Self storage which is also known in some countries as device storage is an industry wherein storage space is rented out to customers usually for short term periods. But occasionally they also provide rooms or outdoor spaces, lockers or mobile storage, containers etc., to people who rent them for storing their belongings. These people who become their customers can either be individuals or businesses. But the way these businesses benefit individuals and businesses is quite different.
Benefit of self storage to homes and individuals
For an individual, the self storage units help in a number of ways by:
- Reducing clutter which has accumulated unseen over a period of time and which is rarely used in the current scenario,
- Providing safety and security especially if the homeowners have to go away for a considerable length of time and fear that their belongings might get damaged from natural causes like climatic changes, rains etc., or manmade factors like theft, burglary, vandalism, unauthorised entry etc.,
- Hoarding up things which have no practical value but to which people are attached emotionally and cannot afford to throw them away,
- Some equipments like drills, lawnmowers, saws etc., are seasonal in their use and thus need to be stored at other times so that they can be kept away from mechanical wear and tear and also keep them away from children and adults alike if they are a threat to them in any way etc.,
- In case a family is relocating to a different country for a few years, it prefers to stow away all its belongings and keep them on premises rented for their storage etc.
Thus self-storage for an individual mainly involves the storage of excess baggage in a place away from home but with easy accessibility. They do not value add to the individual monetarily and the only way an individual benefits from stowing away these excessive baggage is to clear up space inside their homes.
Benefits of self storage for businesses
Businesses benefit from these self-storage units in more ways than one and a brief Info into the ways in which these units are beneficial to businesses is given below. Generally speaking businesses have great need to store the following things like:
- Emergency storages for instances when their premises might get damaged due to fire or storm,
- Storage of seasonal stock like when they stock up to meet the excess demands for their products during Christmas etc.,
- Archiving certain files, folders and things,
- Storing samples and products for use as and when required,
- Home office storage,
- Office furniture relocation and
- As a place to store business stock overflow.
These self-storage units by their facilities and services enable businesses to:
- Enable easy expansion: In order to facilitate expansion of business, free office space is a necessity. Most people look to relocating to bigger offices which incurs a lot of additional cost. But by renting out a self-storage unit and storing all stocks, items and files which do not have immediate utility, the expansion can be facilitated but at a reduced cost outflow.
- Effective use of present office space: Using self storage facilities prevents files and other items from piling up in the office and making it look cluttered and messy. In fact if the rented storage space is nearby, it will take only a few minutes to drive down to the place and extract the needed item, irrespective of the time of the day. This flexibility makes these storage facilities function as an office away from the office thereby enabling people to make good use of the extra office space available after storage.
- Cost benefits: As stated earlier, it is relatively much cheaper to rent out storage space than to rent out office space. Thus, in businesses where every penny counts, this is an extremely viable option to have and use.
- Security: Stored items are offered excessive security in the form of CCTV cameras, door alarms, enhanced lighting, entry gate pass codes etc. Thus storing even sensitive office files which are rarely used in the current scenario too poses no problem.
While there are a number of advantages associated with self storage facilities, they need to be chosen with care so that both businesses and individuals can be fully benefitted from the services they offer.
