popular rv/trailer accessories

[City_Storage]

hi everyone. I work at a storage facility and we've had a huge influx of RVs and trailers and we want to provide for our customers so I'm curious what items/issues you all always have. What does your storage facility provide or not provide that you are thankful for or despair over? What do you wish they provided so that you can hit the road directly from where you store your rigs.

We want to give our customers the best experience possible and none of us are RVers! So, we're just curious what items/services people in your culture are constantly craving/appreciating.

Any info helps! Thanks!

For example: what are some basic no-brainer items that we should have stocked because RVers will always be looking for them? Conversely, what are some uncool/lame items that any self-respecting RVer would not be caught dead buying?

JZ

[3oaks]

I believe just charging reasonable storage rates would be the best lure for customers. I don't think anyone should expect to pay what rates were years ago. Taxes, insurance rates, upkeep expenses, etc. have certainly risen over the years.

If you were to add any extra amenities, you would have to raise your rates even higher just to cover them and I am sure some customers would bulk at that. Providing miscellaneous RV supplies requires carrying inventor which would mean more overhead expenses for you and I think the best you could do is break even on those sales unless you had a really high sales volume.

:@

[wa8yxm]

There are a couple things that would make a storage facility more appealing to me if I were parking an RV in one.

One: electricity, at least a 15 amp duplex receptical (Standard wall outlet) I don't need 50 amps in storage but it would be nice if I had one or two.

Second SECURITY.. Far too many have come back to their RV and found it either broken into or gone.. SECURITY is important.. Indoor close storage is nice, but costly.. Outdoor if there is no way to keep bad folks out (though there may be ways to get the police in time).. but a darn good video system properly maintained (almost never found in secure storage lots) would enable the authorities to come calling on the thief.

I know of a few cases where there were such systems.. and Well try this story:

Man calls police "I've been mugged" They ask for a description and he said, Come see me in a few hours"

the police arrive and he hands them a portrait of the mugger.

You see, he paints portraits, and he does Presidents, CEO's Governors and others who can not sit for a painting. So he sits them and then paints from memory, his is photographic, the canvas is his film.

They took one look at the painting (Which now hangs in the Chief's office) and quickly arrested the "Suspect". who at the time I first read the story, was hanging out not far from the chief's office.. in a room, tho which he did not have the key.. to the locked door.

[jplante4]

Pink RV anti-freeze. When ya need it...

[Islandman]

Word of caution: providing fresh water for filling tanks for drinking purposes might not be feasible as you would probably be considered a public water supply and have to undergo testing and periodic reports; depends on your local health regulations.

[toedtoes]

Like others, I think most of the "store items" would be hit or miss. For most folks, they already own stinky slinkys, hoses, blocks, etc., and won't buy at your facility at a premium price (you'll have to be able to beat Walmart and Amazon prices). Things like additives, RV toilet paper, chlorine, etc., are items that only a small percentage of RVers use and buy regularly, so you likely won't get much profit from that (and your stock could sit for years).

Why not ask your actual customers? You might find they'd rather have a couple vending machines with snacks and sodas rather than a bunch of "RV gear".

[rk911]

the bear II wrote:
...I would put up with a dirt lot and no amenities if I could go back to $100 per month.

that's what we've had in suburban Chicago...a dirt/gravel lot, no amenities of any sort other than key card 24/7 access for $100 p/m. it's been $100 p/m for as long as I can recall (15+ years). to be fair there are other costs besides utilities to consider...other overhead costs, property taxes, etc.

[BB_TX]

Electric, fresh water, dump, security. The facility we store ours is about 60% regular storage and the rest RV. Having the dump is important as we almost always arrive after a long drive home with some water in the holding tanks that we do not want to leave there. So a dump before we put her to bed til the next trip is important.

I never go in the storage facility office so I don't even know what they have there. But probably would not be the first place I would go for RV accessories. Walmart has carried the basics for years, and I noticed lately that even Home Depot and local hardware store is now carrying some RV items. Most things I want that I am not in a hurry for I just shop on-line for the best price.

[City_Storage]

thanks everyone. yah, we're probably not going the dump station/water route because we are not a dedicated RV storage facility. so mostly what we're looking for are little items that customers would appreciate being on site here instead of needing to go to another store on their way out. Little **** that is always breaking, etc. We have cameras and rent will be steady for quite a while so we've got the basics covered. They have power out there if they want it. So really we just want to make sure that they can take care of the little stuff while they're still on out lot. thanks again.

[eichacsj]

-Dump accessories like valves, hoses, couplings
-Black tank additives (some love, some hate)
-Ball grease, grease guns and grease, slide grease
-How about wood blocks for stabilizers. For one when I am storing, maybe to have for long term storage, to buy because I am going boon docking
-Some people, may be a lot like to put chlorine in the fresh water so a chlorine additive
-Air for airing up tires and other things
-A RV wash station
-Agree on dump station
-Wide enough spots for slide outs. Or a strict policy that you can't in your parking spot but provide a spot where people can when working on it, loading and unloading etc.

[DrewE]

Good prices, security, and available electric power would be on my basic list of wants. An available air compressor to refill tires would also be nice. You might get some business with propane filling, but I imagine that would be a significant investment in infrastructure, permitting, and training to implement. A dump station might also be nice when returning from a trip, but again is not an inexpensive proposition to put in.

I suspect most people don't take an RV directly from storage to the campground, but rather stop by their house first to load up their clothes and groceries, fill the water tanks, possibly wash/clean/dewinterize, etc. If you're really in a big city where people would live in apartment buildings or similar, then perhaps a staging area for these activities would be a big selling point and could prove profitable; but I'm not sure all that many apartment dwellers would own an RV.

I perhaps should mention that I'm not really the target market for RV storage, as I can keep my motorhome at my house where I have adequate security and 30A power available, and it costs me less than any storage facility could charge.

[beemerphile1]

Electrical connections, dump station, fresh water fill.

You are probably looking for items to sell, but that stuff can be had many places. A storage lot would benefit from the above plus maybe an RV wash area or wash service.

[Tiger4x4RV]

One of the RV storage lots near here has a dump station, a fill-up station for potable water, an RV wash bay with catwalks. Very nice!

[the_bear_II]

The best thing you can do is not raise prices. The first lot we stored in never raised prices in the 10 years we were there. The next two raise the price nearly every year.

The current one started at $100 and now is up to $327 per month even though we were the first RV'ers to sign up for a site when they first opened. Recently they added a large solar panel setup so you know their electricity costs have gone down not to mention the rebates they get from the state and Feds.

Our price didn't go down....

I would put up with a dirt lot and no amenities if I could go back to $100 per month.