# Leaning cardboard?



## ricearoni (Jul 26, 2022)

So I loaded my cardboard into the baler and it was leaning a little bit so I tried to fix it but it was still leaning a bit. I put mine in and it kept wanting to fall but I was pushing it back. I finally got it to not lean, compressed it and it was fine. I went to clock out when I was done and I heard someone’s walkie go off and someone angrily said “please make sure we load the baler correctly so it doesn’t fall all over the place” I’m nervous now that I’m going to get in trouble because it was my cardboard that fell. It was already slightly leaning but can I get in trouble for it? They wouldn’t fire me or anything for loading it wrong right?


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## MrT (Jul 26, 2022)

ricearoni said:


> So I loaded my cardboard into the baler and it was leaning a little bit so I tried to fix it but it was still leaning a bit. I put mine in and it kept wanting to fall but I was pushing it back. I finally got it to not lean, compressed it and it was fine. I went to clock out when I was done and I heard someone’s walkie go off and someone angrily said “please make sure we load the baler correctly so it doesn’t fall all over the place” I’m nervous now that I’m going to get in trouble because it was my cardboard that fell. It was already slightly leaning but can I get in trouble for it? They wouldn’t fire me or anything for loading it wrong right?


No you won't.  Someone just getting pissy.  There are a few techniques to fix that issue but it's pretty hard to explain via text.  If it is leaning fill it in a way that it leaves the top flat.  Put a little in at a time and crush it over and over and it'll fix after one or two crushes.  Do not put cardboard that is too big into the baler that sticks out even the slightest.


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## ricearoni (Jul 26, 2022)

Thank you for the advice! I’ll definitely make sure to do that next time!


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## SigningLady (Jul 26, 2022)

Someone who put cardboard in before you didn't do it correctly. That's why it was leaning a bit to start with for you. Could have been they didn't fill it evenly or didn't bother to break down their boxes flat. Skipping these steps makes for uneven bales and can cause a bale/bale wire to break apart when ejecting it. Not a fun clean up to reload an entire bale and start over again.

You did your best to correct it. Don't sweat that someone called it out, it wasn't for you.


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## ION the Prize (Jul 26, 2022)

ricearoni said:


> ... someone angrily said “please make sure we load the baler correctly so it doesn’t fall all over the place” ...



Hey, let's keep it positive on channel one.

I don't know if it's kosher, but something a few of us do at my store is hit the red emergency stop when it has pressed down as far as it can, just as it starts to come back up again.


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## FlowTeamChick (Jul 28, 2022)

ION the Prize said:


> Hey, let's keep it positive on channel one.
> 
> I don't know if it's kosher, but something a few of us do at my store is hit the red emergency stop when it has pressed down as far as it can, just as it starts to come back up again.


We were told at our store that this isn't good for the baler and we weren't supposed to do it. Some TMs still do though.


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## ION the Prize (Jul 28, 2022)

FlowTeamChick said:


> We were told at our store that this isn't good for the baler and we weren't supposed to do it.


Funny that.

I started doing it pretty regularly a couple years ago and other TMs do it, too.

I've never heard anything about it being a problem. No leaders, no TMs who make bales, nothing from the property manager. Go figure.

Can anybody settle this?


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## Captain Orca (Jul 28, 2022)

It's a cardboard squeezer not complex fluid dynamic calculations.  Neatly throw the shit in, close the gate and hit the damned button.


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## JohnSith373 (Jul 28, 2022)

ION the Prize said:


> Funny that.
> 
> I started doing it pretty regularly a couple years ago and other TMs do it, too.
> 
> ...


PML here.
It’s not gonna damage the baler if it’s used to keep the cardboard compressed.

But the baler does get more wear-and-tear damage than it’s needed if you press it rapidly within seconds of releasing (pushing it down, emergency stop, push down, emergency stop, repeat). People do this to push it more and more down but that won’t help. Making a bale would help.


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## seasonaldude (Jul 28, 2022)

JohnSith373 said:


> PML here.
> It’s not gonna damage the baler if it’s used to keep the cardboard compressed.
> 
> But the baler does get more wear-and-tear damage than it’s needed if you press it rapidly within seconds of releasing (pushing it down, emergency stop, push down, emergency stop, repeat). People do this to push it more and more down but that won’t help. Making a bale would help.



We do it at my store all the time. It's not that a bale is needed. But, let's say someone has loaded unevenly. Stopping the baler and letting it sit for a few minutes helps fix that. It's great for those times when the cardboard is slanting either forward or toward the back.


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## Captain Orca (Jul 28, 2022)

What JS 373 said!  4 wires everyone.  We had a guy use 2 with the baler at about 75% capacity and the wires were loose and poorly knotted/twisted.  Up-stroked it quickly, too much dead air and the wires snapped.  Cardboard all over the place.  Asshole walked away from it.  Camera nailed him.


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## Ashfromoldsite (Jul 28, 2022)

ricearoni said:


> So I loaded my cardboard into the baler and it was leaning a little bit so I tried to fix it but it was still leaning a bit. I put mine in and it kept wanting to fall but I was pushing it back. I finally got it to not lean, compressed it and it was fine. I went to clock out when I was done and I heard someone’s walkie go off and someone angrily said “please make sure we load the baler correctly so it doesn’t fall all over the place” I’m nervous now that I’m going to get in trouble because it was my cardboard that fell. It was already slightly leaning but can I get in trouble for it? They wouldn’t fire me or anything for loading it wrong right?


Geezuz. Chill. People don’t get in trouble for attendance problems. You’re fine.


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## redeye58 (Jul 28, 2022)

I was flattening my food boxes & putting them in the baler when a vendor reached over my shoulder to toss his unflattened boxes in leaving me no room for the rest of my cardboard.
I pulled them out & tossed them toward him without a word while making a big show of flattening my boxes.


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## MrT (Jul 29, 2022)

It shouldn't be left down for an extended period of time, but you can crush it and stop it for a bit if you need to.  There are better ways then just crushing it longer though.


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## SigningLady (Jul 29, 2022)

redeye58 said:


> I was flattening my food boxes & putting them in the baler when a vendor reached over my shoulder to toss his unflattened boxes in leaving me no room for the rest of my cardboard.
> I pulled them out & tossed them toward him without a word while making a big show of flattening my boxes.



I do this all the time! Always throw whatever is not flat out of the baler. It's one thing if you do that and then crush it, but don't be an ass by filling the baler and walking away before crushing. Try again.

And I always make a point to thank people who I see breaking down the harder boxes, like Tide or people who fill cardboard into a larger box but then take the time to unload it instead of just putting the whole filled box into the baler.


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## Lowlyemployee (Jul 29, 2022)

If others are putting full boxes in the bailer it will always lean unless someone is going behind those employees and making it flat again.  They can't write you up for it unless you are warned and continue what they warned you not to do but.


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## Noiinteam (Jul 29, 2022)

This is why we have a crowbar hanging near the baler. Jam it down the front and lift up the boxes curling down. I have always had my own key and never put mine in unless it is crushed and level. Vendors are the bad boys throwing in whole boxes. We also have the problem of team members leaving their cardboard. Call on walkie if a bail is needed or call if it needs to be crushed. It’s really not that big of a deal.


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## FlowTeamChick (Jul 29, 2022)

Noiinteam said:


> Call on walkie if a bail is needed or call if it needs to be crushed. It’s really not that big of a deal.


This. Please, please, please. It's so annoying when TMs (it's not usually vendors at my store) fill it up with un-broken down boxes and don't borrow a key to crush it or call on the walkie, leaving it for the next person to come up with a u-boat full of cardboard, properly broken down, and unable to off-load it into the baler.
Annoying when they fill it up with broken down boxes too and not call for it to be crushed, but for some reason, that's less annoying to me.


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## RebelAtHeart (Jul 31, 2022)

Ummm, tell grumpy pants Mcgee to chill. I'm acting TL for inbound trying to actually get promoted. I tell everyone not to trip, just throw it in and get on to more important work, I'll clean up the back and make the bale no problem. I use 2 wires each in 3 slots and I never have a problem. If you're cardboard doesn't fit, cut it up, if there's no room, call someone with a key and wait unless someone like me comes up and takes care of it like they should, if it's leaning then just rock with it, 😄. I see so many people waiting in line at the baler which, to me is such a waste of their time when we have stuff to push or other stuff to do that makes the store money or the guests happy.
We really shouldn't hassle people about the baler, it's not a big deal, unless we add that to our expected push times 🤣 jk, a minute a box is more than enough time, except for when it's not, lol.


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