The holiday season brings excitement, joy, and often, a fair share of clutter. For many, it’s a time when homes are brimming with holiday decorations, gift boxes, and visiting relatives. Self storage facilities can play a pivotal role during this bustling time by offering practical solutions for space management.  As a self storage operator, advising your customers on how to maximise their storage units effectively during the holidays not only enhances their experience but also positions your facility as a trusted solution.

Consider including these tips in your marketing efforts, for example in e-mails and on social media.

1. Declutter Before Decorating

Encourage your customers to take advantage of their storage unit to declutter before pulling out their holiday decorations. Suggest storing:

• Off-season items like winter jackets, warm clothing or heaters.
• Everyday home decor that will be replaced by holiday decorations.

This creates more room at home for festive vibes without feeling overwhelmed by excess belongings.

2. Safeguard Gift Surprises

For customers juggling busy homes or prying eyes, self storage units are the perfect spot to hide Christmas gifts. Advise them to:

• Use bins or cover items to keep gifts hidden if they’re visiting with kids.
• Create a “gift zone” in their unit, making it easy to organise and retrieve items as needed.
• Consider temperature-controlled units for special gifts (don’t forget insurance or customer protection for any high value items)

3. Make Space for Guests

Holiday gatherings often mean accommodating family and friends. Suggest customers store:

• Large furniture or items that clutter guest rooms.
• Non-essential belongings from shared spaces to create a welcoming environment.

A short-term storage solution can make hosting the rellies much smoother.

4. Offer Convenience and Flexibility

Make your customers’ holiday experience stress-free by promoting features of your facility, such as:

• Extended access hours for busy schedules.
• Rentable trolleys, dollies or carts for moving heavy items.
• Seasonal promotions for short-term storage.

5. Communicate Safety Tips

Storage safety is especially critical during the holidays. Advise customers to:

• Avoid storing prohibited goods, especially perishable items (no room in storage for those delicious Christmas hampers, unfortunately!)
• Ensure all boxes are securely closed to protect contents from dust or moisture.
• Store larger presents wrapped in plastic or sheeting to ensure they’re in gift-giving shape come Christmas – no one wants a dusty new bike!

Post Christmas is the perfect time to de-clutter and start the new year afresh!

6. Plan for Post-Holiday Clean-Up

After the holidays, many customers face the challenge of managing new gifts, leftover decorations, and returns. Advise them to:

• Store decorations in an organised manner for next year.
• Use clear bins to store for easy identification.
• Label boxes by room or holiday theme.
• Store delicate items in bubble wrap or specialised containers to prevent damage.
• Hold items that have been replaced by new gifts –  as they may not be ready to part with them just yet.

Be sure to highlight your extended hours if available, along with any additional offerings like on-site sales of boxes and tape. Perhaps you might even offer a gift-wrapping service?! Exceptional customer service makes all the difference, so a friendly reminder such as, “We’re here to support you this festive season,” can go a long way. Help your storers enjoy a stress-free Christmas!