Moving Companies Juggle High Gas Prices, Slumping Real Estate Market

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Story Published: Jul 8, 2008 at 12:09 AM PST

By Rudabeh Shahbazi

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KENNEWICK-- The tanking economy and high gas prices are hitting all businesses hard, but one man says with the slumping housing market, he's getting a "double whammy."

Matt Deter owns Speedy Delivery, the only locally owned and operated moving business in the Tri-Cities.

"We've had to really accommodate for the loss, and raise our prices in just as short a time as two weeks ago," said Deter.

Last year, it cost him less than $200 to fill a moving truck. Now, it's nearly $250-- and that means a 15 to 30 percent increase for his customers.

"We're always worried that if prices continue to rise, then we don't have any other choice, except to pass that on to the consumer," said Deter.

But when the cost is passed on to the consumer, the consumer goes elsewhere. More people are skipping moving services altogether and finding a way to do it themselves.

Sharon Brighton is one of them. She considered hiring a moving service, but decided against it. "I started thinking, maybe I can get a couple of trucks with a few bodies and see if I could do it that way," said Brighton.

College student Paola Herrera is in the same boat. "I'm probably going to be doing it all myself," she said. "I'm just trying to find friends that have trucks or moving vesicles."

Since most people move in the summer, the high season is making up for Speedy Delivery's lost business overall-- but summer won't last.

"It's always a concern, and we're watching our bottom line very closely," said Deter. "But as long as we keep our nose to the ground and make cut costs where we can, we'll just keep our fingers crossed and hope that the price of fuel goes down."

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