Why it makes sense to rent office furniture, part II: So many options without spending too much

September 13, 2010 - Spotlights

Ron Lanzo, AFR Furniture Rentals

It's been over six months now since I last wrote regarding the many reasons why renting office furniture makes so much sense. As you may recall, I mentioned just how many different types of commodity items were available on a rental basis. The list was substantial and included heavy equipment, cars, power tools and even fencing! Of course we all knew that you could rent a tuxedo or evening gowns, but did you know you can rent very high end designer hand bags. There's a website called Rent the Runway, and they offer all the big name designers who make these literally BIG bags and you can rent a $1,250 Herve Leger bag for only $150. A Badgley Mischka which retails for $440 rents for just $50. Not surprisingly, the article which mentions this states, "Leave the money in your bank account and rent instead!"
And from a recent issue to The Wall Street Journal, a column on music by Joanna Newsom mentions that a wide variety of musical instruments are available on a rental basis including some very fancy harps. The article further talks about song writer Ms. Newsom who writes music on a beat up harp that her parents bought her when she was 12, but that she rents "fancier" versions when she goes to a recording studio! And now most major airlines are considering short term (in flight) rentals of I phones and Apple's new iPad!
With college costs constantly on the rise, both parents and students are looking for ways to hold down cost. Buying used books was always a good option to purchasing new, but sometimes used copies are no longer current, as the publisher has printed newer versions. Along comes Cengage Learning, a Stamford-based publisher of academic books is now offering students the option of renting any of their 1,200 popular titles.
From an ad in the IFMA quarterly magazine, FMJ, TEMP AIR Rental Services promoting a portable, "on site" HVAC system that provides complete cooling, heating, dehumidifying and air filtration, yes available on a "rental basis!" If you attend Fashion Week in New York City, you will see all the modular office trailers that house the security detail and most of the fashion companies crews. All the portable offices are rented just for the duration of the event, or just one week.
The bottom line is that renting offers so many options including a chance to get more for less, without having to spend more by acquiring a soon to be obsolete item.
We recently did a large rental for an upstate New York client whose office building was damaged in a fire. There wasn't anything that was salvageable, and the client did the best they could do by finding desk space in their factory, just to get operational. Shortly after making this very short term decision, they started exploring their options. They would eventually start construction on new office building, but even optimistic time lines would mean a construction period of at least one year. When you added, architectural drawings, engineering, local planning and zoning permits, 18 months was probably going to be a realistic move in date for the new building.
The company and its management team turned to rental as an option, and we won the award to provide them with 22 private offices and a sufficient number of partitions to afford them privacy in their interim office space. Along with the desks, they rented chairs, bookcases, lateral files and enough seating to get the entire office operational within two weeks.
If your needs are immediate, and you don't have a lot of time, renting can offer the advantage of getting your products quickly. For instance if your need was for office furnishings, the amount and variety of products that are available on a "quick ship" basis is limited. Your choices become buying an imported product from a national wholesaler or going to a big box supplier such as IKEA. Then you'd also be faced with the task of not going shopping to pick up the products, but more than likely having to assemble them once you return to your office. A major national furniture manufacturer that has stock in warehouse distribution centers could also be used to source your requirement, but you'd still need at week to ten days to secure your furniture. If you call a major rental company, such as AFR FURNITURE RENTAL, you can have your items delivered in as quickly as 48 hours from the time you place your order. They will deliver, set up and install your furniture, giving you a much faster opening day.
Ron Lanzo is the commercial account executive for AFR Furniture Rental, New York, N.Y.
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