How rental ‘libraries of things’ have become the new way to save money - eviltoast

The theory is simple: instead of buying a household item or a piece of clothing or some equipment you might use once or twice, you take it out and return it.

  • Cyborganism@lemmy.ca
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    6 months ago

    With the size of housing units they build in condo buildings these days, who the fuck has any room to store appliances?

    Plus, we live in an era where we produce too much shit anyway and it’s damaging the environment. So by sharing stuff like this, it means we need to produce less.

    • alvvayson@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      6 months ago

      Indeed, also it’s much nicer to use a shared high quality tool than to buy an el-cheapo disposable tool.

      Even something simple like a crowbar. I once borrowed a (shorter) professional crowbar after struggling with a (larger) cheap one. The thing I was trying to pry came out like butter.

      Even though physics dictates that a shorter lever should be inferior, it just had a much better design and grip.

      Better for our wallet, sanity and environment.

    • henfredemars@infosec.pub
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      6 months ago

      This is an outstanding idea for an apartment community. It addresses space issues, cost concerns, and largely prevents abuse from the get-go because you know where all your borrowers live.

    • Magister@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      In great Montreal area it’s more and more enormous, condo 1000sqft+, thousands of them, that people cannot buy because they are too expensive, I don’t understand the system

      • Cyborganism@lemmy.ca
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        6 months ago

        Yeah they built these big ass luxury condo towers downtown and most of them are empty. I know because I can see in them from my office building.

        Some argue this allows richer people to move out of smaller units therefore freeing them for others. But instead you have international investors coming in to buy them up as a real tax haven. Or the rich will simply buy them but keep the old ones and rent them at a premium. It doesn’t help at all.