Big-Box Shredding Is A Big Bucks Nightmare

Why Private Document Shredding Services Are Both Safer and More Affordable

I was at a major office supply store the other day and happened to watch a customer stop in with a grocery bag half-full of paper. She was greeted by an employee who took the bag, weighed it, and then placed it on the counter. The customer was charged $30 to have the bag shred.

The customer walked away, but were they satisfied? The employee left the bag on the counter to do something else first, within reach of anyone who felt like seeing what was inside.  I’m not even sure that employee was the one who ended up shredding the documents.

I found a lot wrong with this. It raised a lot of red flags.

What is the chain of custody?

How long did it sit there?

When was it going to be shred and by who?

Afterwards, how was it handled? 

How many people were involved in the handling?

Where was the notification of the shredding having taken place? 

Where was the “Certificate of Destruction”?

Thirty dollars! Really?!

These are not questions you should be left with regarding your important documents. This is a problem.

Choosing to have a firm dedicated to shredding would have alleviated many of the concerns I saw at this chain.

People love the bottom line. A firm dedicated to shredding would have provided the required security and confidentiality while most-likely also saving the customer money, as much as half of the price of the shredding job I saw. We offer our services at 4-5 times less than the rate some “big-box” stores offer, even with our added focus on your security (Office Depot is $0.99/pound, Staples $0.79/pound, UPS Store $0.75/pound).

Having the documents shred on-site will bring the work to you. It will be done by a trained professional, you will witness the entire process and then the shredded waste will be  co-mingled with other customer’s shredded waste for added security before being securely recycled.

We provide you with a “Certificate of Destruction”, and at a minimum there should be some kind of receipt of the shredding having taken place. The most important part of document shredding is after the shredding has taken place when the documents have been irreversibly destroyed.

When deciding how to shred perceived convenience can sometimes bring with it more problems. A better way to preserve the integrity of the process is to hire a private firm that specializes in shredding and will take keeping your information safe seriously.

We offer both document shredding and subscription container service. We take pride in our work and your satisfaction is a barometer of how well we’re doing our jobs. Contact us today to start shredding.