Grand Rapids Portable Storage Comparison

GRAND RAPIDS PORTABLE STORAGE COMPARISON

           

Since many customers are somewhat unfamiliar with portable storage as a whole and even more unaware of the differences between portable storage providers, I am going to try to offer an evaluation of the providers available in the Grand Rapids area.  Of course there may be some bias here because I am partial to one of the providers, but the facts are the facts.  I will try to keep the opinions to a minimum.  

Let’s assume that we have already discussed what portable storage is and how it compares to traditional storage.  We discussed that in our last post and we now know that portable storage offers a level of convenience that is impossible with traditional self storage.  Now let’s look at the local Grand Rapids portable storage unit providers and evaluate them against each other.

Because I am assuming you don’t have unlimited time to read my arguments in depth, I am providing the summary below. 

		Large Box			Small Box
	Zippy Shell	PODS	United	GoMinis	MyWay	U-Box
Container Size *most similar size - based on advertised dimensions	100 sf	128 sf	128 sf	128 sf	40 sf	40 sf
Rental Cost *based on advertised rates of warehouse storage	$99/ month	$149/ month	$174/ month	$130/ month	$49/ month	$60/ month
Cost per square foot	$0.99	$1.16	$1.36	$1.02	$1.23	$1.50
Container Construction	Steel container with plywood floor inside steel cargo trailer	Steel, aluminum and plastic	Fiberglass reinforced plywood and steel reinforcement	Steel and plastic with plywood floor	Plywood with a poly-tarp cover	Plywood with a poly-tarp cover
Container stays level	YES	YES	NO	NO	YES	YES
Anti-theft alarm system	YES	NO	NO	NO	NO	NO
$5,000 Content Protection Cost	$15/ month	$35/ month	Not Available	Unknown	Not Available	$18/ month
Long term leave behind	NO	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES
Monthly cost for 100 square feet of storage	$99	$149	$176	$130	$147	$180
Zippy Shell Savings		33%	43%	24%	32%	45%

PODS

First in the industry was PODS.  They created the concept of bringing a shipping container to your front door.  For that, those of us who follow them in the industry are thankful.  They gave birth to the concept of portable storage.  Being the first obviously gives them tremendous name recognition.  In fact, the storage pod has almost become the generic for the whole concept, similar to Kleenex and Xerox.  Unfortunately for them, their boxes and their delivery system are incredibly expensive and fairly labor intensive.  Their operating costs are tremendous, and they pass that onto you, the customer.   Their boxes are made of steel, aluminum and have a plastic roof.  I know their website calls it a translucent polymer material but come on, we all know it is just plastic.  On the positive side, they provide a couple sizes from medium to large, they deliver the containers in a level fashion, they offer long term leave behind box rentals and they provide long distance moving services.  On the negative side they obviously store full containers outside in the elements and potentially susceptible to vandalism, they are expensive, and their company size has apparently turned them into a customer service nightmare.  That’s my opinion based on my research into many customer review sites that discuss billing issues and missed delivery schedules which are generally not handled appropriately.  If you don’t agree with this, I encourage you to search for reviews yourself.  There is a definite theme with them.  One other negative to the PODS offering and all box drop providers is the growing distaste for boxes remaining in driveways.  Associations and municipalities are now creating rules limiting the presence of such boxes.

PACK-RATS

1-800 Pack Rats was the first major clone of PODS.  They are nearly identical to PODS.  However they do not service West Michigan.  So I am not going to discuss them.

UNITED

Get-a-SAM or just SAM was purchased by Mayflower and now operates as United.  They are similar to PODS in that they offer large shipping container size boxes, however there are a few more negatives with them.  First, their boxes are made of fiberglass reinforced plywood with some steel reinforcement and again a plastic top.  I for one am not in favor of storing my stuff outside in a plywood box, especially when there are better alternatives.  The second negative, and this one is big, the delivery involves tipping the box and all the belongings inside similar to the way a flat bed tow truck picks up a car.  If you want all your stuff piled up against the door when you get your unit back, then this is the way to go.  If you’re like most people and prefer your things to remain as level as possible, then avoid these guys.  United tends to be the most expensive of the bunch, so that is another reason to avoid them.

GOMINIS

GoMinis are again very similar to the above large box providers.  And similar to United, they tip the boxes at delivery.  This means that your things potentially get shifted back and forth at least twice.  I am going to give them the benefit of doubt here and assume that they pick the boxes off the truck without tipping them when they are pack at their storage yard.  I believe the GoMinis units are all steel.  They tend to be the cheapest provider of large boxes.

U-BOX

U-Box is a small box provider.  Owned by U-Haul, U-box provides an 8 foot by 5 foot plywood box.  You may have noticed them.  They are the ones that have an orange tarp over them.  I will let you make an assumption whether that is for marketing purposes or whether that is to keep the elements off of their plywood containers.  U-Box delivers their boxes on a flatbed truck that includes a forklift, similar to a lumber company delivery truck.  On a positive note, if you are looking for a small amount of storage, one of these boxes just might be big enough.  On the negative side, if you are storing anything large, you will see the space inside these boxes disappear quite quickly.  Adding more boxes makes the ultimate storage cost soar.  On a per square foot basis, U-box is the most expensive option.  I will let you make whatever assumptions about safety and security of storing your stuff outside in a tarp covered plywood box.

MYWAY

MyWay Storage is very similar to U-box.  The portable storage containers appear to be nearly identical.  Same plywood.  Same tarp, only white.  Everything else about MyWay appears to be similar as well, except for the price.  MyWay tends to be a little cheaper than U-Box.

ZIPPY SHELL

Zippy Shell does things differently than all the rest noted above.  Zippy Shell is the first portable storage provider to actually put the storage on wheels, as in a licensed vehicle.  With Zippy Shell, our portable storage unit is delivered to you inside of a high tech cargo trailer, called a Zippy Shell.  The container itself is made of galvanized steel with a plywood floor.  The Zippy Shell is made of steel and is water tight.  The Zippy Shell also has an anti-theft alarm system, protecting your unit while on your site.  On a positive note, let’s talk about weather resistance.  Compare a plywood box with a tarp over it to a steel cargo trailer.  Then consider the fact that with Zippy Shell, your unit is never stored outside.  After several days of loading inside the Zippy Shell at your site, your unit is delivered directly to a heated warehouse for secure storage.  Now let’s talk about security.  Consider how long it would take someone to break into a plywood and plastic box.  Now consider what it would be like trying to get into a locked steel cargo trailer and then into a galvanized storage unit inside that trailer.  And don’t forget, that there is a deafening alarm sounding the whole time.  Now that sounds secure to me.  Now about price.  Zippy Shell is the most economical of all the current providers mentioned when based on a price per square foot basis.  I know that some of the small boxes are cheaper per month, but you would need 3 small boxes to provide the same space as a single Zippy Shell.  Multiply the small box price by 3 and then compare that to Zippy Shell’s pricing.  If you only need a very small amount of storage, then maybe a small box might work best for you.

YOUR CHOICES

In the end you have a simple choice.  You can go with a large box or small box, or go with Zippy Shell, the first provider to take the box out of the equation.  Zippy Shell offers the best combination of convenience, security and affordability.