Quote:
|
I'd really like to own one of those rental places...they seem like a gold mine!
|
My first real job was "Staff Flunkie" at a rental center (deliveries, maintenance). I got $3.50/hour.
It's not as much as a gold mine as you would imagine. Generally, to make a profit you have to rent for about half the cost. So, let's say a shovel costs $20. . .you have to rent for $10. . .because by the time the third to fifth person brings it back, they'll be dried concrete all over it and you end up fighting with the customer that it wasn't returned in the same condition it was rented out in.
And of course, even if they bring it back. . .which is another problem. . .loss.
Chainsaws were particularly problematic. People beat them all to hell because they figured, "Hell. . .it ain't mine."
Now. . .where he made the money was party equipment (chairs, tables, tents). Those things generally lasted a long time with little need for replacement or maintenance. The only problematic part was setting up the tent, which required labor but you could tack on a charge for that.