Yet again, the rare and dastardly things that can transpire within the walls of a self-storage unit have hit the national airwaves. As those of us in the industry know, the types of heinous crimes committed in our sites are the rarity, but they do make for terrific news-teaser sound bites.
With the attention grabbing headlines of the Michael Jackson and Jaycee Lee Dugard cases, we all seem to be captivated. As we watched the morning news Tuesday the reporter panned over to a random self-storage facility in Reno, Nev., and said, "Phillip Garrido kidnapped and raped a woman in a self-storage facility similar to this one 38 years ago...” Note the word "similar," not this facility, but don’t think that can’t have ramifications for the unnamed site locals would be able to recognize.
Two things struck me about this story: the horror of the cases, of course, but in correlation with our industry the facility shown could have been mine or yours. The media just wanted a camera shot.
The second thing that struck me was: Why are we as an industry always dragged into the muck, but never part of the feel-good, slow newsday filler stories? Does the blame lie with the media or does it fall upon our own shoulders?
Many of you reading this blog have had the experience or two that made you love your job, the one shining example of how you and your facility were there to help someone truly in need and you’re graciously proud of it. If we don’t share these shining examples of the positive side of our business, if we keep it to ourselves, can we continue to blame the media for portraying us collectively as dens of ill-repute or havens of drugs, thievery and mayhem?
The time has come for us all to keep in mind that we are the target audience of the media outlets. As consumers, we can control what we consume. If you’re tired of the negativity directed toward our industry, don’t just sit on your buns and complain to your colleagues. Be pro-active, do something.
The next time a charity is overwhelmed by your generosity and helpfulness, ASK them to write a letter for you detailing what the donated unit helped their group accomplish. When the unusual circumstance lands on your doorstep and turns into a positive experience is it fair to keep it to yourself and a few friends? Heck no! Share it, tell the world and let’s bombard all the feeds with the positive side of our industry. If we don’t tell the story, no one else will.
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