Why I Don’t Let My Client Shop At The Container Store

Written By Lucy Wahl

I am a professional organizer and I do not let my clients go to The Container Store. That’s right, I said it!

a woman with a blonde bob and bangs wearing a light blue sweater and jeans sits on a gray couch in front of a fireplace

But don’t worry, I definitely do shop The Container Store. They have a great product mix and I can usually find something there that will work for even the most unique client need.

So if I don’t let my clients shop there, what do I do instead? I create an exact list of the things that my clients need for their specific needs and space that we've surfaced through the decluttering process. By exact, I mean product names, links, colors, quantities, and prices. That way, the client can either add each item to cart and purchase quickly and easily, or they can approve the sheet for me to make the purchase for them.

You might be wondering why I’m so possessive about this part of the organizing process. There are three reasons I don’t let my clients shop The Container Store unsupervised:

1) I’m in the business of providing a service, and recommending the products that will work best for my clients is very much part of that! When I do the shopping, I cut out a ton of effort and time for my clients.

2) The Container Store is really overwhelming if you aren’t familiar with the inventory and how it works. Inexperienced shoppers can easily spend way more time and money than they meant to!

3) When my clients take the shopping list as a guideline instead of an exact list, and try to buy similar things they see in the store or cheaper dupes online, they end up unhappy with the results. I do the heavy lifting of taking measurements and matching up containers to the items that will be stored inside them, which most people don’t take into consideration while shopping!

I don’t want my clients to waste time and money, I don’t want them to feel overwhelmed, and I definitely don’t want them to be unhappy with their organizing system. That’s why I don’t let them go to The Container Store!

Have you ever shopped The Container Store? What do you think? What are some of your favorite items? Let me know!

LMW

Lucy Wahl
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