Construction Junction has updated its website to include its recent inventory, and while not all of the items are visible online, the newest items are promptly added to the site.
Tuesday, September 13, 2016
Construction Junction’s Inventory Goes Online
Construction Junction has updated its website to include its recent inventory, and while not all of the items are visible online, the newest items are promptly added to the site.
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I think that because Construction Junction has finally made an online presence, it will begin attracting a different type of customer. Having been there many times during freshman year for Susan's various design projects, I am well acquainted with Construction Junction and Creative Reuse. Creative Reuse felt more "trendy" to me than Construction Junction, but I say that very loosely. I think because everything is so large at Construction, it's difficult for us students who don't have a car to seriously access all there is to gain from that surplus store. Not only that, it's really really vast and expansive. This website could potentially create a lot of revenue for the store because I know for a fact that I would rather save the travel time going there. The pros and cons in this method is that you could potentially lose out on some really cool pieces that just haven't been catalogued yet. I would look more into their things if I had a permanent house to live in-- it could make for a really awesome mish mash of found objects. Another thing I frequently think about is how I've never really seen another place like Creative Reuse or Construction Junction (and how freaking useful a place like that is!!) As an artist, a place like that in your neighborhood gives you the opportunity to think about using materials in a way you would've never thought of otherwise.
I think this is a great way for construction junction to get their business out there and start building up their clientele. I know that when i first herd of Construction Junction, i really didn't know what to expect? was is just for building materials? or was it like a salvation army type of thing? I think the website will help customers to see the wide variety of items they do sell their. I do however feel that it might be hard for them to keep up the website because of the structure of their business. I am sure they get a lot of donations and have to take the time to sort and categorize all of those donations. It might become a hassle to add the extra step of taking a picture and setting up the item on the website. Maybe a little more trouble then its worth? I guess only time and the amount of business they get from the website will reveal if its worth it. This problem could possibly be solved with the creation of a specialized position for operating and organizing their online presence. As a customer, I think this is a great progression for the company. The article mentioned that you can donate but it didn't specify if people can set up donations on the website. If this is not already a feature of the website, I think that it would a great innovation to the process of donating and make it easier for people to donate. Overall, I think this website is a great set forward for the company and I hope they keep it up!
Oh, now this is just awesome. For me AND for Construction Junction! It truly is a huge limitation of the company to only have their inventory viewable in their showroom. I found often, when working on projects pre-SM/PM, I would skip Construction Junction despite its great prices and rare treasures, because I simply couldn't guarantee they'd have what I needed and I didn't want to waste the trip. Particularly freshman year, when the only option was taking a long bus ride. I'm sure many people think the same way I did. I think the prospect of finding this information online also makes me want to pick up projects. If I know things are available, I'll be more willing to try something. What I am concerned about, however, is the operational challenges of this website. Construction Junction is HUGE and filled with all kinds of items, big and small. Is that inventory truly accurate? Are employees going to be completely bogged down and frustrated by the maintenance of an accurate online inventory? Will I end up making a trip out only to realize they hadn't properly updated the list? Only time will tell, I suppose, though it's worth looking out for.
If Construction Junction can digitalize their inventory, then anyone can! I don’t mean that in a negative way in that Construction Junction does not seem like they would have the resources to do such a thing, but their inventory is so diverse, unique, and massive that it would seem like an undertaking to do such a thing. I know there has been constant conversation in the Prop Shop here at CMU of if we should implement bar codes to props or something of the sort. There are numerous arguments for doing such a thing. It would reduce the amount of time searching and scenic designers would have a quicker idea of what is available to them to help budget. There are also some arguments against the idea. There would be a large learning curve, time spent to keep up with tagging and tracking, and implementing a new system in general. I’m not saying we should or should not, but this supports the possibility of the idea.
The future is now! This article points out one of the most "Pittsburgh-esque" things I have ever seen. It blends construction junction, the very pittsburgh DIY housing store, advancements in technology, and an artist and design haven. I think this is a fantastic business move on their part, especially because their showroom is just so large and you could very easily miss that pink porcelain toilet of your dreams. Not to mention all the theatrical applications! It would be fantastic for CMU TD's to be able to source items for shows directly from the construction junction website, which streamlines the process so much that it makes it almost silly to not check if they don't have an item used and cheap before you need to source/build the item yourself. I think this also promotes a more eco friendly design world in general, as more people have access to items that they would be able to reuse before creating another piece of junk that will be thrown into the trash at the conclusion of it's short lived use.
Finally! The days of hoping that construction junction has something along the lines of what you need are over. No more wild dashes (or long bus rides) to the store during their limited hours of operation to fail to find the dresser or chair you need. Now you can actually check their inventory. Since the store has such a quick turnover, it was always possibly that they would be out of the very thing you need. And, as Ben King said, the showroom is so massive that it is incredibly easy to miss the item you are looking for, even if it is as vibrant and eye-catching as a pink toilet. This development will make finding cheap college-worthy furniture much easier. My only hope is that Creative Reuse also picks up on this trend of digitizing inventory. Creative reuse is fantastic for finding inspiration for art projects, however, the inventory fluctuates in such a way that it can be impossible to find an specific object (unless it's glass pipettes- they always seem to have a thriving population of those).
Yea! This is great! Construction Junction has certainly been a crucial part in most projects my freshmen year, and already I was planning on doing the Construction Junction and Creative ReUse haul this weekend. I think its a great way to keep customers happy and to gain more customers. I want to know why the news blog didn't have any link to their website, because making the reader have to find it themselves adds just one more step that some won't take. I explored the website a little, and it looks great! It easy and simple to try to find what your looking for with simple pictures. The reservations is a good thing to have, but I worry that their are going to be a lot of reservations but little follow through on the picking up and purchasing. A delivery service may not be the answer but I want to see the stats in a years time on how going digital with the inventory effects the company. I do hope that soon creative reuse will be following in there footsteps.
This would have been so helpful during arcade! Since construction junction operates a lot on donations, you never know what will be in the store when you go there, but they have such a great variety of things at such low prices that it’s the best first stop for low budget shows. But the fact that you had to physically go there and just hope they had what you wanted was always a risky move. That, combined with the fact that you might be going just to check out the stock and not buy means that the next time you're there it might be gone. It’s pretty impressive that they have put everything online, given how diverse their inventory is. I looked at the website, and they have pictures of every item a la eBay or craigslist so you see exactly what it looks like before you buy it. I checked out doors, which is what we tend to buy there, and they don’t list every door online, only the really expensive or interesting ones, which is a shame but does make sense.
This is such a step up for Construction Junction (to keep up with the world)! Having their inventory available online will significantly save buyers' time because they don't have to make a trip just to go about the entire store to check if there are pieces they want. It will also attract more customers because of the convenience and their appealing prices and huge collection of miscellaneous items.The only challenge of starting this is to keep track of everything in a timely manner.
I was actually wondering if we could also update our system here for the warehouse, like to take the time to actually go over everything and mark them, categorize them and have the inventory online so that the inventory can really be made good use of and likewise it also saves people's time in the longer run. It's gonna be a huge headache to start the project though, and the fact that we are not making sales off of these props, furniture pieces, or costumes is probably the reason that discourage the school to start the work..........
Construction Junction is about to revolutionize the theater world of Pittsburgh PA hard core. I can guarantee you that every theatrical producing organization in this city visits Construction Junction on a somewhat regular basis. Not only could this new feature save you a trip to the store, but it will do oh so much more. First off, you will be able to budget a unit so much more accurately because you will be able to see exactly what you are getting. Secondly, you will be able to see the range of the stock which will also help in so many ways. The key to the success will be for Construction Junction to make sure that the site stays up to date. I have a pretty good feeling that they will, and thus making it a win for everyone involved.
I am a big fan of reusing materials. At the theatre where I worked this summer there was a unit that had been in four straight shows, starting out as a bed frame and then becoming a window unit, etc. Having to repurpose pieces and materials and think creatively like that is part of the reason I enjoy working at small theaters. That is why when I first moved to this city Creative Reuse and Construction Junction were two of the places I was most excited about discovering. They are the kind of stores where you want to block out a large chunk of time and go wander around the aisles, exploring all the hidden treasures they have to offer. But with our incredibly busy schedules it can be really hard to find time to go there, and one might be even less inclined to because they don’t know until they arrive if the store will have what they need. I think that putting the major items in their inventory online is a great step for Construction Junction in accommodating the needs of costumers that does not sacrifice their charm.
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