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Chances are you’ve heard about the “supply chain crisis” that is being driven by the backup of more than 100 giant container ships off the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles. While we believe it’s well-worth the time to read this insightful article from Yahoo Finance to better understand how this situation is affecting our economy with shortages, delays, and ultimately, inflation, we’ve synthesized the article into easily-digestible information bites.

Here are some key points from the article:

You have a vacation or a business trip coming up and it’s time to pack. Try these tips to make packing more efficient:

1. Roll, don’t fold, your clothes – it’s the best way to prevent creases and make the most of space in your suitcase.
2. Pack by outfit and group them on your bed first. This will help avoid forgetting an item.
3. Choose travel-friendly fabrics.
4. Place heavy items at the base
    of your suitcase.
5. Avoid over or under packing.

Halloween is the second largest commercial holiday in the United States, behind Christmas. Consumers spent over $8.8 billion on Halloween in 2020, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF) with an average of $92 per person. Here are ten more fun facts about Halloween that you might not know from GoodHousekeeping.com and History.com:

Kids aren’t the only ones who need to be organized to be successful at school -- parents need to be organized too. These easy organization hacks started at the beginning of the school year are sure to reduce back to school stress for the entire family!*

1.     Before you run out to purchase new school supplies for your child, do a quick search of your home for unused supplies from last year.

2.     Use a Homework Caddy or bin for school supplies that can remain on a table or shelf so it’s easy to find and clean up. Use containers for supplies like crayons, pens, pencils, erasers, paper clips, etc., include paper, scissors, glue sticks, highlighters, etc.

After a long year of social distancing and working from home, people are happy to get outside and enjoy the outdoors this summer. Soaking up the sunshine and fishing near a beautiful pond, river or beach is a great way to enjoy nature. But did you know that there are many health benefits to fishing? Here are a few reasons to break out the fishing rod and cast a line this summer, even if you’re a newbie!

With COVID restrictions on outdoor gatherings being lifted, people are happy to be able to move ahead with fun celebration events like weddings, showers, graduations, reunions, engagement and anniversary parties, and more. Giving a favor (or small gift) as a way of saying thank you to guests is a common tradition.

The tradition of distributing wedding favors, is hundreds of years old. It is believed that the first wedding favor, common amongst European aristocrats, was known as a bonbonniere. A bonbonniere is a small trinket box that was made of crystal, porcelain, and/or precious stones. The contents of these precious boxes were generally sugar cubes or delicate confections, which symbolize wealth and royalty.

Nowadays, small gift items like candy, ceramic, glass or metal items, candles, soaps, and more are met with the challenge of having to be protected against damage and scratches. The solution? Alpha Rho’s rigid plastic boxes and containers come in various shapes and are perfect for containing most items in our sturdy high-quality polystyrene plastic.

Upgrading Opportunities for Your Candy and Jewelry Packaging 

As we make our way to the one-year mark of the global pandemic, we find ourselves celebrating holidays differently during lockdown. According to the Nation Retail Federation, even in a pandemic, we spent over a whopping 28.1 billion dollars for Valentine’s Day. People were willing to invest, despite the changes to the holiday season. Lots of companies are wondering how to promote and enhance holiday spirit, and make up for shifts in sales, all while staying safe.

Dependable and Durable Boxes Provide Ease of Mind for Dentists and Orthodontists

All medical industries require reliable and safe products for equipment, implants, and more, and the dental and orthodontics industry is no exception. An article written by the American Dental Association (ADA) speaks of concerns about the bacteria and inflammation linked to periodontitis and its role in some systemic diseases and conditions. The Mayo Clinic tells us that oral health is a window to our overall health. Clearly, cleanliness and proper hygiene and maintenance matter at a personal level, and in professional settings such as dental offices. Whether it’s dentures, retainers, or cleaning instruments, any given office will have fragile equipment or products that need to be protected, maintained, and properly stored.

How Rigid Plastic Boxes Will Protect Your Costumes and Treats this Halloween

While holidays and events may look different this year, that doesn’t mean the desire to make the most out of the current situation has decreased. Instead, according to an article by CNN, Halloween displays have been put out early in many supermarkets and stores. Some candy manufacturers are dressing fewer treats in Halloween-specific packaging and putting a greater focus on family-sized packs for at-home treats in anticipation of celebrations held at home. Even if families won’t be going door-to-door this Halloween, a recent survey conducted on behalf of the National Confectioners Association found that 74% of millennial moms and young parents said Halloween is more important than ever this year, with the hopes of bringing some joy and normalcy home this fall.

How Will the Spread of the Virus Impact China’s Economy and Trade?

China has become an economic powerhouse over the past several years, so concerns over reports of cities shutting down, the number of victims rising, and concerns over economic impact are quickly rising. According to an article by Time, China is the world’s largest manufacturer, and imports more crude oil than any other country. China was the United States’ largest supplier of goods in 2018, including electrical machinery ($152 billion), machinery ($117 billion), furniture and bedding ($35 billion), toys and sports equipment ($27 billion) and plastics ($19 billion), as reported by Forbes.