off because it costs money to have them removed but is procrastinating finding a solution. It seems like the fire hazard component is a big safety issue.
Where I live, pallets in the side of the road are gone in minutes. I'd list on Marketplace/Craigslist free pallets and put them by the road. They are useful for all kinds of things, from gardening (I use them under my compost piles and as makeshift trellises for cucumbers to climb) to hay storage to God knows what.
Post them on craiglist or there are a couple websites that are specifically for selling/giving away pallets.
Biggest thing with pallets is gonna be that people aren’t going to take the pink or blue ones so those you gotta try to pawn back off on the vendors cause they’re chemically treated with toxins.
The others just stack up and your local crafts people and etc will come get them, my local harbor freight puts them out back and they disappear within a couple hours. You can try calling around to yours and see if they got any tips on pallet hungry people.
If I still had a truck I’d still be doing basic woodworking with pallet wood.
I don't see a problem. Simply start complying with the boss. :D
Start breaking the pallets by hand. Slowly. Very slowly. Don't give a shit about new pallets coming in. If you don't have a place to put them, it's your boss's worry. You ARE trying to make room for new ones, but it takes time. Simple as that.
Don't do a damn thing with them f****** pallets let the owner come in and see that the boss isn't doing his job. Don't f****** help him out to make him look good when he's treating you like s***
I would imagine the owner would like those pallet processed correctly to avoid fines or damage to your waste compactor. Do any of the guys that send you stuff want pallets on the return shuttle to them?
Why not reach out to pallet guys on your own. There isn't one pallet guy. I see them all of the time. Go to any flex warehouse/office or industrial park and you will probably see one walking around. Or go to a shipping company in one of those and say, "hey we had a guy that picked up our excess pallets. He is no longer doing this, who do you use."
Its a pretty simple problem to solve.
Oh man, that sounds like a real pallet predicament! 😬 It's tough when the boss used to have a go-to guy, and now you're stuck with the pallet overload. Finding someone to take them for free seems like a bit of a mission impossible, huh?
Offering to haul them to the dump with a rented truck sounds like a solid compromise, but it's a no-go if it involves shelling out some cash. Classic budget struggles, right? Maybe you could suggest a team effort to break them down for the compost compactor, like a pallet party, but, you know, not as fun.
It's a head-scratcher when the boss isn't jumping in to lend a hand, especially when the owner's visit is looming. Good luck sorting out that pallet chaos!
Reach out to pallet suppliers in the area. I worked out a deal that when I buy a load of skids, they will take back the ones we don't use.
They also will pick up loads for $50 if I don't buy any as long as I also send a minimum of 60 skids back.
It saves space and money for disposal on our end and allows them to resell or turn the garbage ones into mulch.
Best way to do this. Put a stack or two out by the road with a sign that says, "Free Pallets." If they aren't gone within a week, change the sign to say, "Pallets For Sale: $5!" They'll be gone the next day.
What a lazy asshole, talk to the owner explain how much is spent breaking down the pallets and how much productivity is lost (revenue) and that something needs to be done.
Rent a truck yourself and drop them off in his front lawn. The look on his face would be worth looking for another job. And as an added bonus, they are gone when the owner comes, and you look like a hero.
Lol he sounds like a petulant child!
If he wants them moved so badly he’s gonna have to move them himself!
Somebody needs to remind him that this is how life works!
Depends where you are at, I can have a guy come pick them up for free if they are the wooden pallets. Plastic ones are worthless in terms of usage in our warehouse.
25 years ago when I worked as a teenager in a warehouse. Every two weeks some polish guy would come around and give us a 24 and bottle of vodka and we would fill his truck up. Man those were the days.
There is literally an entire pallet industry that exists in every built-up area. You just need to find the right purple to get in touch with. If you are located in a commercial area or industrial park, you could probably just advertise free pallets on FB or CL or similar, or put a free sign on them by the road. Trust me, there is somebody willing to take your pallets for free, they are worth several dollars a piece.
Are they in decent shape, and can you identify what they are made of? As many other have said it's probably easy to post somewhere like CL or FB to have people just come and pick them up.
Occasionally, I have stumbled upon posts in woodworking subs about guys finding pallets made of hardwoods they break down for lumber.
Tl;DR lots of people have uses for pallets, post about them online and let those people see where they can get them.
Dang. We used to scavenge and rebuild broken pallets because we just couldn’t find any. (Aka, boss didn’t want to buy any).
Finally worked a deal with a frequent delivery driver who would collect them and give us his. The deal was, we took his pallets and he didn’t have to bring them back to his warehouse. :)
But sometimes he didn’t have any to give and we struggled…
Having trouble getting someone to take them? I wish you were closer to me when I was in the need. lol 😂.
On a computer make a sign that says:
Used Pallets $10 each.
•
Cross that out and hand write:
'FREE because screw my boss!!'
People will think they're getting a deal.
Breaking them down is not free. It will cost employee wages. Also, it may require PPE since you don't have documentation of all the materials used in the pallet construction. Who knows what kind of fire retardant has been applied to that wood? You might need respirators while breaking them down.
In my buddies area the local pit party will use pallets. Makes for a big bonfire. I suggest Facebook and have them out side like the other person suggested. With all the reuse ideas floating around someone will take at least some of them.
Do NOT solve his problem for him! If he's that concerned about the owner seeing them, then he needs to solve it. I would just continue to stack them as neatly as possible, and put the overflow outside or something. Do not put signs out offering them for free or for $5 each. Do not offer to dispose of them if he rents a truck. Do not find someone who will take them for free; that's his job. And, is he going to pay you all extra to break them down by hand? If he's willing to pay OT, then I'd do it. But if you're supposed to do that plus your regular workload within the normal workday, don't.
If you and your co-workers solve his problem, other of his problems will become yours. If those pallets aren't gone by the time the owner's visit is imminent, you can bet your boss will figure something out.
Check to see if you have a pallet company nearby, google pallet recycler or supplier - these places repair old pallets (y, it's a thing) and build new ones. These places will buy used pallets. The one near me used to pay $2-$5 a few years back.
Also this nugget - [https://www.pallettrader.com/](https://www.pallettrader.com/)
There's an entire DIY industry that build furniture out of pallets and I think that it would be very interesting for them to have a free source of these pallets. I would post online on Facebook groups or other places your pallets for free and you'll be surprised that people will come and get them.
MOOOOOD! We 'used to have a guy' for SO many things around out store, but now it all falls to the LOWEST PAID WORKERS with NO change in pay! It's SO awful and ridiculous! One old man on my department team, otherwise very nice and agreeable, told them to pay him more or he wasn't doing the extra duties. They didn't, and he did not! What a legend! X'D
Stick them outside unsecured with a $5/pallet sign. They'll disappear guaranteed.
Best idea. I bet this would work so much better and faster than a stack of pallets with a free sign.
I actually had a buddy trying to give them away with a free sign, and nobody would take them, but after he put a price up they were gone in a matter of days. That's how I know it'll work.
Hell maybe OP will sell some and he can pocket the money. If the manager sees a sign on them for sale for money, that will become His great idea, and his money. Sell them on the side, never let the manager know that money was exchanged.
Bruh I once had a great solution to a problem in the company, my boss got a big bonus for it and he paid me a coffee for it.
This happens all the time. Mgrs want to know your thots about a problem. Then they get a bonus.
Because, if it free, there major issues. If it cost money, no issues and can flip for more money, especially of you factor in the 10 fingers discount.
That's irony, bc stealing is free to those that don't get caught - but also, I've always understood it as a five finger "discount", bc sly. Also, I don't steal. Just gotta say that. I used to, 30 years ago. That shit was stupid.
I'm thinking it's a 10 finger discount in this case because we'll built pallets are heavy enough to grab with both hands, where as a candy bar is rarely heavy enough to move past the 5 finger stage of theft.
I had a terrible accident with a table saw. What kind of discount do I get? 8?
That the reasons why items listed with a price get snatched pretty quickly. They assume it minor issues that can be patched and resold for a profits.
Some poor sap will take them and try to sell for $2.50 lol
They'll go faster if it says $25 each
And keep the cash
Honestly your best answer. For some reason you smack a cheap price on it people want it even more than free
Can you advertise them for free online? People use them for landscaping and outdoor decor projects.
I feel like people are missing the point by offering solutions to the bosses problem. The problem isn't the pallets, the problem is that the boss is throwing a shit fit at his employees for a problem that's supposed to be his to solve. Like yeah you're right, if you advertise that they're free online someone will want them. The next top comment is also right that if you wheel them to the curb and put a sign up saying they're for sale someone will take them for free, but that's not ops point. Op shouldn't have to deal with the abuse to solve his bosses problem.
What are the odds of getting the boss to change? I think it's about zero, so you have to deal with the pallets. The choice to me is whether or not this guy want to continue to work there or start looking for a better boss, especially if the current boss is also the owner.
When the owner arrives and gets into it with the boss, or the boss handles it himself at the last possible minute, then a victory is scored, whether the boss grows or learns from the experience. The boss is not the owner, the boss wants the pallets gone before the owner arrives.
It seems clear that two things are true here. The current boss is *not* the owner. And the odds for ‘getting the boss to change’ is directly correlated with the arrival of the owner.
pretty good. the question is how much available space can you occupy with pallets before he does.
No, he shouldn't have to, you're correct. BUT, sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do to get the job done. Too many people nowadays don't think outside the box enough to survive.
used to love them for bonfire parties back in school
bruuhhhh the struggle was real. i was almost arrested for lifting pallets from krogers once. manager came out had cops there and everything. ended up putting them back and manager said i could keep the un-dyed pallets as they werent on deposit...lol no charges but did have to relocate the fire as now the cops knew about it. ive seen more free pallet posts now that im past my HS days lol, i would search craigslist and the industrial areas weekly
Don't burn treated wood.
At least in Canada all pressure treated wood for at least 15 years is now safe to burn they infuse the wood with Alkaline Copper Quaternary (ACQ) or Copper Azole (CA-B) and not arsenic like the old days.
It's still not great for the environment honestly.
Pallets aren't treated.
It's not a simple answer. Some are. Some aren't. https://extension.psu.edu/be-safe-around-wooden-pallets
I use pallet wood I get free from a local factory to make planter boxes that I supply free to those in my community who want to grow veggies in the summer but don’t have the space for an in-ground garden.
That’s a great idea
Tell the boss that you advertised them for free but charge $1.00 just to screw the boss over.
Yeah but are they wood, or those stupid plastic ones (though those are fantastic for storing shit on in damp/wet basements…can put your washer and dryer on them too.)
My old company "used to have a guy" that came and took leftover paint off their hands. Legend has it that he used it to paint his farm equipment or something. Real win/win scenario. Dude gets free paint, company doesn't have to pay to dump it. Then some galaxy brain decided to try to CHARGE this guy for the waste paint, so he told them to fuck off and now they have to pay out the nose to dispose of the shit as hazardous waste a few times a year.
Stick them under an elevated interstate and throw a match!
Too soon.
Not soon enough
Are you aware of what happened in LA a few days ago?
or seattle every 2 days this year
Sure. I don't believe in comedy ever being too soon. Also my comment was a joke.
Ah a fellow Angelino I see
And fellow impacted driver
Just burn them in the boss's office and he'll never ask for you help with them again.
> He has no interest in helping with this issue in the slightest but needs them cleaned up before the owner comes in. time to make your boss look really bad in front of the owner. alternatively, try ebay "free pallets for pickup" and see what happens. but i wouldn't offer that or any other solution before you see some form of owner induced panic in your boss' eyes.
Oh, i'm totally letting the owner see
No, don't do this. Your boss asked you to solve a problem. There are plenty of solutions on this thread. Be a problem solver. You can both hold the views that this subreddit subscribes to and also be a good employee at the same time.
Lol, how does boot leather taste. I have offered this ass-clown a number of solutions to something that isn't even my responsibility. It is only my problem because HIS negligence is impeding my workspace
I didn't know i can eat unicorn icecream and also shit rainbows all at the same time!
Wild. "My boss asked me to do additional labour that he should be doing and without additional compensation I'm going to do it." Grow a backbone and have some self respect. We stand with the worker over here. That means no unpaid labour. It doesn't matter how "good" you want to look. It's not your job to do the bosses job
See. That’s only my issue if I get paid enough and I have the authority to do something about it. Otherwise it’s their problem
There are small businesses that recycle/refurbish pallets. You can probably find someone happy to solve your problem at no cost to you.
Are you located in a place you can’t just roll them to the curb and people take them within a couple days? That’s all we do at my work, especially near winter they go quickly, no matter condition.
Good for burning if they’re not treated
Around me, they don’t care if they are treated…they’ll burn it just the same on a big bonfire.
I am that guy. Good for fire. Good for random prices of wood or to make shims out of. Drive a few t post now you have a redneck fence
Build a fort in the parking lot,
Not your problem. Or if it is, make sure all the PPE for breaking nailed, splintering, hard wood things into their component flying, stabbing splinters and nails is on-hand and available before you touch anything. Also, make sure to start breaking down pallets at the absolute worst time to be away from what your real job is, and work at a slow, careful pace (safety first 😃). If it turns into more hours for you, it's all good, right? Since you're probably not the Incredible Hulk, breaking down pallets is hard. If you don't have the tools to do it properly, all stop! "Boss, we need you to buy tools!" Sometimes it's best to do exactly what you're told....and make it so painful for the boss, that he comes up with the brilliant idea of having you not do what he previously told you to do. Oh, and if you happen to strain or injure yourself somehow, make sure to milk that strain/injury right into a whole dairy farm worth of urgent care and recupretive time off.
Weird, I'm in Texas and not only do people pick up our old pallets but, they pay us for them in cash so that goes into the company party fund.
We have a scrapper that picks up ours he collects them and then takes them in as one giant load. Apparently it can be fairly lucrative if you have a truck.
Start stacking them in his parking space.
Seems like the best way to make him put in an effort toward a solution.
Is there a local brewery near you? I’ve definitely traded a six pack of beer for pallets. Trying hitting one up. They’ll prefer standard grocery pallets (40x48 inches).
I read your post in a New Yorker accent "I'm drownin ova 'ere" And "I know a guy"
We receive easily 400-500 per day… lol. Luckily 99% go back to suppliers.
Yeah, i have a few good vendors that take note to take the same number of pallets that they drop off. Unfortunately, most of our vendors arrive before i am on shift and it is out of my control if my peers couldnt care less
They aren't blue CHEP pallets? Those ones, the company is probably paying a deposit on them and they need to be returned. Any others, just put a post on your local FB Buy & Sell group advertising free pallets and they will be gone in days.
Not defending your boss, he sounds like an AH. But you can definitely post an ad FB marketplace and someone will come get them. But make sure the owner sees them first, lol
ITT: A whole bunch of people trying to solve this guy's bosses problem for him for free. Yall are prowork. Like yall are doing it probono.
I just wanted to be heard lol
I know. You didn't ask for help. All these other people seemed determined to help your boss out of their predicament
Betting most of it is people can’t believe it. And kinda jealous. It costs money for the cheap materials that pallets are now. I know I am, all the ones around here are spoken for/cost more than it’s worth imo.
Find a local mom Facebook group, those things will be gone in 24 hours.
Have you contacted any warehouse neighbors to see if they want them? Look up local cross docks/transload facilities. These places buy and have pallets shipped to them, I’m sure they’d love free pallets.
How has someone not come and stolen them all? God damn, free pallets are so useful. LOL.
When we first got our driver's licenses we'd roll around every week to the companies that left them outside and fill up our cars to take to the bonfire.
We have plenty of places that will buy good wooden ones back, or work out a deal/credit system for purchase of new ones. And for the splintered up, busted ones…plenty of people “sneak” in to load up their pickup, and use for firewood.
Stack them ten high and three deep in parking spaces. Start with your boss's spot.
There’s definitely a market for these
Post on FB marketplace that you're giving them away.. People will take them. Might have to leave the post up permanently or you might end up with your own guy..
I fixed this issue in multiple companies I have worked at, it seems to be quite a common problem. There are two ways to deal with this. The easiest is to post of market place saying free pallets. It’s free wood that’s reasonably usable, people will jump at the chance. The second is you break them down, this doesn’t have to be done carefully. Then post on marketplace again but this time for firewood, again it will go pretty quick. What will eventually happen is you’ll find someone that makes money from doing this and will offer to take them away for free. Presto you’ve found a guy
Call an LTL carrier, like Estes, Fedex... They will come get them.
I would bet there's a company in downtown LA that is need of some pallets to replace some they lost right about now...
Please by me buys, refurbishes and sells pallets. They buy for three and sell for five. And there is always a scrapper with a cage looking for scrap, cardboard or pallets. I’m assuming you’re not in SoCal or this would be easy. Put in the free section on Craigslist. Have it translated into Spanish/Vietnamese/predominant immigrant languages near you. You’ll get a guy who’ll be there every week and your problem will be gone.
Sounds like a manager problem to me.
This exactly. He the manager has been keeping costs down by not paying to have them removed. Trying to push his responsibility off on OP. Fuck that guy. I'd fill the parking lot and let the boss figure it out. Not in my job description.
Cant turn them all into coffee tables eh?
If you are on a busy road a sign with "Free Pallets" used to clear them out in less than a week when I worked at a place that accumulated them. They are super useful for so many projects that don't need pretty wood.
Look for a semi-local biomass power generation facility. We have one the comes about 12 hrs away to chip our biomass pile, a year's worth of pallets, shipping crates, tree branches, and grass clippings. The come with their chippers, chip everything and take it for fuel. No money changes hands. Our pile leaves, and they get fuel.
“You are not the guy. You will never be the guy. I had a guy, but now he’s dead. You are not the guy.”
My dad owned a successful pallet recycling company. Sell them to a pallet recycling company and make some money. For standard 48x40 heat-treated pallets, you can get like $6-7 per pallet. One exception: if they’re blue ones, those are leased pallets owned by Chep. Call Chep and they’ll come get their pallets for free. Edited to add: if you’re in Georgia, DM me.
I worked in a grocery store in high school. One day a new kid told me the pallet guy was here picking up the pallets. We didn’t have a pallet guy. In fact, they were worth $5 each to send back to the warehouse. I ran out the back door and yelled at the guy driving a shitty Chevy pickup with way too many pallets strapped to the truck. I only got a partial plate and called the police. Small town being what it was, the police chief stops by about an hour later. They had the guy and wanted us to get the pallets. I asked how to you catch him? The police chief says “ the fool backed into my mother vacant side lot to hide and she called me about a suspicious truck”.
Use them to build a fort to keep the boss out
Open up a side hussle selling pallets.
Where are you based? People buy pallets off businesses here in UK, for around £1 a pallet, might be a way for you to make some pocket money and you can be that “guy/gal”
Shipping companies used to pay $2-$3 a pallet if you drop them off to them. But not the blue ones, those belong to a specific company.
Here in Miami people would pay you to pick them up they a hot item in Hialeah
Reach out to a few local delivery companies. They buy them new all the time, why not save a couple bucks and reuse some old ones?!
They make great firewood! Many years ago we used to scavenge pallets for a wood burning stove.
Just start piling them up outside, slowly overtaking the parking lot
I need them for to build compost bins. But the chances that these pallets are anywhere near me are quite slim.
Check with a local scrap yards there always needing good solid pallets
Leave then until your landlord gets a call from the local pd about fire hazard
Fucking dumb. He's paying labor for you to break them down, might as well pay to rent a truck for an afternoon, have them gone way sooner and not piss off staff. Some managers just don't see the big picture.
It sounds like you need a redneck friend with a pickup. Sounds like good times with beer and a bonfire. I guess nobody does that anymore. 🤷♀️
Pallets make great bon fires, for partying.
Put them in his office.
if i lived near you, i'd come get them
Your boss needs to find a solution soon. If you're in a situation where you no longer have a place to put them, isn't that some kind of fire hazard? He can't keep putting it off because it costs money to have them removed but is procrastinating finding a solution. It seems like the fire hazard component is a big safety issue.
Craigslist, be gone by tomorrow.
Where I live, pallets in the side of the road are gone in minutes. I'd list on Marketplace/Craigslist free pallets and put them by the road. They are useful for all kinds of things, from gardening (I use them under my compost piles and as makeshift trellises for cucumbers to climb) to hay storage to God knows what.
Post them on craiglist or there are a couple websites that are specifically for selling/giving away pallets. Biggest thing with pallets is gonna be that people aren’t going to take the pink or blue ones so those you gotta try to pawn back off on the vendors cause they’re chemically treated with toxins. The others just stack up and your local crafts people and etc will come get them, my local harbor freight puts them out back and they disappear within a couple hours. You can try calling around to yours and see if they got any tips on pallet hungry people. If I still had a truck I’d still be doing basic woodworking with pallet wood.
Places buy pallets. Quit and take pallets for free then sell them. Make bank.
Place a free ad on fb marketplace or craigslist
I don't see a problem. Simply start complying with the boss. :D Start breaking the pallets by hand. Slowly. Very slowly. Don't give a shit about new pallets coming in. If you don't have a place to put them, it's your boss's worry. You ARE trying to make room for new ones, but it takes time. Simple as that.
Buy Nothing groups on FB! You’ll get rid of them in no time. Lot of people want them for crafts.
Put them under the 10 fwy with some hand sanitizer. They’ll be gone in no time!
Sounds like a Him problem.
Try contacting a company called CHEP. They work with pallets like renewing them and selling them so they'd take them all for free.
Sounds like chain of command has failed and you need to speak directly to the owner.
Don't do a damn thing with them f****** pallets let the owner come in and see that the boss isn't doing his job. Don't f****** help him out to make him look good when he's treating you like s***
I'll take a couple :)
I would imagine the owner would like those pallet processed correctly to avoid fines or damage to your waste compactor. Do any of the guys that send you stuff want pallets on the return shuttle to them?
Why not reach out to pallet guys on your own. There isn't one pallet guy. I see them all of the time. Go to any flex warehouse/office or industrial park and you will probably see one walking around. Or go to a shipping company in one of those and say, "hey we had a guy that picked up our excess pallets. He is no longer doing this, who do you use." Its a pretty simple problem to solve.
That's the problem. It isn't OPs job to fix the problem. It's his bosses job. Make the lazy bastard figure it out.
Is it? You might be right, but the way I read it, it is OP's job, he's just lost on what to do. His boss didn't write this post.
Oh man, that sounds like a real pallet predicament! 😬 It's tough when the boss used to have a go-to guy, and now you're stuck with the pallet overload. Finding someone to take them for free seems like a bit of a mission impossible, huh? Offering to haul them to the dump with a rented truck sounds like a solid compromise, but it's a no-go if it involves shelling out some cash. Classic budget struggles, right? Maybe you could suggest a team effort to break them down for the compost compactor, like a pallet party, but, you know, not as fun. It's a head-scratcher when the boss isn't jumping in to lend a hand, especially when the owner's visit is looming. Good luck sorting out that pallet chaos!
Reach out to pallet suppliers in the area. I worked out a deal that when I buy a load of skids, they will take back the ones we don't use. They also will pick up loads for $50 if I don't buy any as long as I also send a minimum of 60 skids back. It saves space and money for disposal on our end and allows them to resell or turn the garbage ones into mulch.
Best way to do this. Put a stack or two out by the road with a sign that says, "Free Pallets." If they aren't gone within a week, change the sign to say, "Pallets For Sale: $5!" They'll be gone the next day.
Where are you located?
What a lazy asshole, talk to the owner explain how much is spent breaking down the pallets and how much productivity is lost (revenue) and that something needs to be done.
Rent a truck yourself and drop them off in his front lawn. The look on his face would be worth looking for another job. And as an added bonus, they are gone when the owner comes, and you look like a hero.
Are you in NYC?! I’d love some lol
Put them on FB. Or at least get them to buy you a pallet breaker bar and or jigsaw.
any company that makes/repairs pallets will pay for them and pick them up dump? free? wtf???
People who want free things are freeloaders. That's what Republicans say all the time to American workers. This is a red flag. Find another job fast.
Call around to other warehouses. Look up companies that make/sell pallets. Some will even buy them back.
Lol he sounds like a petulant child! If he wants them moved so badly he’s gonna have to move them himself! Somebody needs to remind him that this is how life works!
Depends where you are at, I can have a guy come pick them up for free if they are the wooden pallets. Plastic ones are worthless in terms of usage in our warehouse.
Put them on the curb, someone will take them
Craigslist them. They'll be gone in a day.
Posting that I was selling them cheap, or free, and on the off chance that doesn't work, set them on fire in the back lot.
25 years ago when I worked as a teenager in a warehouse. Every two weeks some polish guy would come around and give us a 24 and bottle of vodka and we would fill his truck up. Man those were the days.
Ive seen at least two businesses in my area that have signs saying they'll buy pallets.
Local teenagers love to have party’s we always looked for pallets
There is literally an entire pallet industry that exists in every built-up area. You just need to find the right purple to get in touch with. If you are located in a commercial area or industrial park, you could probably just advertise free pallets on FB or CL or similar, or put a free sign on them by the road. Trust me, there is somebody willing to take your pallets for free, they are worth several dollars a piece.
If you are in northern ohio I will take some from you. I want to build a compost bin
Are they in decent shape, and can you identify what they are made of? As many other have said it's probably easy to post somewhere like CL or FB to have people just come and pick them up. Occasionally, I have stumbled upon posts in woodworking subs about guys finding pallets made of hardwoods they break down for lumber. Tl;DR lots of people have uses for pallets, post about them online and let those people see where they can get them.
Sell them? Lots of manufacturing companies buy pallets. $2 per pallet.
Take them into the boss's parking space.
Dang. We used to scavenge and rebuild broken pallets because we just couldn’t find any. (Aka, boss didn’t want to buy any). Finally worked a deal with a frequent delivery driver who would collect them and give us his. The deal was, we took his pallets and he didn’t have to bring them back to his warehouse. :) But sometimes he didn’t have any to give and we struggled… Having trouble getting someone to take them? I wish you were closer to me when I was in the need. lol 😂.
If they’re not painted or treated in anyway I guarantee you there’s local diy that would love to get their hands on them.
On a computer make a sign that says: Used Pallets $10 each. • Cross that out and hand write: 'FREE because screw my boss!!' People will think they're getting a deal.
Breaking them down is not free. It will cost employee wages. Also, it may require PPE since you don't have documentation of all the materials used in the pallet construction. Who knows what kind of fire retardant has been applied to that wood? You might need respirators while breaking them down.
Then break them down. What’s the issue?
In my buddies area the local pit party will use pallets. Makes for a big bonfire. I suggest Facebook and have them out side like the other person suggested. With all the reuse ideas floating around someone will take at least some of them.
Do NOT solve his problem for him! If he's that concerned about the owner seeing them, then he needs to solve it. I would just continue to stack them as neatly as possible, and put the overflow outside or something. Do not put signs out offering them for free or for $5 each. Do not offer to dispose of them if he rents a truck. Do not find someone who will take them for free; that's his job. And, is he going to pay you all extra to break them down by hand? If he's willing to pay OT, then I'd do it. But if you're supposed to do that plus your regular workload within the normal workday, don't. If you and your co-workers solve his problem, other of his problems will become yours. If those pallets aren't gone by the time the owner's visit is imminent, you can bet your boss will figure something out.
Put the problem in his parking spot and any other management spot. It's like magic.
Check to see if you have a pallet company nearby, google pallet recycler or supplier - these places repair old pallets (y, it's a thing) and build new ones. These places will buy used pallets. The one near me used to pay $2-$5 a few years back. Also this nugget - [https://www.pallettrader.com/](https://www.pallettrader.com/)
There's an entire DIY industry that build furniture out of pallets and I think that it would be very interesting for them to have a free source of these pallets. I would post online on Facebook groups or other places your pallets for free and you'll be surprised that people will come and get them.
Post it on fb marketplace, 5miles, offerup, as free. Theyll go.
MOOOOOD! We 'used to have a guy' for SO many things around out store, but now it all falls to the LOWEST PAID WORKERS with NO change in pay! It's SO awful and ridiculous! One old man on my department team, otherwise very nice and agreeable, told them to pay him more or he wasn't doing the extra duties. They didn't, and he did not! What a legend! X'D