My wife and I are shopping for a few pieces of new upholstered furniture (loveseat, chairs, ottoman). The “sales” that the furniture stores put on seem to be bait and switch (floor models are marked down, but anything to be ordered is much higher). We will likely have to order our pieces and are suffering some sticker shock.
My question is: Does anyone have a sense for how much negotiating room there is with furniture dealers? Any suggestions for an approach?
Thanks in advance.
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Replies
This is just some food for thought. I don't know how much room furniture dealers have in their mark-up. In floor covering, the manufacturer would often offer discounts to distributors, which was passed on to the retailer. If your brand is well known, you might check the manufacturer's website to see if they mention anything about rebates, etc.
If you have a brand in mind, you might ask if and when that time would come. If you develop a good relationship with a sales person, they might just give you a head's up. Also, if you select your package, be upfront and tell them that the price is a bit more than you have in your budget and ask if they can offer a discount on the package. One other option is to ask if they offer a cash discount. Credit card companies charge x%, so they could possibly reduce the price knowing that would not be a factor.
I would encourage purchasing local due to any forthcoming service issues. If you were to order something direct, beware of F.O.B. which means you pay the freight from the dock. Also, some neighborhoods won't allow heavy trucks and some truckers are accustomed to being offloaded at a warehouse so they don't have the means or manpower to unload and carry in your material. Plus, what is the recourse if it arrives damaged, etc.?
One last idea is a home furnishing relating buying club. I think ProSource might be one, though I don't know what they offer or how the prices compare. Large chains often get discounts based on volume, so that could offer some savings. Good luck to you in your shopping and I hope you can find something you love that will be more in keeping with what you want to spend. P.S. Please do share any successful techniques.
Beware those companies offering big sales with low or no interest. Once followed-up on sofa previously identified as "wanted" and had the money to purchase. Big sale, so I go running to store....only, the sofa had been marked up. Cost more at the sale than it had been the previous week. Upon inquiry, how else was the store to cover advertising, interest rates, etc. Price of sofa was not negotiable...did not purchase!
Thank you, Sadie. I learned something else new from you! It will be a while before we'll be furniture shopping. The only thing that needs replacing is the loveseat and chair in the den and we have an older dog who likes to "dig a nest" to curl up in. We hope to have him a long time yet, so we'll keep it covered for now and not fret.
I would have passed on that sofa too! Something sounds fishy about that store. As for advertising, most major manufacturer's offer co-op adverstising funds and special temporary price breaks on their big sale or two a year, so that should not cause such an increase. I'll be wary and do my homework when I do get to shop. Thanks for sharing! I hope other people check this tread if considering buying new furniture as there is a lot of good points to consider here.
"Dog likes to nest"...sounds familiar. Unfortunately, nesting days on 30+ yr leather sofa coming to an end here. Our sofa will not make the move! Let's just hope the next sofa last half as long. By then it really will not matter to me much.
Someone mentioned N.C. wholesalers; had planned a trip there in few months; just not sure where is the best place. See new thread on this subject. Hopefully there will be some input for us.
Many years ago my ex got great deals by ordering from wholesalers in NC. They hired drivers to deliver it. We were always happy with the products and service. Much less than the furniture stores even when on sale. Wish I still knew the company...anyone?
Beware of a dealer that negotiates prices like a car dealer. Most furniture stores work on a certain percentage of markup. When they have sales that are truly a discount it's for items that are either discounted from the manufacturer or items they really need to move out.
The reason most special order is more than store stock is the freight and or price increase from the Manufacturer, remember the store stock was purchased some time ago, maybe as much as a yr and in quantity.
Really well made upholstery is Expensive, and well made sofas last a long time, maybe as much as 20 yrs or more. I recommend using a local dealer and one that stands behind the products they sell.
Thanks Earl. We've come to exactly the same conclusions. Some of early dealers we talked to were coming on hard and fast and we backed off. We have since found a few local shops that are nice to work with and we are confident we will find something that is fairly priced. We're willing to pay a bit of a premium for the service and design help we are getting and for good quality furniture. My original post was in response to the "car dealer" arena we originally found ourselves in. Fortunately, we've made it past that.Thanks again.
RickGreg,
I'm glad you found a workable solution and hope you find exactly what you want. Confidence in your furniture dealer is well worth a little extra to me too. That makes all the difference in the world.
On the price issue, I noticed a commercial on local TV, I think it was Gerdt Furniture, who was offering a FlexSteel sale. They had 30% off regular and upgrade fabric, plus either 3 years no interest or 15% off up front.
The previous person was correct in trying to move out aged inventory purchased at a lower price, and shipped at lower gas prices, most likely. And I like the car dealer mentality illustration. If they came crawling back without a manufacturer sale, they could have done better up front.
I was also pleasantly surprised to hear the good experience one person reported ordering from NC. I wondered how that would work and had doubts. I would feel better about that myself in the future. I learned lots here. Thank you for the opportunity! Have fun and enjoy your new furniture when it arrives.
I've gotten around the furniture negotiating situation by doing research on the pieces I want before I start the negotiation process. If you know the manufacturer and style of the pieces you want, get on the internet and see what you can find. If you find it cheaper online you can go to your local retailer and show them the price you found. Another option is to go straight to the manufacturer if possible. I found a dining room table years ago that I just could not live without. I found myself going to the store each week to look at it. The price was astronomical. I got the name of the manufacturer and style selection. I went home, logged onto the net and found the manufacturer in North Carolina. I was able to get the furniture delivered to me from NC cheaper than what it was going to cost to have it delivered from a local retailer.