Neighborhood news groups and sites such as Nextdoor are encouraging neighbors to get to know one another and share information more readily. This is great, but a real return to the neighborly attitudes of old could be even better. Really, does everyone on the block need to own a 10 foot ladder? How about a snowblower in those areas that are lucky to see a few inches once or twice a year? Think of all the money (and garage space) you could save if one person had one tool and someone else had another and everyone just shared when they needed it. With Stockpile, our simple online inventory system, not only is this possible, it’s incredibly easy.
To get started post a message to your neighborhood newsgroup to gauge interest. Be prepared to offer up some of your own resources first. It’s often initially easier to get people to borrow items than it is to get them to volunteer to loan out their own stuff. Once they’ve borrowed a few times they’ll be much more willing to offer items themselves.
One of the biggest concerns that people often have with lending tools and other items is the fear of their items being damaged or misplaced. By creating a neighborhood Stockpile you can easily track items as they are loaned out and note the condition upon return. Neighbors are much more likely to be responsible and own up to any damage when they know that it is being recorded in a public system accessible by all.
As neighbors volunteer to be part of the exchange you’ll create locations for each member. The stock for each location will be those items that they are willing to share with neighbors. When an item is borrowed its location will change to reflect the home of the person currently using it. Then, if someone wants to borrow the item from that person, they can simply get the item and update the record. When you need to retrieve your item you won’t have to retrace its steps going from neighbor to neighbor until you find catch up with it. You can just log in to Stockpile simple online inventory system to see that Joe loaned it to Will when he was done with and that Will then passed it on to Sam. A few clicks and you’ll know right where to go.
Need a specific tool? Before you run to the local home improvement store, check Stockpile. You might not keep tabs on all your neighbors and be up on their hobbies and recent home improvement projects. If they’ve entered items in Stockpile you can easily locate the tool that you need and may find that they are very happy to share since they had to pay top dollar for a tool they may never use again. You never know, they may even have some helpful tips for you based on their own project. If you’re really lucky, they might offer to come lend a hand. Try getting that at your local store.
Stockpile Simple Online Inventory System Improves Neighborhood Relations
Using Stockpile as a neighborhood tool repository can provide so many benefits. It will save you time, money, storage space and could significantly improve neighborhood relations. Best of all, Stockpile is free and easy to use. Sign up today and start your neighborhood sharing program before the fall leaves start piling up. You’ll be glad that you did!
