"Cheesy" cart box

[Bruce Tomlin]

The local grocery chain's store-brand pre-sliced cheese comes in these plastic containers.

 

They are shaped perfectly to hold a 2600, Coleco, or Sega cartridge with an appropriately sized manual in front. And they even have a hang hole.

 

I've saved up a couple dozen so far.

 

[+LS650]

So who cut the cheese?

[Bruce Tomlin]

Probably the same guy who moved the cheese.

[jaybird3rd]

I'm sure those containers (or ones just like them) can be bought from food service vendors. If you find a supplier that carries them, you'll probably need an open business account to buy from them directly, but if you're friendly with a local restaurant owner, they might be able to help you out.

 

That type of packaging might actually be a very workable alternative for homebrew games, come to think of it: I'm sure that those containers, or even heat-sealed clam packs, would be less expensive than having custom boxes cut and printed. If you were to insert a printed manual with the front cover facing outward, you'd be able to use the same containers for multiple games, instead of having to make a different one for each game.

 

Very interesting idea.

[Bruce Tomlin]

And that's why they're so awesome.

 

The manual can be used for cover art and part of the rear art, and the cart can even be turned label-out to show it from the rear of the package. And those three nubs make them stackable, too.

 

Wherever they come from, the cheese is packed with a piece of plastic heat-sealed to the bottom for freshness. So there's probably some automated machine that takes stacks of those and a roll of the seal plastic. And that means you can probably buy them by the crate. However it's also possible that the machine takes rolls of the hard plastics (all three pieces are different types of plastic!) and molds them as needed.

 

EDIT: found one picture link if you google image search for "Modified Atmosphere Recloseable Natural Sliced Cheese Package" They may be made by a company called Winpak.

Edited July 30, 2010 by Bruce Tomlin

[monzamess]

So what system is "Swiss Thin Sliced" by H-E-B for?

 

(someone had to ask)

 

[jaybird3rd]

So what system is "Swiss Thin Sliced" by H-E-B for?

The Digestive System, of course!

[jaybird3rd]

And that's why they're so awesome.

 

The manual can be used for cover art and part of the rear art, and the cart can even be turned label-out to show it from the rear of the package. And those three nubs make them stackable, too.

 

Wherever they come from, the cheese is packed with a piece of plastic heat-sealed to the bottom for freshness. So there's probably some automated machine that takes stacks of those and a roll of the seal plastic. And that means you can probably buy them by the crate. However it's also possible that the machine takes rolls of the hard plastics (all three pieces are different types of plastic!) and molds them as needed.

If they're anything like the food containers my family used to get for our Italian restaurant, they're probably sold prefabricated.

 

I'll have to look into this idea some more. The container you've found looks like it would be suitable for 2600/7800 cartridges just as it is, and I can't imagine that it would cost more than 75 cents each.

 

I've been doing some development on the Mattel Aquarius recently, and I was wondering where I would find suitable game packaging (the Aquarius cartridges are a very unusual shape) at an affordable price, but this thread gave me an idea. I do a lot of IT work for a local factory, which uses custom heat-sealed clam packs for many of their products. I'll try to get in touch with their supplier to see what it would cost to create a container for Aquarius cartridges, or even better, to see if they already have something that would be a good match.

[+Philsan]

I wonder if it is really Swiss cheese or, like many other food products, a famous name is used to improve sales.

[Bruce Tomlin]

I'll have to look into this idea some more. The container you've found looks like it would be suitable for 2600/7800 cartridges just as it is, and I can't imagine that it would cost more than 75 cents each.

I would be surprised if they cost even 10 cents each. This is cheese that sells for 2 bucks per 8oz 10-pack, and also the same price as the 8oz 8-pack in a zip bag. (both store brand, right next to each other) I started buying this kind because I got two more slightly smaller slices out of it. Then one day I realized they were the exactly right size for cartridges. Just tape or staple them to keep the lid from falling off.

[Devin]

The local grocery chain's store-brand pre-sliced cheese comes in these plastic containers.

 

They are shaped perfectly to hold a 2600, Coleco, or Sega cartridge with an appropriately sized manual in front. And they even have a hang hole.

 

I've saved up a couple dozen so far.

 

 

Wow, those work quite well.

 

... of course, I would love to see Mousetrap in one!

[Animan]

Clever Idea...

 

Maybe the AA store should start selling these .