#969: RotoStock

When the groceries get delivered, there is always a temptation to just upend the bags or crates straight into the kitchen cupboards. I’m discouraged from doing this, however, by the fact that old products can thus be left unused for long periods.

Today’s invention is a simple shoebox-like insert for cupboards which has a U-shaped interior. This allows incoming stock to be pushed into the left hand side (grey items) and, because the floor of the box is polished, each items bears on its neighbour and easily drives an older item towards the front on the right hand side.

rotation

If you want a series of items from within a box, just push them around by hand.

New products might be inserted through a flap or brush-type door, in order to avoid confusion about which end was the entrance. It would also make sense to use one box for one type of good eg tinned tomatoes, although there is an interesting serendipity element to cooking with whatever emerges from a given box. If that item is presently unwanted, simply reinsert it in the left hand side.

The boxes could be folded together from eg a plastic sheet of parts which would allow them to fit anyone’s cupboards. A similar system might be used in shops (but with a one-way entrance to stop people grabbing fresher items from the left side).

One Comment:

  1. Boxes and inserts might be made available as shown here:
    http://howpack.com/

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