The ski equipment rental form is a small but most important link in the rental operation. The customer usually fills in part, the cashier adds some numbers, and the ski and boot dispensers probably complete it. The form is then stored for as little as a few hours up to a few weeks, is retrieved to insure all the equipment is returned, and finally permanently stored.
With differences in procedure and physical plants it is no wonder there is no universal rental form. The best form for your shop is one individually tailored to meet your needs.
In designing a form, your first decision should be size and shape. Size depends on the amount of information required on the form. Shape should be dictated by the shop’s procedure for storing and retrieving the form. Most forms tend to resemble standard writing paper — taller than they are wide — probably because the designer simply filled up a standard sheet of paper. A better, more efficient shape is similar to a check. The short height and long width prevents the form from flopping over and the ample width gives high visibility to name, dates, and other information needed when retrieving the form.
The placement of the information should mirror your rental operation. If the money is collected first and poles dispensed last, the form should be arranged in this order.
Your customers can probably fill in essential information such as their identification (name and address) and criteria needed to determine proper release adjustment (weight and skiing ability). Although the best form is generally the simplest, your rental procedures may require use of additional information. Properly used height will speed up the dispensing of skis and poles, and foot size will aid the fitting of boots. To get the customer to fill in this information, the form should be divided into two separate and distinct sections. Bold lines are often used to separate sections, but a more effective way, which doesn’t add appreciably to the cost, is to shade in part of the form. This visibly distinct difference helps the customer complete all the data you need.
As the customer and form travel through the rental procedure, additional information is added: (1) rental fees (2) security information (3) duration of the rental (4) identification of equipment (5) release adjustments (whether pre-set or individually adjusted) and (6) customer acknowledgement of receiving the equipment and releasing liability. This information is recorded two ways. Weight, for instance, is usually written in, but skiing ability is easier as a choice of from three to five grades. In designing your form, if you can divide the choices of rental fees, pole lengths, etc., into eight or fewer catagories, the shop personnel will save time circling a choice rather than writing in an answer. You may even choose to combine both alternatives. As an example, skis can be partially identified by length. After the lengths, leave a space for the remainder of the ski identification number to reduce the recording time. Finally, you must determine the number of copies per form. Usually it is three: one for the customer, one for the return file and one for the cash draw. And, your last decision is the number of forms to order. Don’t make the mistake of ordering too many forms to save on quantity breaks. As the season progresses you may want to change the form, and it will be a lot easier to discard a few hundred forms than a few thousand.
In conjunction with the rental form, but separate from its design, rental management must insure that the equipment is returned. In establishing a security procedure there are basic assumptions that the rental shop should work with. The vast majority of customers are on vacation and are not planning to steal equipment. Unfortunately, a portion of the equipment will disappear.
Those who do steal equipment are probably armed with false identification and a definite plan. There are two basic security arrangements a shop can choose. One is the use of cameras, which take a split image of the renter (head and shoulders) and a form of identification. Shops using cameras lose very little equipment.
To offset this, you must consider the initial investment in the camera and the continuing cost of the film. The cost of developing, of course, only applies when equipment is stolen; and, film cost can be lowered by only taking random pictures or not using film at all.
The second security choice is keeping something the customer will return for. The choices vary from cash to a driver’s license to completed credit forms. This method is reasonably effective, although it is easier for the determined crook to dodge. The advantage is low cost, but there is the problem of storing the security left by the customer. In most instances the first method is preferred by large rental organization and the second by smaller. Your security arrangements, however, will depend on previous experience and location. Luckily in most instances, the cards are in the rental shop’s favor.
