The Container Store Comes to Tampa

When I was invited to The Container Store blogger preview event, I was so excited, because I have only seen their catalogue and of course knew I would be in love!  The store does not disappoint!!!  Some women love shopping for clothes or shoes but I love shopping for household items and organizing products!  For those that know me, you are well aware that I am an organizational freak, which allows me to answer the daily questions of

“Mom, where’s my shoes?” and “Mommy, I can’t find my favorite sweatshirt” to “Ellie, do you know where my glasses are?”

Of course I know where all of your stuff is!!!  Is it odd that I love to organize my pantry and weird that I smile every time I open a drawer that has every item in its perfect place?  Probably, but now that The Container Store has arrived in Tampa, it will only feed my need to arrange and sort my house!

Let me start with some interesting facts about The Container Store that I learned. It was founded in Dallas in 1978 and Tampa will be their 59th store.  This year alone, they will open up six stores, including Orlando and Boca Raton.  When people asked The Container Store folks why Tampa, their response was, “Why Not”, which I thought was awesome.  The Container Store believes in saving you space and time, which for me, is huge!  It seems there is never enough space and of course never enough time.  Being organized can give you back some time in your day, which makes so much sense!  The Container Store loves to donate, give back, and work with non-profit organizations.  They are currently partnered with the Junior League of Tampa, who will receive 10 percent of sales this Saturday and Sunday.

What I found interesting is that the customers don’t come first at The Container Store.  If you’re saying to yourself, “Huh…really?”,  I  thought the same thing, but when it was explained to me, I quickly understood.  The employees are actually first in line and their motto is that if the people who work there are happy, then the customers will be happy.  If you think about it, it is a concept that makes a lot of sense.  They look for great people who like to help customers.  Their employees receive 263 hours of training, which is very rare, allowing them to understand their products extremely well.  The fact that they are not on commission based sales means no one will be hounding you and pressuring you to buy.  Instead they are here to find solutions for you!  The Container Store has actually been on the ‘top 100 companies to work for’ list in Forbes Magazine for many years and this year, they are number 13.  I don’t know about you but when I see someone miserable at their job, it doesn’t make me want to shop there.  I wish more companies would invest more time and energy into their employees.

I asked whether or not home design consultation is something The Container Store would be offering in the future, since I cannot for the life of me figure out what to do with my home office.  The concept of home design is currently being tested but for now, it’s not something that is being offered.  The Container Store will however come to your house to do installs.  The coolest feature The Container Store offers is a “Click N’ Pick Up” service where you can order online and pick it up at the store, without getting out of your car.  Yes, someone will actually bring your purchases to your car.  As a busy mom with three kids, unloading and loading my boys in the car takes time, which I don’t have to spare.

The Container Store is HUGE and I can definitely see myself spending hours getting lost in there.  Did you know there are over 10,000 products available for purchase every day? When you think of The Container Store, you think of storage and who knew storage could be so colorful and fun.  From jewelry storage to shoe storage, to hangers that come in every color in the rainbow, to kitchen canisters, gift wrapping and more, The Container Store really helps you organize your home, your family and your life!  Have a playroom with toys littered everywhere?  Do you work in a home office that is cluttered and disorganized?  Whatever your need is, The Container Store has a solution.  I love that throughout the store, there are areas where they showcase real scenes to demonstrate how you can organize your space.  For example there is a closet with clothes, shoes and accessories and a playroom/children’s room with storage ideas.  Everything in the store is so bright, cheery and of course, so well organized.  The store is divided into different sections so it’s easy to find everything you are seeking.

The tour was amazing and I am so happy to have been part of the blogger preview event.  The Tampa store is really impressive and you can tell how excited the staff is to be in our city.  Definitely head on over to The Container Store for their grand opening in Tampa, Saturday, 3/16 and Sunday, 3/17 for prizes, including two $1000 makeover giveaways.  You can visit The Container store on Facebook as well as the local Tampa Facebook page.  Enjoy!

4720 W. Spruce St. Tampa, FL (813) 774-4060

Hours are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Published author, singer, song-writer and mom to three boys under the age of six,

Ellie Hirsch founded Mommy Masters® in 2010 to help parents create flourishing

family environments.  Visit Ellie, The Mommy Master® at MommyMasters.com