Seasonal Storage Made Easy

Are you tired of climbing into the attic before and after every season? Do you have to climb over things in your basement or garage to locate your seasonal items? Wouldn’t it be nice if there was an easy and convenient way to store your seasonal items?

A solution to the seasonal storage blues is a PODS® weather resistant container. The container is ideal as you can keep it as long as you need, so you can take your time moving items in and out of your container (as you enjoy decorating for the holiday season). And, there are several sizes available to provide you with enough space for all your seasonal items. The other cool part is that a PODS® container is at ground-level, providing you with easy loading and unloading access. So it’s easier to move the Christmas tree that seems to get heavier each year, the giant plastic Santa singing Ho-Ho-Ho, and the large decorative Easter Bunny.

Here are some tips on storing seasonal or holiday items in your container:

First, it’s always important to protect your items, by using bubble wrap, paper, etc. to help you protect your valuables such as ornaments or that holiday cookie jar grandma gave you. If you have an artificial Christmas tree, rubber band like colored limbs together to save yourself the step of sorting next year. Save the original packaging tray for the holiday lights. Repack the Christmas lights by clipping them back into plastic holder they came in. It will make decorating for the holiday next year so much more enjoyable when the Christmas lights are not bundled together representing the size of a pumpkin.

Pack your items by season in sturdy boxes or plastic bins. When the box is packed, label the outside depending on the season, what the items are, and any other distinguishing information. Ex: Halloween – The Great Pumpkin, or Christmas – Ornaments. Next is to create a system for easy seasonal identification. A system that worked well for me was splitting the container into 4 sections – Summer, Fall, Winter, Spring. Then I group all the boxes/items depending on the season.

When each new season comes around and my container is delivered, I can easily distinguish the items I need, but also know that I can take my time loading/unloading.

With these tips, you’ll be ready to start storing your seasonal items.

Storing Valuables and Electronics

When moving, renovating or even when you need to safely stow values and electronics, PODS storage is an easy answer. Nothing can be more devastating when temperature or moisture damage destroys your belongings. Whether they’re more recent acquisitions or heirloom items, storage center features are very important.

Storage with PODS just makes sense. Some highlights of our storage facilities are:

• Secure – Storage centers are accessible by PODS employees and customers. Only you have access to your belongings because only you have a key.
• Climate controlled – Our air conditioned facilities provide you with peace of mind.
• Humidity controlled – If you’re storing items that can warp due to exposure to humidity, choose one of our humidity controlled centers. (Not available in all markets)
• Store more! – We bring your stored items to you!  Whether you need to add more boxes or valuables to your container or you need to remove anything stored,  we’ll bring your container to you, saving you time and money!

In the event that you need to remove a large number of items from your container, don’t even consider renting a moving truck. PODS can deliver your container back to your home or to a new location and you can pack and unpack your container at your leisure.

PODS and UNIGROUP create alliance to better serve customers

Moving and storage giants complement each other’s services, offerings

ST. LOUIS, Mo. AND CLEARWATER, Fla. – PODS (Portable on Demand Storage) and UniGroup, Inc., the parent company of United Van Lines and Mayflower Transit, have agreed to a marketing alliance that provides for the exchange of services between leaders in portable container moving and storage and full-service moving.

The agreement provides UniGroup access to PODS’ fleet of 138,000 moving and storage containers serviced by 166 franchise and corporate locations. In exchange, PODS gains access to professional packing and loading services through the network of United Van Lines and Mayflower Transit agents with nearly 750 locations across the country.

“UniGroup is pleased to enter a marketing alliance with PODS, the largest portable container moving and storage services provider,” said Rich McClure, president of UniGroup, a leader in the full-service moving industry. “This alliance will enable UniGroup and its family of United and Mayflower agents to offer residential and corporate customers a complete range of moving and storage services – from full-service professional moving to do-it-yourself container services.”

Tom Ryan, CEO of PODS, said, “PODS has experienced tremendous growth in the moving and storage industries due to the flexibility and convenience of our services. Traditionally, we’ve appealed to the do-it-yourself moving and storage customer, but our agreement with UniGroup will enable PODS’s customers to access packing and loading services that many of our customers want from the most trusted names in the business – United Van Lines and Mayflower Transit.”

The alliance with PODS will expand the capacity and efficiency of Mayflower and United agents within the portable container marketplace and ensure the van lines’ customers have access to a range of moving options to fit their needs. UniGroup entered the portable container moving and storage market in 2006 with its brand SAM – Store and Move. The SAM network of 92 dealers in 65 cities in the United States will continue to provide portable containers under the new agreement.

About UniGroup, Inc.

UniGroup, Inc., a $2 billion privately held transportation and relocation services company, has service providers in all 50 U.S. states and more than 180 countries around the world. In addition to household goods carriers United Van Lines and Mayflower Transit, UniGroup owns several

other subsidiaries that provide goods and services to professional movers and customers, including Vanliner Insurance Company, Trans Advantage, Inc., and UniGroup Worldwide UTS.

About PODS

Founded in 1998, PODS provides moving and storage services to more than 238 million consumers in 48 U.S. states, Canada, and Australia. To date, the company has completed more than 200,000 long-distance relocations, exceeded one million deliveries and has nearly 138,000 PODS^® containers in service. PODS^® secure containers are constructed of a steel frame and are available in three sizes: approximately 8-by-7-by-7 feet, 8-by-8-by-12 feet and 8-by-8-by-16 feet and have been tested to withstand winds of more than 110-mph when partially loaded.

Determining the cost of your move

There are many factors that will affect the cost of your move. Be sure to carefully consider these, and be prepared to find more along the way:

• Size: The overall weight of your move can affect the price with some companies. Generally portable storage is not weight based, however with professional movers, often the heavier the move, the more it’s going to cost.

• Distance: The number of miles you’re traveling can influence its cost greatly, as can your final destination. Keep in mind that some moving companies only serve a certain region.

• Time: The time of year you need to move will also have an effect on your bottom line. Moving during peak times, such as the summer or holidays, often means that you’ll pay more. If you have the luxury of time, try to plan at less busy times. Look for specials during unpopular periods.

• Level of service: Hiring a moving company to complete a “full-service” move – one where they not only transport your household items, but also pack and unpack them – will be significantly more expensive than a “self-service” move. Make sure you’re aware of the varying level of service available for your move and what works best for you.  Many times, people forget that self-moving has several levels of service available to meet your budget as well.

• Insurance: Be sure to consider insuring your move against mishaps or even disasters. Keep in mind that moves you do yourself are usually limited to $25,000 insurance, and cover only damage caused by disasters such as auto accidents or fires.

• Storage: Make sure to calculate if your new residence will be able to accommodate all of your belongings.  Many times, the couch you’ve had since college won’t fit in your new living room (or relationship) but hasn’t used enough duct tape to be sent to the trash bin.  Having the ability to store your extra belongings, even in the short term as you decide how to layout your new interior, is often overlooked when moving.

Taking some time to determine what your move will actually and honestly cost you will save you from a lot of the stress of moving, and will insure that you’ll be that much happier in your destination.