The reporter of "China Consumer Daily" found that the investigation
As a new type of convenience service
Its operating model is still in place
Problems such as opaque prices and improved security guarantees
Self-storage, do you dare to use it?
(Data map)
Self-storage is popular with families in first- and second-tier cities
The market has broad prospects for development
Ms. Yu, a consumer in Beijing, told reporters that her self-service warehouse has been rented for more than four years. "I rented a 7-square-meter warehouse at an outlet near my home, which costs about 10,000 yuan a year, and I can put a lot of things. Converted into housing prices in Beijing, it is still very cost-effective. Ms. Yu said that at present, the occupancy rate of the outlets where she rents self-storage is relatively high. In addition to individual tenants like her, there are also individual tenants who rent warehouses.
Not long ago, the "2024 China Mini Storage Industry Development and Consumption Insight Analysis Report" released by iiMedia Consulting shows that temporary turnover and storage of items at home are high-frequency consumption scenarios for self-storage users, and its user portraits show that self-storage users have the characteristics of living in first- and second-tier cities, young marriage and childbirth, middle and high income, and office workers.
Li Xiaoang, secretary general of the self-storage branch of the China Warehousing and Distribution Association, told reporters that the association's investigation found that the current self-service warehouse is mainly used for temporary storage of items when college graduates and urban residents decorate and change houses, and residents near outlets store idle items and enterprises store data files, and self-employed people store small batches of goods.
"Most of the first- and second-tier cities do not have enough family space, so consumers in these cities generally have a rigid need to increase their living storage space. Tang Jiansheng, deputy secretary-general of the Shanghai Municipal Consumer Rights Protection Commission, told reporters that the self-storage model provides consumers with more reasonable storage space and more cost-effective service options compared with housing prices through socialized rental space. He believes that it will have broad prospects for development.
Safety is a top consumer concern
The price of self-storage needs to be regulated
According to the report, security is the primary consideration for self-storage users, accounting for 44.3%. The reporter has successively contacted the store managers and 400 customer service of self-storage outlets such as Anton Yi, Lazy Warehouse, and Qucun Self-service Warehouse. They all said that in the agreements signed with customers, it is expressly forbidden to store live animals, flammable and explosive materials, perishable goods, etc. Reminders and inspections will be carried out on the day of warehousing, but no further inspections will be carried out when customers access the items at a later stage.
Self-storage, do you dare to use it?
(Data map)
The reporter learned that at present, self-service warehouse users can enter the self-service warehouse through passwords, QR codes and other "electronic keys". When the reporter went to the Anton Yifucheng store to investigate, he entered the store through the password sent by the store manager Sun who was out to inspect the store. After entering, the reporter saw that the inside of the outlet was divided into storage spaces of different sizes, and a password lock was hung on each warehouse door, and three maintenance masters were working. One of the masters told reporters that users are self-storage items, there are monitoring in the store, and there are records of who has been there, and there are also fire protection, dehumidification and other equipment in the store.
Self-storage, do you dare to use it?
Self-storage interior
so
If the stored items are damaged
Can users be compensated?
Store manager Sun told reporters that users who rent self-service warehouses come with insurance of 2,000 yuan per cubic meter. The 400 customer service of the Qucun self-service warehouse told reporters that the insurance is for the entire warehouse, and if users need to insure their belongings separately, they can purchase them separately. It is understood that this is also the insurance method commonly used by enterprises in the industry.
The reporter also found
The prices of self-storage are confusing
When the reporter called for consultation, the lazy self-service warehouse customer service told the reporter that because the prices displayed by different outlets in different channels were different, the reporter could only go to the scene and inquire about specific positions.
The service staff of the Qucun self-service warehouse Maliandao store told reporters that the price of the warehouse is determined according to various factors such as the items stored by the user, the time of occupation, and the type of warehouse size. After the reporter enters the platform applet, click the "Rent Warehouse Now" button, the page shows the starting price of different sites, select one of the sites to open, there are different sizes of warehouses starting price, but if you want to know the specific price, you still need to go to the scene to ask.
Leading the development of norms with standards
Effectively protect the legitimate rights and interests of consumers
Yang Haoxiong, a professor at the Business School of Beijing Technology and Business University, told reporters that there are still some problems in self-storage. On the one hand, as a new thing, the industry is still at the intersection of multi-departmental supervision, and it has not yet been decided which department or departments should be responsible for management; on the other hand, how to protect user privacy while strengthening security supervision is also a dilemma in the development of the industry. However, at present, the relevant departments have noticed these problems and have begun to carry out the formulation and publicity of standards. Yang Haoxiong said.
Li Xiaoang told reporters that in response to some problems in the industry, in 2021, the self-storage branch of the China Warehousing and Distribution Association formulated the first group standard for self-storage in China, "Self-service Warehousing Operation and Management Specifications". On this basis, in 2023, the first local group standard "Basic Requirements for Self-storage Operations in Beijing" will be formulated for the Beijing area. Li Xiaoang said that the published standards stipulate the basic requirements for self-storage operations, as well as the requirements for facilities, equipment and management. For example, the standard requires users to register their real names, and at the same time to record "each entry and exit place and access to items, the record content should include entry and exit time, personnel information, storage unit information", "operators should register the content of stored items, and conduct visual inspection or technical inspection of warehousing items, and install safety inspection equipment if conditions permit".
"In the early stage of the development of the industry, there may be some damage to consumers' rights to know, choice and fair trade due to the lack of some basic norms. Tang Jiansheng believes that as a service to meet the needs of consumers, it should be encouraged to develop as a quasi-public industry, and at the same time, through further opening up of resources, etc., to promote the full competition of the industry, in this process, the establishment of industry norms, in promoting the healthy development of the industry at the same time, effectively protect the legitimate rights and interests of consumers.
Self-storage, do you dare to use it?
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Produced by the New Media Editorial Department of China Consumer Daily
Source/China Consumer Daily, China Consumer Network
