New Companies Rent Furniture by the Month
2020-01-29
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1Zachariah Mohammed's living room is filled with things he does not own.
2He pays $200 a month for the couch, side table, bar cart, dining table and four chairs in his living room.
3The cost is worth it, says the 27-year-old New Yorker.
4Mohammed has moved two times in the past year.
5That is not unusual in places like New York City.
6If he needs to move again, he will not need to carry a couch across the city or worry about whether it will fit in his next apartment.
7Mohammed's solution is Feather, a new company that lets renters change furniture whenever they want.
8Mohammed is a social media manager who lives with his partner and their dog.
9He told The Associated Press, "We don't want to be stuck with a giant couch."
10Feather and other companies aim to rent furniture to young adults who do not want to make big purchases or move heavy furniture.
11It and similar companies are part of a growing "rental culture."
12Thomas Robertson is a marketing professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
13He told the Associated Press that people who are using furniture rental services likely move and change jobs a lot.
14These companies target people who make good money, live in cities and want nice furniture - but only temporarily.
15The quality of the furniture is a little higher than that of Swedish brand Ikea.
16"I'm 32 years old and have lived in 25 different places, five different countries, 12 different cities," says Chan Park.
17He helped launch the online furniture rental company Oliver Space last year.
18Before starting the company, Chan often bought and then threw away low-cost furniture.
19Then, he moved to a rental apartment in Singapore that already had furniture in it.
20"It was probably the first time my adult life that I felt like I was truly at home," Park says.
21Such companies mostly only operate in a few coastal American cities.
22They offer furniture from Crate & Barrel, West Elm and smaller brands.
23Others have begun renting home goods, too.
24The high-end clothing rental company Rent the Runway recently added West Elm pillows and quilts.
25Ikea is also testing a rental service in several countries, including Switzerland and Belgium.
26Renting may make sense for a generation that sees life as always moving, says Hana Ben-Shabat.
27She is the founder of Gen Z Planet, a research and advisory company that studies the generation born between the late 1990s and 2016.
28Moving her furniture from New York to Los Angeles would have cost Clarissa Wright $3,000.
29Instead, she gave away most of what she owned, traveled through Europe for two months and then rented a couch, bed and other furniture in her new place.
30She pays $255 a month.
31Feather delivered the furniture and put all the pieces together in one day.
32Wright is a 28-year-old marketing advisor for clothing and beauty brands.
33She says she can change the furniture, add more things or move to a new apartment or city.
34But right now, she is not sure what her future holds.
35"I don't think too far ahead," she says.
36That comes at a price. Critics have called the furniture-rental business exploitative.
37Stores like Rent-A-Center target poor people who cannot pay full price for furniture or home appliances.
38And the company charges higher prices overall than competitors.
39For some of the newer furniture rental companies, there are membership costs.
40There are also costs if furniture is badly damaged.
41Margot Saunders is with the National Consumer Law Center.
42She said, "If people think this is the best way to buy a couch, they are wrong."
43Saunders added, "They should recognize that they are paying for the convenience of renting."
44I'm Alice Bryant. And I'm Susan Shand.
1Zachariah Mohammed's living room is filled with things he does not own. 2He pays $200 a month for the couch, side table, bar cart, dining table and four chairs in his living room. The cost is worth it, says the 27-year-old New Yorker. 3Mohammed has moved two times in the past year. That is not unusual in places like New York City. 4If he needs to move again, he will not need to carry a couch across the city or worry about whether it will fit in his next apartment. Mohammed's solution is Feather, a new company that lets renters change furniture whenever they want. 5Mohammed is a social media manager who lives with his partner and their dog. He told The Associated Press, "We don't want to be stuck with a giant couch." 6Feather and other companies aim to rent furniture to young adults who do not want to make big purchases or move heavy furniture. It and similar companies are part of a growing "rental culture." 7Thomas Robertson is a marketing professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He told the Associated Press that people who are using furniture rental services likely move and change jobs a lot. 8These companies target people who make good money, live in cities and want nice furniture - but only temporarily. The quality of the furniture is a little higher than that of Swedish brand Ikea. 9"I'm 32 years old and have lived in 25 different places, five different countries, 12 different cities," says Chan Park. He helped launch the online furniture rental company Oliver Space last year. Before starting the company, Chan often bought and then threw away low-cost furniture. Then, he moved to a rental apartment in Singapore that already had furniture in it. 10"It was probably the first time my adult life that I felt like I was truly at home," Park says. 11Such companies mostly only operate in a few coastal American cities. They offer furniture from Crate & Barrel, West Elm and smaller brands. 12Others have begun renting home goods, too. The high-end clothing rental company Rent the Runway recently added West Elm pillows and quilts. Ikea is also testing a rental service in several countries, including Switzerland and Belgium. 13Renting may make sense for a generation that sees life as always moving, says Hana Ben-Shabat. She is the founder of Gen Z Planet, a research and advisory company that studies the generation born between the late 1990s and 2016. 14Moving her furniture from New York to Los Angeles would have cost Clarissa Wright $3,000. Instead, she gave away most of what she owned, traveled through Europe for two months and then rented a couch, bed and other furniture in her new place. She pays $255 a month. Feather delivered the furniture and put all the pieces together in one day. 15Wright is a 28-year-old marketing advisor for clothing and beauty brands. She says she can change the furniture, add more things or move to a new apartment or city. But right now, she is not sure what her future holds. 16"I don't think too far ahead," she says. 17That comes at a price. Critics have called the furniture-rental business exploitative. Stores like Rent-A-Center target poor people who cannot pay full price for furniture or home appliances. And the company charges higher prices overall than competitors. 18For some of the newer furniture rental companies, there are membership costs. There are also costs if furniture is badly damaged. 19Margot Saunders is with the National Consumer Law Center. She said, "If people think this is the best way to buy a couch, they are wrong." Saunders added, "They should recognize that they are paying for the convenience of renting." 20I'm Alice Bryant. And I'm Susan Shand. 21Joseph Pisani reported this story for The Associated Press. Alice Bryant adapted it for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. 22________________________________________________________________ 23Words in This Story 24couch - n. a long piece of furniture on which a person can sit or lie down 25dining - adj. used for eating meals on 26giant - adj. very large 27brand - n. a category of products that are all made by a particular company and all have a particular name 28pillow - n. a bag filled with soft material that is used as a cushion usually for the head of a person who is lying down 29quilt - n. a bed cover with stitched designs that is made of two layers of cloth filled with wool, cotton, or soft feathers 30deliver - v. to take something to a person or place 31exploitative - adj. making use of a situation or treating others unfairly in order to gain an advantage or benefit 32convenience - n. the quality or situation that makes something easy for someone by reducing the amount of work or time required to do it