Core Bio Services

Been here at UC for a long time. 15 years to be exact. So, I’ve been with these guys through the change to the MarketPlace.
I’m pretty happy with the folks down here.
Carlos has been there since I first started working here. He’s a really good guy. John, George, Norma and Jeffrey are always kind and helpful. I appreciate it especially when I’m in a rush and need something like yesterday.
Always grab a piece of candy they have in a dish sitting at the counter, but only 1 piece! Leave some for the rest of us geeks!

What always shocks me about Core Bio is the people down there specifically look like they do NOT hate their jobs. That’s rare to come by. Sure, they work in the basement, and have to make small talk with nerdy scientists all day, but they all are wonderfully helpful and always get me what I need.
Plus, Invitrogen is down there every Tuesday morning passing out Krispy Kremes, pastries and coffee and somehow managing to *not* make you feel uncomfortable when you’re clearly down there for the food, not the new eppendorf bottles.
Man this is a nerdy entry. I mean, really? Who is going to look for Core Bio on Unilocal and go there because they have 5 stars. If you work at UCSD you come here when you need things on a whim. It’s easy and convenient. It’s not like like their protein ladders astound me or their SDS-​PAGE gels make my eyes widen. I wear a lab coat. I need science stuff. Core Bio provides it.
What else can I ask for?

Sarah covered most of what I have to say already. Bottom line is: CORE is awesome.
One thing I would also like to mention, however, is the incredible special ordering feature available online. It’s a life-​saver. If the CORE doesn’t have exactly what you’re looking for, just look up the catalog number from their wide assortment of vendors and place your order with the CORE. They’ll get it for you. It rocks my socks because I hate filling out multiple purchase order forms.
I would also like to make note that they have a lot of storage space that I kind of take advantage of with old samples that I’m not really supposed to toss out. So I have a ton of ancient frozen samples chillin’ in liquid nitrogen down at the CORE… just because I can.
I love the CORE :)

This is kind of a nerdy 200^th review, but deal with it, I’m nerdy :)
If you work at UCSD and are partaking in science research, then you should be familiar with the Core. If you do participate in science research and you DON’T know what the Core is, then you are REALLY missing out! Lucky for you, you are reading my review and you get to read about how wonderful the Core Is :)
So as a research associate, there are several reagents/​materials that I need to use on a daily basis, from several different companies. It’s such a pain in the butt to make several orders from a variety of different companies. Then you have to pay a crap load for shipping AND you have to wait forever to get your stuff. This is where the Core saves your life. The Core stocks several reagents from different companies. Everything from media to growth supplements to gels to sample buffer. Lots and lots of stuff. Not only is it super easy to place an order online, but they usually deliver your stuff the same day as long as it is in stock aND you don’t have to pay for shipping/​a delivery fee! You can also pick up your stuff if you are in a hurry. If it isn’t in stock, it may take a longer, but I’ve never had to wait longer than a week to receive things.
Another thing I love about the Core is that they have a cell storage service. I suppose liquid N2 tanks are kind of expensive, so they have a bunch down there and for a fee, you can store as much ish in the N2 tanks down there as you want.
What I like MOST about the Core is their service. Everyone down there is so friendly and I’ve never had a negative experience in the 3 months that I’ve been a customer of the Core.
Overall, the Core rocks. It makes my job a lot easier, which is really nice. And if you manage to get off your butt and walk down there, they always have a box full of candy. Last week, I got a lemonade dum dum :)