Blog posts tagged with 'folding tables'

We're quite passionate about our NES Reliable Plastic Folding Tables. We think they are one of the best plastic folding tables in the marketplace, and we're always happy to explain why. We've been doing that in blog articles about why round tables are more conducive to conversation and in explaining how much plastic tables cost. We sometimes have to restrain ourselves from shouting from rooftops that our tables rock!

In the first video that we posted on our blog, Dennis talked about who our customers are, what products we sell, and why you should buy from National Event Supply. In this video, Dennis talks about all of our great NES Reliable Brand Plastic Folding Tables, including several of our new tables including the 6 foot and 8 foot NES Reliable Fold-In-Half Plastic Folding Tables, and our 6 foot NES Reliable Rectangular Plastic Folding Table with Adjustable Table Legs. The adjustable height table is perfect for rental companies who want a table that can do double duty as a regular rectangular banquet table or as a makeshift bar. It has adjustable table legs that expands from 29.25 inches to 43 inches in height easily without the need for tools.

When we started planning for our expansion in Vancouver, we thought we'd start small. We'd start by stocking plastic folding tables in Vancouver, and then we'd stock wood folding tables in Vancouver, and then we'd stock plastic folding chairs in Vancouver. It didn't take us long to realize that we also needed to stock white resin folding chairs in Vancouver. So that's what we did. We stocked our NES Reliable Plastic Folding Chairs, Plastic Folding Tables, White Resin Folding Chairs, and Wood Folding Tables in our Vancouver warehouse at the beginning of August.

Since then, things have been going very well. We're getting new customers who are happy with the quick shipping turn-around and improving shipping times for existing customers that had been buying from our Toronto warehouse. As to be expected with any new endeavour, there were a few growing pains, but we have them all ironed out now, and we're ready to meet your table and chair needs for the rest of the year and heading into next spring.

We have since added two additional products to the mix in Vancouver. In the past month, we had several calls about table carts, and their availability in Vancouver. We're happy to announce that we now have round folding table carts and rectangular tables carts now available in our Vancouver warehouse.

NES Round Table Carts are 32.5 inches wide and are able to get through most standard-sized doors. They are light grey in colour and have a storage area that is 30 inches wide and will hold 10-14, 48 inch, 60 inch, or 72 inch round plywood or plastic folding tables. The NES Round Folding Table Cart features 4 swiveling wheels allowing for easier manoeuvering when the cart is full or empty.

Click to enlarge pictures.

NES Rectangular Table Carts are also 32.5 inches wide and are also able to get through most standard-sized doors. Depending on the size of folding table you are moving, the NES Rectangular Table Cart can be 76 inches or 100.25 inches long. The storage area of the table cart will hold 12 to 18, 72 inch, or 96 inch rectangular wood or plastic folding tables. In addition, the NES Rectangular Folding Table Cart also features 4 swiveling wheels.

Our table carts have been a strong seller from our Toronto warehouse and we have no doubts that they will sell briskly from our Vancouver warehouse. If you have any questions about our NES Round Table Carts, our NES Rectangular Table Carts, or any of our wood or plastic folding tables, please feel free to ask us any questions that you may have.

"Vancouver Skyline And Stanley Park" courtesy of Rosemary Ratcliff / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

With my family living out west, out east and in Taiwan, I spend a lot of holidays with my roommate’s family. Normally this involves a trip to the family house just down the street. This year, however, we spent Thanksgiving at The Keg, as the kitchen and bathrooms have been torn up for renovations. There were only six of us so we were seated at a 60 inch round table in front of a fireplace. What a great setting!

We had our dinner and lots of conversations about work, technology, diets, television, and our plans for the week and what we had accomplished the preceeding week. Everyone had a great time and the wine and conversation flowed freely.

When we got home, my roommate commented on how nice it was that we had a round table like that. Normally when we have a larger group for a get together, we get seated around a long rectangular table. These longer tables are not as conducive to conversation, and only rarely do you get a chance to speak to someone at the other end of the table. The last time we were at a restaurant, there were more of us and we were seated at a long rectangular table. That night, there were two or three conversations going on, and I only very briefly spoke with people sitting on the far end of the table from me.

It's not only at restaurants that round tables make a big difference. I've been to weddings where we were seated at round folding tables and weddings where we were seated at rectangular folding tables. At both weddings I was sat with the same group of people (gotta love your cousins) and I felt like I had a better visit with my cousins when we were seated around the round table.

If you've never worked with round folding tables, here are 4 things to keep in mind:

1. There are round plastic folding tables and round wood folding tables. Good-quality plastic folding tables can be just as strong as a good-quality wood folding table. Ask about weight ratings, and the materials used in the construction (plywood vs chipboard with a plywood veneer). Usually the big difference is in the weight of the table. Our 60 inch NES Reliable Round Plastic Folding Table weighs 40lbs. Our 60 inch NES Round Wood Folding Table weighs 58lbs.

2. A round folding table requires two feet of space around it for chairs and an additional 1 foot for aisles. When planning out how many tables you need, or how many tables will fit in a facility, it is important that you account for space around the tables for chairs and for an aisle. A 60 inch (5-foot) round folding table will require a 120 inch (10-foot) diameter circle of space. This is a standard guideline for round tables. Please note, however, that some jurisdictions may require more space between tables.

3. 60 inch (5-foot) Round Folding Tables are the most popular size of round table. 60 inch Round Folding tables are by far the most popular size of round table. They seat eight comfortably for sit-down dinner service and are not so large and unwieldy that they are difficult to move. Most tablecloths are designed for 60 inch Round Tables, as are most table skirts.

4. 48 inch Round Tables will seat 6-8, 60 inch Round Tables will seat 8-10, and 72 inch Round Tables will seat 10-12. If you are planning for a sit down meal, be it buffet or served at the table, you should use the smaller number as your guideline. If you are serving light refreshments, you can use the larger number as a guide. Keep in mind, if you seat 10 people around a 60 inch round table, you are giving each person 18 inches of table space. With 8 people around a 60 inch table, everyone gets 23.5 inches of table space.

Turkey Image courtesy of debspoons / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

One of the questions that we get asked every daily is "How much do your plastic folding tables cost?" On the one hand this is a very simple question to answer; on the other it is actually quite difficult.

It is simple because we, of course, sell plastic folding tables; as a result we have set pricing for our wide selection of NES Reliable Plastic Folding Tables. So then why is it also difficult? The difficulty comes when you choose to dig deeper into the specifics of the plastic folding table that you are looking to buy. Plastic Folding Tables range in price from about $30.00 all the way up to $330.00+, depending on a variety of factors including size, quality, brand, and which supplier you buy from. To take size out of the equation we will focus on the always popular 6-ft Rectangle Plastic Folding Tables. While many 6-ft Rectangle Plastic Folding Tables initially appear to be the same, there are three main differences that come into play to effect price which are quality, distribution, and brand.

Quality vs Price

The Quality of plastic tables sold currently varies dramatically. Some offer 6-ft Rectangle Plastic Folding Tables that are only capable of holding 250lbs evenly distributed across the top of the table, while others are capable of holding 1000lbs or more (including our 6-ft NES Reliable Rectangular Plastic Folding Tables). In terms of quality, the tables being sold by the vast majority of big box retailers (consumer-focused) simply do not compare to those being offered by companies that focus on Business to Business sales. The big box stores mainly focus on giving you the least expensive product possible, resulting in the lower weight rating. Many of these products will work very well for consumers looking for an inexpensive table that they will use once or twice a year for household parties and events. If you are planning to use the table more often however, you might want to consider the value being offered by a product at a similar or slightly higher price point. You also want to be cautious that you are really comparing two equal tables, especially if the price difference between them is low.

So what of the $180.00 6-ft Rectangular Plastic Tables?

The 6-ft Rectangles that cost $180.00 are normally so expensive because they are sold through distribution. Yes, some will have higher weight ratings, and some will have special features to help improve their value proposition but some have neither. A great example of a large business built on distribution is National Public Seating. If you choose to purchase a National Public Seating product, you don’t buy directly from them. Instead you will buy from one of their retail partners. This has pros and cons. The pro is that you can generally find someone in your immediate area that carries their product. As a result you may be able to pick up the product the very same day, or the next day. This can make purchasing their table very convenient, especially if you are in a jam and need the product quickly. The con is that their price is likely higher because of the double mark-up. The double mark-up occurs because National Public Seating needs to make money on the product sale and the retailer needs to make money on the product sale.

Branding: Marketing Dollars at Work

The final cost factor is Brand. It is fair to say that most well-known brands command a premium over their unbranded or lesser known brand counter parts (had a Coke/Pepsi lately?). Both Coke and Pepsi are able to command higher prices because they are a known commodity compared to many of their competitors. As a result when they sell at a higher price point many people are happy to pay it because they have known quality behind the brand. When you buy a Coca-Cola or Pepsi, you know exactly what you are getting but the same is generally not true for small brands or store branded products since you likely have not dealt with them before.

So the next time you are looking to purchase a plastic folding table consider what goes into the cost. While some costs may be justified to you, others may not be. Some may prefer distribution over brand, while others will prefer quality over distribution. If you are looking for pricing on plastic folding tables that offer excellent value please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Since I started working at National Event Supply in 2010, we've shipped products across Canada and the United States. We've shipped tables and chairs to Nunavut in the North, and Aruba in the South. We've shipped dinnerware and cutlery to Vancouver, BC and St. John's Newfoundland. Most of the time, there are no problems. The products arrive on time, with no damage. On other occasions, products are lost or are damaged in transit.

When we find out that products are damaged in transit, we typically file a claim with the shipping company. As part of the claims process, the shipping company will refer to the bill of lading. If the customer has signed the bill of lading and has not indicated that there was any damage, the shipping company will typically deny the claim, as there was no damage indicated. This is why skids that ship from our warehouse in Toronto now have stickers on them that read "Inspect for Damage Before Accepting". But what should you be looking for?

4 Things to Look for Before Signing for your Order

Is the plastic skid wrap still intact?

National Event Supply wraps all skids in plastic wrap. For orders coming out of our Mississauga warehouse, we use a black wrap. Indianapolis and Vancouver both use clear wrap. The wrap should be tightly pulled around the products, and there should not be any tears or rips.

Is the pallet damaged?

If the pallet is falling apart or has noticeable damage, take a closer look at the whole skid. It could be that the skid was damaged while it was being loaded or unloaded at the shippers' depots.

Are there any dents or indentations on any of the boxes?

Take a look at the boxes on the skid. If there are holes or a corner is bashed in, then the skid may have been damaged in transit.

Is the skid leaning to one side, or does it look like it could topple over?

If the contents have shifted during shipping, there is a chance that the products within may be damaged.

Click to enlarge pictures.

What to Do if Your Order Arrives Damaged

If you discover that your order is potentially damaged in the course of your inspection, here is what you should do:

Take pictures of the damage while the driver is there. If you can take pictures of the skid on the truck that's even better.

This allows us to show the carrier that the product was damaged while they were responsible for it. It is important that the pictures of the skid are taken before the skid is broken down.

Write down on the Bill of Lading the exact damage that you have discovered and that you will be filing a claim

Be as specific as possible. If the corner is bashed in on the box that is third from the bottom, write that down. The more detail that we can give the shipping company claims department the better. Write down all the damage that you document with pictures.

Don't use the damaged product. Leave it in its box.

If the product is damaged, then you cannot use it. Let us know so that we can get replacement product out to you. Also, make sure that you keep the damaged product in its box at your facility so that if the claims adjuster wants to inspect it he can. If you return the product to us, the claims adjuster can dismiss the claim

Let us know and we will start the claims procedure.

The sooner you email or call us and let us know about the damage, the sooner we can get the ball rolling on the claims process. We'll need the photos that you have taken so we can give them to the shipping company and we'll need to know what happened when the shipping company arrived with your product.

As I wrote earlier, most of the time nothing goes wrong, the products arrive on time and in pristine condition. For those times that they don't however, it is important that you know what you're signing for. It's important to "Inspect for Damage Before Accepting".