College move-in and move-out day used to be left up to the parents and students. I’ve certainly done my fair share of lugging furniture, luggage, appliances and bedding up and down several flights of stairs. Even if there was an elevator, waiting your turn when hundreds of students are moving in is a useless cause.
Happily, two Auburn University grads saw the need and started Bellhops to solve the mass moving needs on college campuses in a short time period. They provide college kids for small-scale moving help all over the country. In fact, they are operating in 121 cities. They have over 100 student ‘Bellhops’ in each of their cities which allows you to book them on-demand. Instead of creepy day laborers or craigslist strangers, Bellhops are just great college kids that are ready to treat you like family and take care of your grunt work.
They do everything from loading and unloading to full-scale moves across town, and they are AFFORDABLE! What a great way to put your local college students to work.
Inc.com describes Bellhops’ company philosophy and how it works:
The company has grown from 2,000 to 10,000 employees in just one year by establishing an autonomous workforce. And it’s this autonomy that Bellhops cites as the source of its impeccable customer service.
Bellhops hires City Managers from major colleges and universities throughout the country and then contracts directly with recruited students, or “Bellhops,” to execute small residential moving jobs in their city. All the Bellhops have direct access to a company-wide job board and can “grab” jobs either as the Captain or Wing-man. The Captain manages and coordinates the move with the customer and gets paid a higher wage.
Bellhops are able to execute moves year-round and have complete autonomy over their schedule, who they work with, and how much money they make.
According to co-founder, Cameron Doody, “People don’t just want a job anymore; they want a fulfilling job,” he says. “Fulfillment at work comes with the freedom to make decisions and own your position. Employee empowerment breeds elevated customer service, because everyone treats their job like it’s their own company.”
If you have a college-bound student moving on campus in the fall, give these guys a try. You can book everything online in one simple process. Your legs, arms and backs will thank you!
They gave me a coupon code for 5% off: CountdownToCollege. Pass it along to friends and family–I’m sure you know plenty of parents who could use this service.
Check them out here! www.GetBellhops.com
This is a great service. I remember moving into my dorm. I was on the fifth floor of a 12 story building. Waiting for the elevator was too much, so my mom and I just took the stairs multiple times. Needless to say, we were exhausted after.
At my last university, Northwest University, in the Seattle area, most of the faculty, staff and student leaders provided move-in help for the students coming in. It was the first time I had seen this done, but it was amazing. I wish more colleges would be so helpful in this area.
I have noticed that many colleges are providing help for incoming freshmen only. Since that’s not the only time you need to move in, this service will take up where the other left off. It was a great idea. I wish I had thought of it!