In and out again · ⇆
The same two addresses, repeatedly
Not a move at all, but the same two legs run over and over. It is a substantial part of what a London van actually does and it is almost never described as a service anywhere.
Booked one journey at a time it is expensive and unreliable. Arranged properly it is neither.
What a standing arrangement involves
Who this is actually for
A shop with a lock-up round the corner. A maker with a studio and a storage unit. A market trader with stock at home and a pitch across town. A small business with a base and a site. A gallery with a store.
None of them is moving house, all of them need a van repeatedly, and most of them are paying short-notice rates for something that is entirely predictable.
Why the second time is cheaper
Because everything that makes a van job slow is a first-time problem. Finding the standing point, working out the access, learning which items are fragile and which stack, discovering that the lock-up has a step.
A crew that has done the route before does it faster, and that is a real saving rather than a discount.
What we need to know once
Where a vehicle stands at each end. What the access is at each end. What the goods are and how they behave — what is fragile, what stacks, what must travel upright. And who has keys or codes.
Settled at the start, none of it is ever discussed again, which is most of the benefit.
And no tie-in
An arrangement should last exactly as long as it is useful. Seasonal trade stops, a lease ends, a studio moves. Stop when it stops making sense and start again when it does.
We would rather that than a commitment somebody resents halfway through.
The same two addresses, repeatedly
Questions about the same two addresses, repeatedly
- Who uses this?
- Shops with lock-ups, makers with studios and storage units, market traders, small businesses with a base and a site, galleries with stores. Nobody moving house.
- Why is it cheaper than booking each time?
- Because a crew that has done the route before does it faster. Finding the standing point and learning the access are first-time problems.
- What frequency do you work to?
- Weekly, monthly or on call, as the work actually runs. It should follow your trade rather than a schedule that suits us.
- Is there a minimum commitment?
- No tie-in. An arrangement should last exactly as long as it is useful — seasonal trade stops, leases end, studios move.
- What do you need to know at the start?
- Standing points and access at both ends, what the goods are and how they behave, and who has keys or codes. Settled once and never discussed again.
- Can the same crew come each time?
- Wherever we can arrange it, and it is most of the value. A crew that knows the route and the goods is faster and more careful.
Does anything have to come back?
Both addresses, what is going, and whether anything has to leave as something arrives, go back where it came from, or be collected afterwards. Any yes makes it two legs.