Almost all of the self storage facilities are closed all day on Thursday or at least for part of the day for Christmas Eve.  All of the facilities are closed on Friday for Christmas.  The Canadian stores are all closed Saturday for Boxing Day.  I love the idea of having the day after Christmas as a holiday.

I really am amazed at the number of people that rent a storage unit just to store their Christmas items.  I have quite a few decorations myself, and I am lucky that I have attic space and a spare closet to keep them in.  But I do not think I would actually pay for storage for things I only use a few days a year.

I just talked to a guy in Etobicoke about getting a storage unit for his daughter.  After a few minutes he told me I sounded American.  I confessed that I am.  He told me that his son plays for the St Louis Blues hockey team.  My boyfriend will be so excited.  Michael is a die hard fan that Bleeds Blue.

RV storage can be difficult to find this time of year.  People that have owned one for many years already have winter parking arrangements made.  They usually just park it at the same place at about the same time and in the same place on an annual basis.  People that are somewhat unorganized are scrambling around trying to find a place to keep their big vehicle.

There are different types of moving services available for people that are relocating.  You can hire a company to pack all of your belongings and the ship it for you.  You can pack everything yourself and have a moving company move it for you.  Or you can pack your belongings, rent a moving truck, and it all yourself.

I am just having one of those days when it comes to getting lousy mini storage calls. One caller was mad because she was charged a hundred dollars when the manager cut the lock off of her unit.  Another customer was upset because the manager would not take a partial payment for his unit.  Still a third tenant wanted a district manager to call him because his local manager was rude to him.  I just listen and try to empathize.

My husband and I are both rather old fashioned.  We both like to physically hold a magazine or a newspaper while we are reading it.  The problem is what to do with these items when we are done perusing. The newspapers we recycle.  But we have several plastic storage containers full of magazines.

You should always try to pack most of your items in storage boxes that are of similar sizes.  This will help everything to stack better, and help to keep items from getting broken.  Being better organized will also allow you rent a smaller unit, saving you money in the long run.

Word of Mouth is the best, and cheapest, form of advertisement for self storage facilities .  Happy customers will tell their friends and family about the great service and pleasant staff.  Then those friends and family members will rent a unit from you, at no cost to you for advertisement.

I have found the weather plays a major factor in the number of calls we receive at PhoneSmart.  People tend to call around to different storage facilities when it is raining or cold, instead of physically going to the locations.  This is one reason I keep an eye on the weather for the entire country.