Comments on: Clothing rental for your vacation – crazy or sensible idea?

By: Singapore work Pass

Singapore work Pass — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 12:42:31 +0000

Nice post Mike, This is really a different idea to keep light your luggage. And it seems cheap. useful post!!

By: Ben

Ben — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 23:15:44 +0000

Great post. I think you should carry something always when you travel. Suspicion today is tantamount to crude treatment.

By: catharine macintosh

catharine macintosh — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 04:18:07 +0000

Hi Chris,
Sorry for the way-delayed response – I lost track of this thread – but RyanAir started ‘zero checked luggage’ on all flights beginning in Sept/09 [http://blogs.wsj.com/middleseat/2008/07/28/ryanair-to-try-zero-baggage-flights/tab/article/]
and currently in Australia nearly half of domestic flights are zero check-in luggage planes (various airlines).
To attempt to answer your first question, “why do I need this service?” let me start by saying, maybe you don’t? It is intended to make life easier for people who want to reduce their consumption and to reduce all the ‘stuff ‘ that just sits around when its not being used or causes unecessary anxiety, line-ups and delays. Lots of people have suggested they would just go to a store and buy what they need if their luggage gets lost or stolen. It’s a pretty easy solution and can just be discarded later–but we’d prefer to offer a service where each time you want / need / desire something new it can be had without having to throw both it and the money spent on it away. One person told me they went to the Caribbean – luggage lost – they purchased new clothes – then gave them away to people who (said they) appreciated it. I thought this was great. To me that’s very ‘zerobaggage’. So, whether people agree or disagree with our concept the larger point, for me and us at zerobaggage, is to ask ourselves, “What is the best alternative to conspicuous consumption and waste?” and “Can it be solved in some fascinating, good (for the environment and the customer) way?” We are open to the possibilities and opportunities.
catharine.

By: Chris

Chris — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 15:58:13 +0000

Hi Mike, very interesting article.
Sorry but I still do not have the point of this business.
Why do I need this service?
If the answer is to save time at the airport check-in/out, I am sorry to say but for me is ridiculous as you have to spend the “saved time” by setting-up your computer and selecting your clothes online.
However, what is the cost of the service? Is maybe a cheaper option just buying few new clothes?
Catharine, you said “the future reality is that luggage won’t be allowed on airplanes “, could you please specify when it will happen?

By: Mike

Mike — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 00:15:33 +0000

Good luck with the business.

By: catharine macintosh

catharine macintosh — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 19:17:04 +0000

Hi Mike,
Wow. Just read your post and would love a chance to respond.

Believe it or not, the most positive consumer response to zerobaggage, so far, has been overwhelmingly been from women. Your assumption that women couldn’t take “zerobaggage” might be a little off the mark. For some reason men seem to be more concerned with having their own things. Who knew?
As for setting up a new computer, cloud computing is already solving this. When you turn a hardware device on you simply connect to “your settings” via the web. (Although not everyone does this …yet).

As for the clothes fitting, there is an option to “try upon arrival” if preferred. As well as many new measurement and 3-D modeling software programs that aid in this.

The fact is it may not be for everyone, which is totally fine with us. What we are responding to is the future reality that luggage won’t be allowed on airplanes (people will ship their luggage or look for other alternatives). Travelling without passenger luggage benefits, the airlines (increasing time calculations, gate-to-gate, reducing fuel costs, saving load time, creating an alternate revenue stream for cargo), the airport (movement is more fluid and more efficient, a huge savings in security is realized (scanning luggage for unsafe items is very costly), and finally it should benefit passengers (instead of lines and frustration they find ease and convenience).
The business model may be difficult to imagine but it disrupts the sell more / consume more model and moves toward an offering of quality items, circulated for maximum environmental benefit and a way of increasing the revenue generated by a single item over time and with less waste.
Critical feedback is very important to us. We are also not out to convince those who don’t like the idea but we do like to share more information regarding why we believe it is a good idea on many levels.
So although you may not wish to be one of our early adopters, as a well travelled individual we hope you will consider these points and give us further feedback. The more challenging the better! That’s how the best product or service is finally realized. Please feel welcome to email me personally at catharine@zerobaggage.com if you wish to have further dialogue regarding zb.
Thanks!
Catharine MacIntosh