RTO 101 - The breakdown of the rental agreement - How it works!

In this foundational episode of The RTO Show Podcast, hosts Pete Shau and Danny break down everything you need to know about the rent-to-own (RTO) industry — from how rental agreements work to the real-world benefits that set RTO apart from traditional retail. Whether you're a first-time customer curious about rent-to-own, an industry newcomer, or a seasoned RTO professional looking to sharpen your customer education skills, this episode is your go-to guide.

What Is Rent-to-Own? The Basics Explained

Pete and Danny open with the fundamentals: rent-to-own is a flexible retail model that bridges the gap between cash buyers and credit-based financing. Customers can access furniture, appliances, electronics, and more — with no credit check, no loan, and no long-term financial obligation. RTO agreements are structured around weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly, or monthly payment terms ranging from 6 to 24 months.

Understanding Your RTO Agreement: 3 Key Parts

The episode walks listeners through the three components of a standard rent-to-own agreement:

1. Full-Term Payments — Complete all scheduled payments and you own the product outright.
2. Same-as-Cash Option — Pay off the retail value within a set window (typically 3–12 months) and avoid additional costs.
3. Early Purchase Option (EPO) — Buy out your agreement after the same-as-cash period at a discounted rate — less than the full-term total, more than the same-as-cash price.

Top Benefits of Rent-to-Own

Pete and Danny highlight why millions of Americans choose RTO over big-box retail:

• No credit check — RTO doesn't impact your credit score or interfere with mortgage or loan applications
• Free delivery and assembly — included with no hidden fees
• Service and repairs included — normal wear and tear is covered at no extra charge
• Loaner products — if your item needs service, most RTO stores provide a loaner so you're never without
• Pre-leased (pre-loved) merchandise — quality refurbished products at significant discounts, still covered under service agreements
• Flexible payment options — upgrade, downgrade, or terminate your agreement at any time
• Same-day or next-day delivery — no 4–6 week wait times like traditional retailers

The RTO Community Difference

One of the episode's standout themes is the relationship-driven culture of the rent-to-own industry. Unlike impersonal big-box retail, RTO stores are staffed by community members who build long-term customer relationships, participate in local events, sponsor schools and little leagues, and genuinely invest in the neighborhoods they serve.

Industry Growth & Real Numbers

The hosts cite compelling industry data: the RTO market has grown from approximately 4.8 million customers a decade ago to an estimated 9 million customers today — a testament to the value and accessibility the industry provides.

Pete & Danny's RTO Origin Stories

The episode wraps with personal stories from both hosts about how they stumbled into the rent-to-own industry — and never left. Their combined 29 years of experience spans store management, multi-unit operations, and customer development, giving the podcast an authentic, insider perspective.

Transcript

Pete Shau 0:07

Yo, everybody, how you guys doing today?

Speaker 0:09

Welcome to the RTO show. This is Danny and Pete coming at you from Tampa, Florida.

Pete Shau 0:15

Everybody, how you doing today? Wanted to go over a little bit of what we missed was what is RTO? What is it exactly that we're talking about? RTO 101 is probably uh the simplest form of what we can tell you about. And I think the best thing that we can do is start with the basics and move on from here.

Danny Lastra 0:31

Absolutely. So, real quick, just so you guys are aware, rent own has been around for a long time. It was established in the late 1960s. There are benefits to renting from the rent to own industry, no credit check, no loan or financial debt. You can terminate the agreement at any time, uh, no obligation to keep it. We are a rental business, so even though we're rent-to-owned, you can just rent the property for the time period you need it for.

Speaker 1 0:53

Yeah, that's probably one of the best benefits. I heard the best explanation I heard somebody uh use for rent to own was it is to bridge the gap between people who have credit and the people who just do retail. And you don't need credit, but you don't have to have all the money up front for just the buy and the purchase. And you can rent it for a short period of time, you can rent it for a long period of time, you can rent it until you own it. And that's the biggest part of rent to own. It's not a rent to rent, it's a rent to own. It's not like a home where you just rent it until indefinitely. So somebody says, hey, it's time to get out because I'm to I want I want all my equity out of it, right? Rental uh periods are based on how many ever terms that you have. So it could be 18 months, could be 24 months, some are less than that if you're not. 12 months, six. Check with your local uh listing as far as your state's concerned. But rent to own is basically you're gonna make these uh these payments that go towards a price in the end. Now, of course, everything is based on time and money. And the way we look at it is there's uh three parts of a rental agreement. The first one is gonna be what you pay either weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly, or monthly, and that is set up in a a time a certain time frame, whether it be six months, twelve months, eighteen-month agreement, twenty-four month agreement. Your agreement has a set length term, and when you make those payments, once you complete all the amount of terms in there, as far as your rental payments and how long it is, you will earn the product. Now, the second part, same as cash.

Speaker 2:09

Now, same as cash, every company does a little bit different, every company has different time frames, but you can get same as cash time frames across the US, anywhere from minimum three months, maximum 12 months, same as cash. Of course, it all depends on the overall retail value of the item on the total of the agreement because you can have packages into an agreement, let's say washer and dryer combo, and that retail price might be X dollar amount. That extra dollar amount will be equivalent to how many months you have a same as cash. What a same as cash means exactly what it means. It means the payments you apply in that time frame go straight to that same as cash balance. So you don't have to rent it for the long period of time. You can purchase it within the three to six month time frame with that agreement states and pay it off free and clear. So, again, another benefit of rent to own is if you don't have the credit or the finance means to go and butt purchase outright, you can come to a rent-to-owned industry store and for as low as $20 down, get the washer and dry delivered in the same day tomorrow and have it paid off in three months according to your budget.

Speaker 1 3:10

The retail value is what sets the same as cash tone. The retail value is paid off in the same as cash period, which can be anywhere from three to three months to a year. So as long as you pay off that amount of money um in that amount of time frame, you're gonna be okay. Now, it doesn't mean that because you have a $15.88 week price, you're gonna cover the cash price amount. You just want to make sure that at the end of whatever term you have for your same as cash, six months, twelve months, three months, that you have all of that, including all your fees and taxes, and you own it outright and clear. But there's some other benefits and advantages, like I'm a klutz and I messed it up by mistake. So one of the best things is that we have service included. Now it does include normal wear and tear. I can't throw it on the ground and stomp on it and kick it and score a you know, a goal. What it means is that what happens is if I have a TV, it stops working, but I didn't throw anything at the screen, yeah, it's covered. If I have a washing machine, it stops spinning, yeah, it's covered. If I have a bedroom set, my slides are starting to come out because you know what? For whatever reason, this particular set had a default on the side. I call my guys at whatever rent to own company that I have, they'll come out and service it and take care of that for me.

Speaker 4:10

And let's just talk about the services real quick because a lot of people will say, But Pete, Danny, you know, I can get something brand new and I have manufacture warranty. Correct. But guess what? You don't have to deal with the manufacture warranty. That's what the rental owned stores do. So you get something brand new from us, yes, and it's covered under warranty, but we'll deal with the warranty. All you have to do is make a phone call. Hey, my washing machine is not working, and within 24 hours, sometimes quicker, not only will we be out there to service it, give you a loaner, we'll deal with the warranty and get that service and repaired for you and then re-delivered back to you. The beauty about rent-to-own services is the loaner. See, you can go purchase something outright from Walmart, Best Buy, and if something goes wrong, correct, you have warranty, but you're also without the product while you're waiting for the warranty to be issued and for the repair or replacement to be done. With rent to own within 24 hours, most companies they'll give you a loaner to use in the meantime. That's another benefit that's already included. It's not an extra charge, it's already included in what you're paying.

Speaker 1 5:06

Have any of you called the warranty department and seen how fast they respond to your call? You're gonna be sitting there for a while. If it isn't the uh hour and 15 minutes you spend listening to the elevator music, it's gonna be somebody on the end of the phone that's just really not gonna understand your situation. And in this way, you can call the guys that you actually purchased it from, get things taken care of in a quick amount of time, and you're not without what you're purchasing. I mean, that's that's just a plain bottom line. If I'm if I have a washing machine, I have things that I gotta wash. And the great thing about it is I don't have to be without it. They take care of me. I'm still washing clothes and I still pay off the item that I had. And if it doesn't uh work out, if there's something that's going on that keeps it from being repaired and it's the fault of the machine or it's fault of the a warranty department, you know, giving us something that's faulty, it doesn't work, they will replace it. It's okay. It it happens to work out that way. Doesn't always work out that way, but it can. Another great thing, so we talk about the the weeks and the months and the terms and what you would do with Samus Cash, but then you have the full term. And the full term runs with the first part into that agreement. You have everything that comes with it, but you also have an early purchase option amount, which is the third part of the agreement. So two thirds.

Speaker 6:10

Two correct so some companies are a little different, everybody's different, yeah. But from our experience, yes, two-thirds after the same as cash time frame, you get a discount. You get a huge discount, so you don't have to pay that full-term balance. And that's where the explanation comes in. That's where the managers in these stores should be doing their job correctly and explaining it correctly because that's what it all comes down to. That's one of the reasons why Pete and I are doing this, is to get the correct information out there to you all that it's a huge benefit.

Speaker 1 6:37

In other words, if I go past my same as cash time frame of three months, I still have another, you know, 15 months to go on my agreement. I don't want to wait 15 months to pay this off. I want to be able to pay it off early. What you do is you go into your local store, you let them know your situation that you want to pay it out, and they'll give you a discount over the total term. It's gonna be a little bit more than your samus cash, but it's gonna be a whole lot less than your total cost. And that discount is gonna be able to get you, you know, done and into another product that you want them.

Speaker 7:02

Absolutely. Another benefit, rent to own. And in our industry, it's kind of a little bit cliche, but when you really think about the big box retail furniture stores, free delivery. Now, I don't know of any big box what what no big box retail company that I know of does free delivery. It's anywhere from a couple hundred dollars and then removal fees or assembly fee, not with rent to own. It it is all included and there's no additional charge. We will deliver for free. We will assemble it for free. It's all included in that original $20 down payment.

Speaker 1 7:38

Bro, I didn't tell you this. So, you know, you remember the couple years I was out of rent home, right? And said I needed a break and I go to a moving company and they want me to be in charge of pricing the deliveries. Right. Bro, I sucked. Like, free delivery for everybody. Everything is free. So I was really bad at it, and I had to really learn like that, you know, there are a lot of costs associated with that. Right. Um, and sometimes that we don't see that, we don't realize that there is a cost associated with delivery. You have the guys, you have what it takes to put it together, right? That time frame, you have what it takes to put it down in the truck, you got straps, you got blankets, you got the wrap that you put on it, the actual truck, the insurance that you have to put on it, the vehicle gas, and everything that goes with it, the time frame of the labor. So, you know, yeah, I'm just like, yeah, we're just gonna do a flat rate, right? It's like $50 for everything. No, Pete, no. Yeah, it was it was uh it was pretty it was pretty eye-opening to see what the costs really are in that. And anywhere that you go, even if they do tell you that you're gonna get some type of delivery, there is a fee and there is a waiting period. I realize that you know, any any of the big box retailers have sometimes a 10-day to two and a half week period for your try a month, try four to six weeks sometimes. I don't know where you're shopping, bro.

Speaker 8:44

I'm just saying, I've I I have occasionally dipped into other big box retailers, I'm not gonna name names, but I have, and yeah, it's a four or six week waiting period. It's crazy. It wasn't rent-to-owned, it wasn't, but I'll tell you what, the rent-to-owned, even when we do special orders, which a lot of the companies do, we have a great relationship with our vendors, and obviously we're dealing with these vendors because of the cost turnaround rate. That's very important. If you talk to any operating manager, and when you ask about the number one request when it comes to vendors, is what's the turnaround rate? That's that's always the number one question. How fast can I get it if I order today? Because everybody wants it now. We don't want to wait four or six weeks.

Speaker 1 9:24

Right now, Danny.

Speaker 9:25

Right now, right now, maybe tomorrow because I'm busy, but not four or six weeks. What I want it right now, but yeah, and then of course, in the rent-owned industry, a lot of the times you are just taking the floor model, and it's it could be new, it could be pre-lease. Maybe what's the difference? That's up to your perspective. You can get a pre-lease furniture for a great discount price, and it might look in mint condition.

Speaker 1 9:50

Danny, Danny, that's an industry term. It's pre-loved. Pre-loved. Pre-loved. It's it's you know, we we gave it a lot of love. We took care of it. So, another aspect of rent rent to own 101 is refurbishment. You've got to know that not everything sticks out there. If we had a 100% stick rate, we would be in the right business for sure. But it goes out, and sometimes people move, sometimes they they upgrade, sometimes they downgrade, sometimes they just have a different need after a while and it changes. And what happens is we get pre-leased merchandise that comes back in, and what do we do? As a you know, a whole, an industry and a whole, we probably do the best job at taking something that's been pre-leased and made it, you know, pre-loved basically, and make it something that you know you can come back in and say, Yeah, I would get that because I'm gonna get a great discount on something that absolutely works, absolutely looks great, and I'm not paying brand new costs for it.

Speaker 10:36

And let's talk about that. So, in this day and age, we all know social media is the thing, right? And you can probably get anything off of Facebook Marketplace, offer up. So, what's the benefit of rent to own again? So you go on social media pages, you're looking for, let's just say a sofa love, and you might find a sofa love that somebody's personally selling for a couple hundred dollars and you get it. But then what happens three days later when something's wrong with that sofa love? You're kind of SOL. It is what it is. But go to a rent to own, even our pre-lease products are covered under service. Why you're renting from us?

Speaker 1 11:08

Man, I'd love to go to OffRub and be like, is there free is there free delivery? Can you can is there a flat rate? You know, talking about social media, Danny, I think this would be a great time to introduce what we have going on right now, guys. Go see us. Look at the website. It's www.theRTOShowpodcast.com. You can go there and get more of our podcasts. You can see our pictures, you can see our videos, kind of interact with us a little bit, send us an email, let us know what you think, let us know how we're doing, and most of all, let us know what you want to talk about, what you want to hear. I can't guarantee that everybody will get uh everything. We're only gonna do this uh probably once a week for a little while, and then we might actually go twice a week, but for now, we're gonna take into what you say and kind of put it in. And if we can do a couple of subjects in the cast, we will because we want to know what you're thinking.

Speaker 11:54

And don't forget, we are also live on Facebook and Instagram. Look us up at the RTO show. That's Facebook and Instagram. Um, there might be a TikTok. We we haven't fully discussed it yet, but I think it's TikToks coming. Pete, not Pete, I'm gonna have Pete doing some crazy stuff. Uh Pete's gonna be dancing. Yes. Be like a dancing monkey.

Speaker 1 12:14

So I heard there's something about a corn challenge that we gotta look at. I don't know anything about what that means. Corn challenge or cornhole challenge? I'll play some cornhole, but I don't know, it's not a cornhole challenge. Oh, it's not a cornhole challenge. No, no, no, it's not a corn hole. But take a look at that. Uh let us know what you guys think. And then back to back to terms, you know, pre-leased is probably the best way to go to save money to make sure that you're getting a quality product because when you come to rent to own, we're gonna guarantee the product one way or another. So whether you rent pre-loved or whether you get a brand new item, either one is gonna be covered with the same warranty, the same service. We're gonna take care of you the free delivery, and then you have the benefit of no credit. What does that mean though? What does no credit mean?

Speaker 12:55

Well, no credit means though no credit reports gonna be run on your social security. What so you don't have to so especially if you're in the process of financing a ha home, a car, whatever that does utilize a credit report on you, you don't need to worry about that. And I've had several customers say, Hey, I'm in the process of a mortgage loan. Don't worry about it. We don't do a credit check. Good and bad thing is it doesn't report to the credit bureau. Any good or default payments doesn't really count against you, against your credit score. It's all internal base of your report and history with that specific store's location.

Speaker 1 13:27

Now that would that might vary state to state and company to company. I do know that there is a company out there, and I won't mention your name until I know for sure, that might count a payout towards your credit, um, but I'm not quite sure. So we'd have to look into that before I say all of them.

Speaker 13:40

I will say I've personally in the 11 years I've I've been here, twice we have helped a customer. I personally was involved in helping a custom customer get approved and qualified for a mortgage loan by just supplying the payout letter that they paid in full some items. I don't know how, I didn't really understand it, but it helped them.

Speaker 1 14:01

Well, when you pay out, you get a you get a letter that says I own it. So it's gonna be a title, a merchandise title, payoff certificate that says you've done your job, you've done everything we can do. This belongs to you. Congratulations. Not only uh do we have those payouts, but you know, when you come into a rent-to-owned store, a location, you have to know it's like a mini home furnishing store. And I know everybody, and anybody can correct me when they see me on the streets, but everybody I know that's been in the business for a long time, their home looks like a mini rent-to-owned, you know, home. When you come in there, like, hey, I know that model, hey, I I know that thing. I I mean I'm the same way. But but this is the thing when you go there, you know, the ability to go into a rent-to-owned store and get everything you need is why we want everybody to know about rent-to-own. Okay, we can walk in there and you can get living room sets. You can get something to put on the wall, something to put on the floor, something to put your lamps on, you know, you got tables, you've got any type of living room group that you can think of. And I know that there's a lot of types out there, but it's not just living room groups. We got bedroom groups, we got washer and dryers, we got computers, we got TVs. I mean, over 10,000 items on the websites. I mean, what what else does that include? What other things are we talking about?

Speaker 15:07

With the exception of a pool pump and a water heater, I really can't think of anything that that's I I've sold a pool pump. Well, and that's another thing, like certain certain companies are so great that they will go for that gold customer that's had been with us forever, 10 plus years, has a report, has a history, has a good credit with the internal company. They'll go and purchase something and allow them to make rental payments on it. I know I've done it for several customers. Pete, you and I have done it. We we bought someone a pool, an above-ground pool, delivered it. Now, of course, it comes with the trademark. Hey, we're not gonna service it because that's not something we don't have pool people on the side that know how to do that.

Speaker 1 15:45

So, but I can't snorkel. I can't but it's been done before, it has been done before. Yeah, and the great thing about it is you know, it's an ever-changing business. So so part of Rent to 0101 is that we were here at one point in time and we're here now, and it's been a gradual every year is something brand new from from early conception. I've been in this since the the year 2000, actually. And I can tell you I'm sorry. I like medical, my boy. I like meds model. Yeah, I got them Jesus slippers on.

Speaker 16:13

But I was in high school guys, freshman.

Speaker 1 16:19

Go ahead. So back then, um you know, it wasn't what it is now. I mean, back then it was a lot of it was like cash payments made. I mean, now it's all over card. Electronically, absolutely. There's an absolute ability to have uh reach out to your rent-owned industry through Facebook, through Instagram, through online. You can you can email them, you can call them directly, you can text most of them and do a rental order over the phone.

Speaker 16:42

You don't even have to leave your house. Websites put it in your cart, and the the store gets the information and they'll just contact you for a delivery time. And even that, it could be email, text message. The beauty of this business, and Pete, please tell me because you from back in the day, and you know, I'm a little grassrooted too. So, this business is built on rapport and relationship. So, when you come into a store, when you call, you're gonna talk to the same people for a while. It's not any other retail where I meet Joe and I'm never gonna see Joe again. You come, you Danny or Pete sells you something. Danny and Pete is who you're gonna call when something goes wrong with it. Danny and Pete, you call if you're coming on to a financial hardship and you need an extension. Is Danny and Pete when you call when you want an additional item? Is Danny and Pete who's gonna help you with your payout and help you manage your account to reach ownership? And the beauty of it is well, is as we are evolving in this era of digital technology, you can keep that same report and it's all gonna be through electronic. It could be text message, email, but you're gonna be emailing texting the same individual. You might not meet that person to six months down the road because that's how we're doing, and then you you get that, oh, now I have a face with who I'm texting, emailing, but that same individual is there because it's all about longevity and building relationships. One thing I I fell in love with this industry is the community involvement.

Speaker 1 17:57

We are actually doing a lot of that where we're at right now, and we want to do sponsorships, we want to make sure that we're a part of the community. Listen, rent to own 101 is to let you know that we are not the boogeyman. There are so many things that are being said about rent owned, and listen, there's there's a downside to everything. I won't tell you that nothing's perfect, nobody's perfect. Rent town 101, we're gonna tell you that you're probably gonna pay higher than a retail value for that system, whatever it is, whether it be a gaming system, whether it be a TV, whether it be a living room set, but that premium comes at a value. Now, value isn't always the cheapest amount, value is what am I getting from my dollar? And when you come in and you pay a little bit more, you're gonna get a whole lot more for it. You know, you have the ability to rent something, and in the first 90 days, if you don't like it, you switch it out for something else. There's a possibility that it won't change any payments on you. You can you can upgrade, you can downgrade, you can keep your account open by doing just about anything. There's actually a lot of programs out there right now that will allow you to pay on it continuously for an extra $80 to $100 and cover your merchandise for in a complete one year afterwards on top of benefits on top of that. I mean, how many times do you go to Walmart and you buy something? They're like, Hey, do you want this? And you're like, nah, I don't want to pay a dollar fifty for an extra six months on my, you know, my 16-inch oscillating fan. But do you want that on a living room set? Do you want that on your washer and dryer? Do you want that service where you can just call somebody up and not sit on the line for an hour and a half waiting for somebody for your refrigerator, for your stove, for your TV, for your game system, for your kids? Those are things that you, you know, you take for granted. But that's the value in rental owning. Remember, value is not based on dollars. Value is based on what you get for that dollar. Even the rental dollar amount alone is enough to cover what you get as far as delivery, service, no credit, multiple payment option flexibility, the ability to have a same as cash where you're just paying retail and you still get those amounts and those absolutely wonderful benefits, whether you pay off in the same as cash amount or whether you pay off in the EPO amount, which is the early purchase option amount, or whether you go the full term. They don't take it away from you because you've paid less. It's actually a rewarding for you and them when you pay off early. Get your product. It's fine. And then they're gonna turn around and they're gonna tell you something else that you need. Hopefully.

Speaker 19:58

And just touching back based on the community involvement, a lot of the rental and industry companies do more than just donate checks, which I know is a valuable cause. But when I say involvement, I mean true involvement. I mean we're going to little league games, providing hot dogs and sodas. I mean we're sponsoring schools, going to the schools, get passing out gift cards, supplying needs for teachers, anything you could think of. We're there, we're in the same communities as you are. You go to your local rental own store, and I bet you that store manager, that regional manager, somebody in that company is somehow involved in your personal community. And they're we're holding block parties, we're holding pool parties and apartment complexes. We're just giving back all the time saying thank you. I don't I don't know when was the last time a big box retail company, besides donate a check, really said, Hey, let me thank you. But that that's what makes rental own unique and special, is it is truly beneficial for almost anybody and everybody, whether good credit, bad credit, no credit, it doesn't matter. You pay a little bit more sometimes, but the value is behind, like Pete said, is you get a lot more bang for your buck. We have no we have free delivery, so you pay cheaper, but they get you with that delivery charge. I I just saw a funny meme the other day about Amazon where you might see an item for a good deal, like ten dollars, but then the shipping is $9.99, and you say no, I'm not doing that, but then you'll the next day you'll find that same item for $20, but it says free delivery. Oh, yeah, let's check that out on the card.

Speaker 1 21:27

It's all inclusive.

Speaker 21:29

So, I mean, it's all about perspective, but rent to own is definitely not the bad guy. We've helped thousands of customers, possibly millions of customers. Um, in the I know it's in the millions in the past decades, reach ownership and live a comfortable lifestyle. And everybody wants nice things, everybody wants a couch, a bed, a TV.

Speaker 1 21:50

Dude, rent to own is the easiest way to walk in and get the quality names, the quality furniture that you need at a reasonable price, and a way to get it and to get it today. There really isn't a Long waiting period, and if you have one, it's because the guys are behind the counter are probably doing a great job and they're trying to take care of all the people that have come in before you. Nobody wants to not take care of you. I'm telling you, when you go into rent home, they're looking to take care of you, take care of your family. They get referral bonuses. You come in and you refer somebody, you're gonna get a bonus for somebody coming in with your name on it, and that's what it's all about. It's about taking care of the community and taking care of you and your family and making sure that you have the best thing and everything that you really need. Not only that, I mean, when you look at rent to own, everybody there is somebody in your community. It's not somebody that's foreign. These guys you can see, you know, shopping with your family out in the out in the real world, these are real people that you can see with and they understand real problem. You know, that's what it's all about is getting down to the root of what's going on. And we love America. I love it here, and I'm glad that we're in this institution. I'm I'm glad that I'm part of rent to own, and I'm I'm probably gonna say this till you know next year when I retire. Because Danny says I'm old.

Speaker 22:49

Um, just looking at the facts, ten years ago, the industry was at 4.8 million customers, and that's 10 years ago. I'm sure right there believe we're out almost up to nine million customers to this date, and that just shows that there is a benefit, there is a service, there's a quality that we're providing. I encourage anybody to give us a real shot. If you have any questions, let us know. Email us, text us, call us, your local establishments, and ask questions. And there's no secrets, there's no hidden fine print. I promise you, everything is upfront, disclosed with you, discussed with you exactly dollar for dollar where everything is going, why it goes there, what's the benefit of that as well.

Speaker 1 23:32

So I got a question here. What brought Danny into Rent Home?

Speaker 23:36

That is a great question, Pete. So for me, I remember I was working at Walmart. I was an overnight support manager. And uh I feel like we're bashing them all of a sudden. No, no, we're not bashing Walmart.

Speaker 1 23:49

We're not bashing Walmart. But I was Or they're lawyers.

Speaker 23:52

I was I was I was working their overnight support manager. I was there for about four or five years, and I was stuck overnights for about two years. And anybody who's worked overnights, it's one of those you're either built for or you're not. And I was not built for overnights. So I couldn't get off the night shift until a day shift position. I was overlooked a couple times on promotions, a lot of politics involved. We had a store manager transition, new transmission to new GM. Really didn't want to promote anybody until he was established for another year. So I actually had a brother-in-law working in this industry, and he reached out to me and said he has a spot for me. Of course, I was gonna have to take a big pay cut from what I was making then to entry level as an account manager, but I was just so done with overnights and the sleep and lack of involvement with the family, so I jumped shit. I'm gonna be honest, it I didn't think I was gonna be here this long. And when I speak to a lot of people, they always they kind of agree with me. I want to say about 85% of people agree when they gum into this industry, it's always a short-term fix. Like I'm gonna, it's a job, and the next thing you know, they fall in love with it, and now they're here long term. That's what happened with me. I fell in love with the industry, moved my way up, and I I can't see myself doing anything else. What about you, Pete Shaw?

Speaker 1 24:56

That was a long time ago. I was chiseling my resume into a rock one day. No, so what happened was I was working at a bank and uh I was I was in a tower line, I was working at the bank, I was in college, and this guy comes in and he came in every day to do his deposit like we all do. And uh, you know, he was doing he was doing what I have tried to train a lot of my guys to do is just keep an eye out for somebody that you really like, right? So he's telling me, he's like, Listen, man, I like the way you handle things, I like the way um you handle yourself. Listen, I you know, I'd like to give you a business card and and you know, I'd like you to work for me. And I was like, Well, what do you do? And he's like, uh, I'm I'm working at Rena Center, uh, or the affiliate at Rena Center. Actually, we bought Rena Center, it was a renter's choice at the time. And he's like, I want you to work for us. And I was like, dude, I've never heard of that. I have no idea what you're talking about. He's like, just come in, take a look. I went and I did the same thing. I didn't expect to be there for a long time. I really had no going on. Uh, the pay was better than what I was making because tellers at the time made absolute nada. And so uh I went over and I saw the same thing. I'm I'm not really gonna be here for a long time. This is just a transition to do what I want to do. Once I finish some college classes, I'm out, and that never happened. That never happened.

Speaker 25:58

Second question, follow-up question for Pete, because I haven't experienced I haven't experienced this yet, but you have, and you already said it. You left the industry, you left, and this happens quite often. I know a lot of people that this can be a stressful environment. There's a lot of quotas we have to meet, deadlines, numbers. It can be a stressful situation on the employee side. But what I've found more often is the people that lead that take a quote unquote break end up coming back.

Speaker 1 26:23

Well, it's it's like a magnet, man. It's like a it's like a magnet because we do so much in Rentone. You know, we have the one-on-one as salespeople, we have the ability to do different sides of the ball game, and when you learn all that and you realize that you know there is a payday that comes with that, because you know, you really you really want to get all your experience and put it together and put it to good use. And sometimes you get those jobs out there that are just like this is what you do. You only do this, you'll only be like this. You sit behind his desk.

Speaker 26:51

Every day is different in this business.

Speaker 1 26:53

Yeah, it's it this is an adventure, and I got tired of sitting behind a desk. And and you know what? I I I have come back and I haven't left for a while.

Speaker 26:59

That's true. Uh combined 29 years between me and you, and I think we both agree, and it's amazing how different companies, different time frames in our lives, and we can agree that every day is different.

Speaker 1 27:11

Every day in Rent Own is an adventure. I'm glad that you guys have been here with us and talking to us about this. And listen, everything that we do, we're gonna try to do in jest and fun, but with knowledge, and let you guys know that we love this industry and we just want you to be a part of it. Right now, we don't want you to forget to follow us on Instagram and Facebook. And Facebook.

Speaker 27:27

Go check out our website. What's the website?

Speaker 1 27:30

www.therto showpodcast.com.

Speaker 27:34

We are streaming on Spotify, other streaming devices of our podcast.

Speaker 1 27:39

Come take a look, and you guys will see that we are in a we're we're in like 10 of them. I don't even know the name of. I'm not even we we are everywhere, and I want you guys to you know go on a website, you can see what things that we've done, uh, things that we want to be a part of. We do have the FDRA show coming up in a couple weeks. We're not there yet, but we do plan on seeing a lot of you there, um, kind of shaking your hand and getting a little bit of insight from you and what you guys think and what's going on in the industry. So if there's anything between now and then that you guys want to talk about or want to hear about between now and then, please send us, reach out to us or uh send us a message on Facebook or or Instagram.

Speaker 28:10

Next episode, we're gonna be discussing our recent trip to Indiana, RTO World, Apro. It was a lot of fun, a lot of classes, a lot of learning, a lot of teaching, a lot of drinking, a lot of drinking for some people. And so that's what our next episode is gonna be about. So tune in. Um our shows are gonna be posting on Mondays, so be on the lookout. Facebook, Instagram, website, check us out, hit us up, let us know. This is Danny and P at the RTO show.