Saturday, 03 October 2009

• Suggestions For Furniture Shopping

  
  

  I know how frustrating it can be to have to deal with salespeople, you never know if they are telling you the truth or lying to you in order to make the sale.  Then there is the added stress of not knowing much about furniture other than what looks good to you, so you are forced to accept the word of someone else.  Then there is the problem of misinformation on the internet.  When several sites tell you the exact opposite thing, it makes doing quick research very frustrating.  Well here are some suggestions from someone who was in the industry for 5 years; I saw a lot of mistakes made by consumers that could have easily been avoided.

  Shopping

            -Measure the space that you have to work with, and bring the dimensions with you, it doesn’t pay to waste your time or the sales associates time by looking at a furniture piece only to figure out later that in no way would it fit in your space.

           -Shop early, too often people come in on a Friday night and expect to have their furniture by Sunday when they are entertaining company.  Your options are going to be severely limited because the furniture industry has a long lag time, often taking weeks if not months for some items to become available.  A lot of furniture companies don’t keep extensive stock due to the space requirements.  Do you want the piece you love, or what was left?

          -Use the sales associates, if you are looking for a specific style of furniture, they will be able to direct you to them.  Why waste your time wandering around the store trying to figure out if they even carry it when a simple question will get you where you want to be. 
  

         -Want space?, let the sales associate know that, and preferably a timeframe before you want them to talk to you again.  The sales associates play a guessing game of how much attention a customer wants, they don’t want to ignore you, and they don’t want to hover over you either.  If you want to look for 15 minutes before being approached, let them know that, they don’t want to make you angry.  If after 10 minutes you want attention, seek out the sales associate.  Don’t get angry with them for giving you the space you asked for.  I have seen plenty of people storm out because they felt “ignored” because they failed to attempt to get anybody’s attention.

            -Barter?  Not sure if the furniture store is in the business of negotiating price?  Ask friends/family members, other customers, the sales associates, they can all tell you what is expected when it comes time for talking price

            -Comfort.  I always laugh when I see a couple looking at a mattress set and I don’t see them lay down, instead they put pressure on it with their hands to test the springs.  The best way to try out any furniture is to sit/lay on it the same way you would if you were at home.   It is the only way to test if it will be comfortable for you or not.  If you lay down on your couch, lay down on the floor model.  If you prefer soft squishy couches, tell the associate that, they normally sit on each floor model when it arrives at the store, they can point out ones that match your comfort zone and divert you from the rock hard sofas.

           -Quality.  If you are choosing between two sofas, and one is triple the price of the other, there is most likely a reason, and it probably has something to do with quality.  A 200 dollar sofa isn’t going to last long, because chances are it is mostly particle board with the cheapest foam padding available which undoubtedly will be flat within a month.  If the sales associate can’t provide you with details of the construction, that is cause for concern.  Ask the associate which brand is better, they won’t talk down about one brand, but they will promote one as being better.  Sales associates love you when you are buying, but after the purchase, they don’t want to see you until you need to shop again, dealing with issues with past orders due to quality problems isn’t fun for them.

       -Brand.  Undoubtedly they will carry several brands, and some will be better than others.  Name Brands will carry a price tag, in the furniture industry that is primarily due to the quality and dependability of their products.  Ask the associate if they have any of the company’s furniture in their residence (the employee discounts are amazing), they will always be able to make a more informed decision than you will about the quality, take note of which brand it is.

   

  Purchasing

           -Financing.  Review the financing terms, financing is the same as getting a loan from a bank, it will involve a credit check, and it will affect your credit score.  Get the details.

           -Floor Models. Ask if there is a display model that is in good condition for a reduced price.  Most of the companies utilize showrooms, if they notice something is wrong with their display model, they will replace it. 

           -Add-Ons.  Their will undoubtedly be some form of add-on that the salesperson will offer, and most likely if they are commission based they are rewarded for selling it, this is where critical thinking comes into play.  Are you really going to use the extended service?  Are you going to apply the creams and polishes on a regular basis enough to satisfy the warranty?  If they offer a spray protection, chances are they offer a demonstration, watch it.  It might be worth it if your furniture will be used heavily around things that stain (if you eat on your sofa or have kids, seriously consider it).  But if it is going in a spare bedroom that you might walk into once every few days, and isn’t getting much use, it probably won’t be worth the cost.

            -Price adjustments. It doesn’t hurt to ask for a better price.  You might not get one, but it doesn’t hurt to ask.

            -Delivery.   Some places offer free delivery, others do not.  When deciding whether you should get it delivered, you should consider what you need.  If you have sufficient means of transporting your merchandise safely, consider picking it up at the store or warehouse.  That should include considerations of vehicle size, ease of transport, protection against damages, assistance in carrying it into your residence, assembly, and disposal of unwanted old furniture.  All of these might be covered by a delivery charge, which might be worth it if those things are not accessible to you.

          -Inspection.  Look over your furniture to make sure you are satisfied with it, do it in front of the company representative.  If you aren’t satisfied, refuse it.  If there is some minor damage, they might offer to reduce the price to match the condition of the merchandise.  Ask them if they can repair any damages that are found, most showrooms encounter problems, there is generally someone on staff that knows how to repair it.

  
  

  Do you have any furniture shopping tips?
  

   

   

  • 11:09 PM
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