America is ADDICTED to Self Storage

Americans are truly addicted to buying stuff and these storage lockers have become a fascinating metaphor in the story of how the American dream has failed. So what's happening?

Subscribe to Future Proof!

Join our Patreon:

Stay updated on our socials

Script: Courtney Bill
Editor: Sam Askew
Project Manager: Lurana McClure Rodríguez
Host: Levi Hildebrand

[ttopero]

Another perspective is that we have an “attachment” problem as part of our mental health issues. We no longer have a healthy way of disassociating from things that we acquire so it’s easier to just relocate it instead of process it: out of sight, out of mind!

[justanotter]

I had a very different experience with self-storage. I became homeless for 2 years and was able to get most of my and my partner's things into storage. When we got into a good rental finally, we were able to unpack everything and are in the process of putting our lives back together now without losing any tools, some of which aren't replaceable. No more storage lockers for us, but we're tremendously glad to have had that resource available when everything else had broken down. Selling everything would not have saved us from homelessness and the re-acquisition cost of everything we put in there would have set us back far further than the cost of the unit for that period of time.

[richdobbs]

Part of the issue is that we don't have a functioning second hand system. The landlord's washing machine broke down - we don't provide washing machines any more. So I had to buy a washing machine for a rental unit. Then she gave me 90 days notice that she wanted to remodel the place rather than doing the maintenance that I had requested. The new place had a washer and dryer. It turns out used appliance stores don't buy used appliance for resale - they process the appliances that are collected when appliances are replaced. I tried to Craiglist, but regardless of how much I dropped the price down I couldn't sell it even though it was barely a year old.

[jokerman]

I recently downsized from a 3000sqft house to a 1200 sqft apartment. It was crazy how much absolute garbage I had accumulated in the 2 years I was at the house. Luckily we were able to lean down without a storage unit.

[kibble-net]

Storage Bros hate this one weird The Backrooms.

[grooviechickie]

They're popular in Australia too. Then again, we're a mini America...

A friend stored all her important stuff (photos, things particularly special to her) in her storage shed. Then a major flood happened. 😮 yep, she lost the lot.

[hydrophobicbathtowel]

Younger people are using storage space for different reasons. Most cant afford a house or even more than a single bedroom and so must use storage to keep their things safe. Boomers have a house, sometimes two, and have filled every spare room, the basment, the garage, and the attic and then get storage space to put more of their shit. Dont shame the younger generation for looking for a way to hold onto. More than a couple boxes of personal belongings

[runashadow]

For my four years of college I shared a storage unit with two friends to store some of our bulkier things we couldn’t take home during breaks. It was really helpful to have because me and one other friend lived out of state. I think these can be used in a helpful way when people just need a temporary place to hold their stuff like if someone is moving or college kids need stuff to be held for break.

[philippemarcil]

There is a lot of very good usage for self-storage and this video focused a lot on it negative usage without offering a balanced view.

I think self-storage is great for:

1) When you are moving around the countries for studying or working and need temporary storage for your furniture. Hence, not surprising that younger generation really like it as they move more often for these reasons.

2) As a warehousing options for small business. Traditional warehousing often have security problems and having your own warehouse is very expensive. Self-storage is hence an excellent option.

3) When you have a small apartment but have hobbies with lot of gears. Try storing your camping and kayaking gear in your 1-bedroom apartment and you will soon realize that maybe you can put it all in a storage and get it out on the week-end instead of having it taking half of your living room or bedroom.

I however agree, that for decluttering or downsizing you should instead get rid or, better, sell or recycle that stuff but I wouldn't put that at the feet of consumerism but that at the feet of our human psychology to hoard and keep things around.

Finally, if some of the stuff put in storage by downsizing or decluttering eventually get re-used and hence reduce our waste wouldn't that be a good thing? Maybe you can argue that possibly this should be done earlier but there is sometime a mismatch between wanting to get rid of stuff and having someone to give it too/having the time to sell it which is why self-storage can be useful.

[jkibble]

I listened to a podcast about this very topic recently and they had a great take. People are using self storage as extensions of their home for seasonal things. Affordable housing is clearly a problem but if you can find a smaller place with less built-in storage take all your things like winter clothes, Christmas trees etc to a storage unit instead.

[sammylawrence]

It's a symptom of chronic renting. We first got a storage room because our rental didn’t have a spot for our upright piano. Then realized our "smoke free building" wasn't that smoke free, so we ended up keeping anything fragile there. It's not even "piles of stuff never to be seen again, " it's things like our well read and loved antique books. Rentals have smoke and pests, the shingles are falling off the roof, the basement leaks, etc etc etc. Also means we can hop rentals without having to move every single item.

[DeeDeeMandark]

I work in a hostel and there are people who just live in a car/hostels and store their stuff in the storage facility

[pixeljurnee]

Near my old home there was always construction happening and my small area was building up. I died a little inside every time I realized a new building was yet another self-storage place and not a place that would actually add value to our area.

[CaptainBill]

The chef's kiss here is that abandoned big box stores are the ones being converted to storage units. I get so excited to see work being done on an abandoned store where I live, and of course, it's a storage facility.

[BiOHazarD]

Self storage for me feels like a byproduct of the horrible housing market. Apartments severely lack storage space, and boomers have priced most young people out of being able to buy a home.

If I could afford a home in a neighborhood I wouldn’t get shot in, I wouldn’t need self storage.

[pesky]

Suddenly I want to rent a storage space.

[myheroskryptonite]

I can't imagine paying $200 A MONTH for a closet. I would rather throw away all my stuff and live in my car.

[laurachristianson]

Whenever I had to downsize or had an unfortunate life change, I just got rid of all the useless crap…..the three things I kept with veracity were my books, vinyl records, and art stuff (including my paintings). Literally early on when I had to flee an abusive husband I loaded those things into the back of my Pinto and traveled half way across the country. I was free and still had the things that made life worthwhile.

[ThunderPrincess]

This video neglects two main drivers of self-storage growth - businesses using them self-storage as their entire business footprint eliminating their use of commercial space, and the rise of condo living.

An organization I work for has 4 XL storage lockers storing all of our seasonal operational equipment as we lack any other physical footprint to keep it in. Our storage company even has our PO box, and in discussions with their staff, the majority of their rentals are commercial, not personal use. My dad's bestie owns an aviation services specialty company that he runs entirely from a storage locker (transport regulations prevent him running it from his basement). And he isn't alone - the entire floor of his storage locker building comes alive at 9 am when all the other lockers also open with a bunch of folks working their own hustles out of their lockers. They've become a little community, much like going to the office.

And then there's the problem with condos. They've become comically small, often now 500 sq ft or less, at truly staggering prices. Saying we all have too much stuff is a cop-out and blaming the individual when the needs of investors for small, Airbnb-able urban micro-box condos were prioritized in the market for years over building liveable units. Many new condo buildings don't include a storage locker on property whereas older units often did, and those older units also featured amenities like broom closets and linen closets that the micro boxes lack. Airbnb investors don't need closets or storage beyond a few rolls of toilet paper. People using a condo as their primary residence need space for winter boots and pantry staples (the kitchens of these tiny units were designed for an Uber Eats lifestyle) and yeah, a handful of Christmas decorations.

Do we have too much stuff as a society? Sure. But it is pretty poor form in a cost of living crisis to suggest that someone who can only find or afford a 500 sq ft space for 2 people should downsize to only own 500 sq ft worth of stuff arbitrarily. In a condo that size, no, I wouldn't be able to store my ski gear, or bicycle, or paddleboard. Does that mean I should give up those activities and limit my hobbies to a reading a Kindle just because it fits in a small apartment? Renting a storage unit is a hell of a lot cheaper than renting a bigger apartment these days. And a lot of those Millennials renting these units are doing so because they cannot find or afford suitable housing that meets their needs (never mind those who are struggling to live with children in a small apartment). If we want to minimize the use of self storage for personal use, we need to focus on buiding housing that meets the needs of residents. Because humans do, as much as we hate to admit it, need SOME storage space for SOME of our stuff we actually use.

[joepiekl]

A lot of people are buying crap they don't need, but I also think it's a symptom of a society where younger people are increasingly having to rent for longer. You might have to put stuff in storage between places, or you might get to a new place and realise that some of your stuff doesn't fit, but you don't want to throw it away because you imagine when you get your own place, you'll eventually use it.