hen entering a self-storage facility, the Five Man Electrical Band’s hit song “Signs,” may come to mind: “Sign, sign, everywhere a sign … Do this, don’t do that, can’t you read the sign?” There are parking signs, gate access signs, policy signs, payment signs, marketing signs, and plenty of other kinds. Although signs should be professionally made and displayed with care, some are handmade and simply tacked in place with tape, pushpins, or something similar. Whether created and posted by an employee or a tenant, handmade signs can pose a problem for businesses.
Johnson recalls one handmade sign that left a lasting impression: “While conducting a secret shop at a competitor’s facility in Michigan, I encountered a particularly unsettling example. The facility was plastered with numerous handmade signs stating, ‘Please do not store food! It will attract rodents inside for the winter’—each accompanied by an exaggerated image of a rat. Combined with visible issues like missing ceiling tiles, these signs screamed ‘We have a rodent problem,’ which was certainly not the message they intended to convey. When I asked the manager about it, she casually admitted they had ‘a few’ rodent issues here and there.”
Sue Haviland, owner of Haviland Storage Services, has seen her fair share of handmade signs and agrees with Johnson that they shouldn’t be permitted. Handmade signs that detail lunch hours, holiday hours, and elevator/gate issues are typical, but a former manager of a facility she had audited posted a threatening security-related sign that she’ll never forget. It included an image of a gun barrel pointing forward and said, “This is my camera, and you are on it.” Haviland adds, “This same manager, whom they had to terminate after my audit, had a baseball bat behind the counter.”
Unfortunately, managers aren’t the only ones guilty of hanging handmade signs. Tenants at self-storage facilities have posted some doosies too. Haviland remembers a homeless man affixing a “Do Not Enter” sign to his unit door; it also stated that the unit was booby trapped. Although it was likely intended to keep intruders at bay, Haviland never learned whether the unit was truly booby trapped. However, there is a real possibility that he was illegally living in the unit and simply didn’t want to get caught.
Speaking of in-unit activities, Haviland once came across a public notice of application to sell alcoholic beverages posted between two roll-up doors. Commercial renters are more than welcome, but selling alcohol from a unit is usually frowned upon.
What’s more, handmade signs aren’t usually well made, so they can look tacky. As they curl, tear, and fall apart, they become eyesores at the facility. They can even create curb appeal issues when they are removed in the form of peeled paint, nail holes, discoloration, and sticky residue. “It gives the impression of a business that lacks attention to detail and pride in its appearance,” says Johnson. “Conversely, professionally made signs communicate that your business is credible, well-managed, and takes its operations seriously.”
Instead of posting handmade signs, Johnson urges self-storage managers to request professionally made signs from their marketing department, educate their tenants at move-in, and monitor their property to handle potential issues before or as they happen. Remember: Anything you would put on a sign could be communicated in person!
