DEAR JILL: Can you help me save on furniture? I found a sectional sofa that I like, but the furniture store will not tell me who the manufacturer is. I would like to comparison shop, but I feel they are intentionally making this difficult. — Julie Y.
Our family recently went through the furniture-purchasing process, both to replace our living room set and to purchase an outdoor couch to relax on during these long summer days — so I have some thoughts on the entire process that I’m happy to share.
Unless you are shopping at a retailer that openly advertises the brands of the home furnishings they sell, it can be difficult to determine what company made the furniture.
I’m a researcher by nature, so I like to go to the store, see things in person and try them out. Then I’ll go home and read reviews to see what others’ experiences have been with frame, fabric and cushion wear. When we went shopping for new couches, we were drawn to a very comfortable couch that the entire family liked. However, the sales representative would only tell us that it was American-made, but not who the manufacturer was. The name of the model we were looking at was “Oscar,” which also wasn’t helpful, as many retailers rename their furniture lines to make comparison shopping difficult. (More on that in a moment.) In an act of frustration, I took the cushion off the couch and spotted a manufacturer’s label. I took a photo of it, and then I had the information I needed to begin researching the brand.
One of the reasons stores use this practice is to fight “showrooming,” which is when shoppers visit a store in person, then buy the same item for a lower price online. I did plan to purchase the couches locally, but I also like to be an informed consumer — especially when buying from a brand that is new to me.
That said, there are other ways to find out who made a furniture item so that you can comparison shop. Take note of the description of the furniture item that your store is using. While retailers may change the model name, they often keep the rest of the description the same. Use an internet search engine to search the exact, word-for-word description, and you may just find a list of results that not only lead you to the manufacturer but also show you other retailers selling the same item under other names. This is extremely helpful when you’ve already decided you want an item and have moved to the seeking-out-the-best-price phase.
While looking at outdoor furniture, I liked an outdoor couch that pulled out into a daybed. I wasn’t sure who the manufacturer was, so I searched this term from the product’s description: “Acacia Wood Outdoor Extendable Daybed Sofa.” (In fact, you can search this term, too, and see exactly what I saw!)
I found results that led me to the manufacturer, but I also saw multiple different names for this same model of outdoor sofa on the various stores’ websites — “Long Beach,” “Camille Beach,” “Dune Beach,” to name a few. Nearly every major retailer had a different name for this same sofa, even though they were all identical — right down to the color of the outdoor cushions!
With many retailers also offering free shipping, I began solely shopping on price. A well-known home improvement retailer had the couch listed for $349, but I saw other online retailers with it priced as high as $715. It was quite eye-opening to see the range of prices being offered by different stores, so it is worth doing some comparison shopping. Why pay twice the price if you don’t have to?
That said, do make sure you are purchasing from a reputable retailer. Because I bought mine via a local home improvement store’s website, had anything been wrong with my couch, I would have been able to return it to my local store.
Next week, I’ll share some caveats about shopping for large items online from unfamiliar websites.
"furniture" - Google News
August 05, 2021 at 11:00AM
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Jill Cataldo: Save money furniture shopping by seeking out manufacturer's name - Huntington Herald Dispatch
"furniture" - Google News
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