So often, working in the big city, you get all way down to the lobby only to find it is raining outside. You were only popping out for lunch, so you didn't bring your coat, and while there may be itinerants standing around selling umbrellas for $5 a pop, you already have quite a collection back upstairs and it's just too much effort to go back upstairs and retrieve one. So rather than buy one more, you just brave the rain and dash across the road for lunch.

So, for these enterprising itinerants, I propose a new service: umbrella rentals. The umbrellas would still cost $5, but now they would accept returns at, say, $4 apiece. Save us all a soaking without creating further umbrella stockpiles.

[Sorry if this does not make much sense to people who don't work in skyscrapers, or have a flock of umbrella salespeople appear at the first drop of rain.]
-- DrCurry, Nov 14 2002

Rental Umbrellas http://www.national...cts2.php3?q=4&v=164
one of 23,000 hits (rental umbrellas) but probably not for your circumstances [FarmerJohn, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 05 2004]

Would you have to return it to the person you rented it from, or could you drop it off at your destination, like airport car-hire?
-- Mayfly, Nov 14 2002


have we done this one before? :)
-- po, Nov 14 2002


NO NO NO NO NO - There happy?
-- ajwhunter, Nov 14 2002


po: found rental donkeys and rental dentures, but not rental umbrellas.
bliss: not fussed about my head, but I don't like my spectacles getting wet.
-- DrCurry, Nov 14 2002


Don't forget about your suit, though. Some clothes get all rumpled when they dry after getting doused.
-- snarfyguy, Nov 14 2002


i can see a problem with people not returning the umbrellas... so i have a .... backup idea. what can you get anywhere, and dont have to return? newspapers. sell the umbrellas like newspapers.

they should manufacture umbrellas of really low quality (similar to airplane pillows), and put them in machines like the ones that you get newspapers out of, and put them everywhere, like newspaper machines. sell them for.... $1.50 a pop? (sunday edition price in my city)

...or you could rough it movie-like, and get a newspaper and shelter yourself with that...
-- sbEr_X, Feb 09 2004


They have Umbrella vending machines in Japan, I think.
-- Jake, Jul 07 2005



random, halfbakery