Jan 23

The other day, my mildly "crunchy" wife asked I take her to lunch, then drive to Batteries Plus so she could recycle a bag of old batteries she's been carrying around in her car for months. She had discovered online, Batteries Plus recycles them.

 

As we drove up to the store and parked, I quipped, "who the hell needs a store dedicated to batteries, that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard of." Well, it turns out I do. I need a store dedicated to batteries....plus.

 

While my wife separated her trove of dead Duracells, I started to browse around the store. Yup, lots of batteries, Duracells, Energizers, etc...watch batteries, car batteries, boat batteries, even rechargable solar batteries for outdoor lights. I grabbed a pack of eight double A's, since I needed some. Then some flashlights caught my eye, sleek, silvery, super bright LED flashlights. Double hmmm, I love flashlights. And these were awesome. One even had a built in laser too!

 

OK, I had already realized I was wrong, that yes, Batteries Plus was a cool place. A "mecca" of batteries and battery powered items. But when my wife picked up some flameless, scented candles for the office, and I started to pay....that's when it happened. Batteries Plus became indispensable to me.

Batteries Plus stocks and replaces UPS unit batteries.

UPS (uninterruptible power supply) units are essential at our office. Every computer, every printer, every electronic device is connected to one. They act as safety nets during power outages, allowing you to run off of battery power for at least enough time to shut down safely. And they act as power conditioners, evening out the current supplied to sensitive electronic devices - which is crucial for us, since our power drops and surges frequently. And of course, they protect against huge power surges too. We've got dozens in our office, each costing between $100 and $250 dollars depending on how large they are (the battery size and amperage they support).

 

But they don't last forever, in fact, with our flakey power they often only last a year or so. For a long while, we had a graveyard of dead or malfunctioning UPS units. We called the manufacturer, but of course they suggested we buy new ones. Even though, most of the time, the only issue was the batteries were dead. They just wouldn't hold a strong charge anymore. We called a few places to see if they offered replacement batteries but had no luck. Well, you can see where this is going now. As I already mentioned, Batteries Plus tests, repairs, and offers replacement batteries for UPS units. So now, instead of spending on average $150 to replace a dead UPS, we can take it to Batteries Plus and get a replacement battery for around $35. Oh, and yes, they recycle the dead batteries too - a fact that made my crunchy wife very happy.

 

I'm sure I'll be heading back to Batteries Plus in the near future the next time an UPS unit dies. Or maybe the next time I need a cool super-bright LED flashlight. Regardless, I admit, my initial skepticism about a place dedicated to batteries, couldn't have been more wrong. A fact my wife is sure to never let me forget.

 

So if you have batteries to recycle, or need anything battery related, be sure to check out your local Batteries Plus. Here's ours:

Batteries Plus, Route 73 Mount Laurel