How to Buy During Tough Times
May 18, 2026
When times are tough, business owners need to be creative. Challenges in the portable sanitation industry include when supply chain disruptions drive the prices of portable sanitation equipment up and result in long lead times.
It’s times like these that managing inventory is more difficult than ever. If you can figure out ways to stretch your inventory, you can stay afloat until the industry returns to more normal conditions.
Not sure where to start? Allow us to provide some suggestions. In the infographic below, discover a few ways to stretch your inventory that could come in handy both now and in the future.
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How to Stretch Your Inventory
- Stock Up on Parts — It’s better for your budget to repair units than replace them
- Keep Up with Preventative Maintenance — Addressing wear and tear early extends the lifespan of equipment
- Restore Units to Upgrade Their Category — Doing things like replacing sides and doors on older portable toilets can upgrade them from the construction category to the event category
- Lower Your Level of Scrutiny — When money is tight, don’t be so quick to downgrade a unit from event category to construction category or construction category to retired/parts category
- Purchase Used if Necessary — If you have no choice but to expand your inventory, look for affordable, used options to get you by until you can buy new portables again
