Portable Storage Rescues Overstocked Retailers

t’s the holiday season. That means consumers are shopping until they drop, both online and in bricks-and-mortar stores. In fact, more than 147 million shoppers hit U.S. stores this Thanksgiving weekend, according to the National Retail Federation.Some retailers are relying on their Web sites to push traffic into stores. Other retailers are selling their widgets exclusively online. Both are stocking more merchandise than they do any other time of the year. That means it may not all fit on the store shelves – or even the stockroom. Savvy retailers are tapping into the power of portable storage containers to keep seasonal merchandise overstock just a few steps away.

“With portable storage, retailers can breathe a sigh of relief,” said John Finnessy, CMP, Executive Director the National Portable Storage Association, or NPSA, a nonprofit membership association dedicated to the advancement of the portable storage industry. “It’s a safety hazard to overload stock rooms with boxes of merchandise, yet retailers need to keep enough product on hand to break last year’s sales record. Portable storage units ensure the goods are nearby without risking injury to employees.”

Portable storage units also mean retailers don’t have to under-order and sell out of popular items because they didn’t have enough storage space to keep merchandise safe and dry. It also means convenience. While traditional self-storage is an alternative option, it demands retailers drive off site, load the goods into a vehicle, drive back to their shop, and unload the goods into the store. With portable storage, retailers can take a hand truck to the back of the building and quickly grab just what is needed.

“Portable storage is a boon for retailers at any time of the year,” said NPSA Operations Manager Joel Rathbone. “After all, November and December aren’t the only peak shopping months. Portable storage gives retailers the liberty of buying goods from wholesalers in bulk, at deep discounts, and storing it securely until the merchandise sells.”

For more information, visit www.npsa-us.org.

Add comment November 29th, 2007

Portable Storage Video Offers Three Ls to Success

Making the most of portable storage containers demands three considerations: location, location and location. The National Portable Storage Association’s (NPSA) new training video offers tips for ensuring portable storage units are situated in the right location on a property.”One of the most important considerations is finding level ground,” said John Finnessy, CMP, Executive Director the National Portable Storage Association, or NPSA, a nonprofit membership association dedicated to the advancement of the portable storage industry. “You also have to be sure not to block septic tanks, manholes and other objects that you or others may need access to.”

The NPSA video also reminds portable storage consumers to allow enough space in front of the container for the truck to back away from the unit once it’s grounded. As a general rule of thumb, you should place the portable storage unit in an area that offers enough space to accommodate two containers. That ensures the delivery truck has room to safely maneuver.

Vertical clearance is another common “location” issue. Depending on the delivery method, the container could tilt as high as 14 or 15 feet. If there are tree limbs, electrical wires, roofing, or other objects in the delivery path, property damage could result. Finally, dirt or grassy surfaces should be dry before a container is placed there. Wet dirt could shift and settle and make it difficult to open and close the doors.

“The NPSA is committed to helping you find a solution to get your container into the proper storage area,” said NPSA Operations Manager Joel Rathbone. “Our members are experts at dealing with deliveries and pick ups at even the most challenging locations with safety always top of mind.”

For more information, visit www.npsa-us.org.

Add comment November 23rd, 2007

RV Storage Owners Quoted in the Media

There’s a great article in the News Observer on RV and boat storage — and the self-storage industry. This sort of third-party endorsement is priceless:

An increase in sales of boats and other recreational vehicles is rubbing against increasing restrictions on where cities, towns and homeowners associations will let people store them.

But the headache for many boat and RV owners from Cary to California has become big business for an emerging corner of the commercial real estate world: self-storage.

Kudos to this reporter for finding all the locals and including their perspectives in the article, or did he? It could be possible that the reporter contacted others who didn’t make it into the article because they didn’t offer anything worth quoting.

Don’t let that be you.

Understand your key messages, your value proposition, your industry, the statistics, the trends, etc., etc., etc. Contact us for a free PowerPoint presentation on PR tips, including how to get quoted in the media.

Add comment November 20th, 2007

Stopping the Self-Storage Crime Madness

Check out an excerpt from the Mini-Storage Messenger Xtra and then let’s consider the implications…The article by David Lucas reads:
The tragic murder of a self-storage manager during an armed robbery in Houston, Texas, in September shocked the industry. Unfortunately, robberies, assaults, and other crimes do occur at self-storage facilities, although, according to an industry expert, they are rare.

“It’s so rare that if we have an armed robbery, we don’t really address it much,” says Tom Litton, president of Lodi, Calif.-based Litton Property Management. “As an industry, we don’t do a lot of training on how to handle an armed robbery.”

Shaken by the violence at the Texas facility, some self-storage operations are putting personal safety policies in place and providing training on how to behave during robberies and other potentially dangerous activities.

The article goes on to offer some general guidelines on how to handle yourself during potentially violent encounters. But have you considered the public relations implications and guidelines? I submit to you that the industry, through its national and state organizations, needs to get proactive about counteracting all the negative media we see about crime in self-storage. Rare as it may be, that’s not the message consumers are getting.

The industry needs is own “McGruff” style branding campaign to get the message of safety and security out to the market. We’ve already lost ground to the ongoing media headlines and we’ve already seen the government amping up its spotlight on the industry. We can’t just sit still and fail to communicate how much more sophisticated our technology and security is today.

Let’s get busy.

Add comment November 19th, 2007

NPSA Helps Budget-Minded Churches Save Space

Growing churches are relying on portable storage containers to make more room for families instead of building materials, books and other items that go hand-in-hand with running a ministry. Alamo, CA-based Creekside Community Church Senior Pastor Nick Vleisides, says portable storage units are a critical asset to his church.