Renting a Porta Potty During the Eclipse? It’ll Cost You

Five Salem-area porta-john companies contacted by WW say they’re out of stock. Good luck out there.

Porta-potties on South Beach, Florida. (Phillip Pessar/Flickr)
By Jessica Pollard

$650.

That's the current cost of a one-week rental of a portable toilet from Honey Bucket—a 364 percent increase from the typical $140 price tag.

Why the spike? You guessed it: eclipse fever.

Five Salem-area porta-john companies contacted by WW say they're out of stock as profiteers turn fields into eclipse-viewing grounds; only Honey Bucket has anything left, and that's because the company shipped in porta potties from its locations in Utah, California and Washington to meet demand.

Meanwhile, a hotel room in Lincoln City this weekend starts at $999, and the cheapest one-day car rental in Portland is $1,300. (It's typically $11.) Good luck out there.

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