Furniture Specials
Do you want to know a couple of secret tips to find great furniture specials? Understanding how furniture retailers think and operate, you will be able to save some big bucks. You will learn how to read the month-end catalogues, when to hunt for furniture specials, and many more tips in this article on how to track down those furniture specials.
All of us want to get value for our money and pay less for things. Understanding the less-obvious and the timing thereof will make you a deal-sneaker of furniture specials in no time. Using the sales agents, buying when nobody seems to have money, and knowing when retailers are desperate to hit their sales targets are just some of the secrets that we will discuss and reveal.
Use the tips below in combination, and you will know the secret to hunting down real furniture specials. Bargains are waiting to be found. Follow these steps:
1. Month-end catalogues
How to find the real furniture specials in those month-end catalogues. Like clothing, furniture is seasonal. 60% of retailers advertise specials and new ranges before the season starts, e.g., Beds, stoves and heaters before winter, dining room sets before Christmas, etc. By simply studying the catalogue of one furniture retailer, you will understand what category(s) of furniture they are running specials on at any specific time, e.g., headboards, bed sets, 2 divisional couches, etc.
These trends are usually the same among the different shops in the industry. Use this information now to compare the specials from different shops and find what you are looking for at a discounted price. (It might mean that you will have to wait until the end of or the beginning of the next season to get a good deal.
Hold on to these catalogues to compare the prices of the “sale” items later in the season to ensure that the piece of furniture is a bargain. But try to remember: “A bargain ain’t a bargain unless it’s something you need.” Sidney Carroll
2. Timing is the name of the game!
Have a list of the furniture you need, and patience is the key and the most important ingredient needed to find real furniture specials. Consider the following pointers when timing your purchase:
– Get the sales team on your side: Beyond all the novel promotions and hype are sales staff and marketing teams that need to meet their monthly and daily sales targets. They get worried (just) before the next pay-day rush (usually around the 22nd and 23rd of the month), and an ambitious sales manager might, in all instances, try to hook you into a sale with a great discount. The above-mentioned time is always a slower time of the month, and it will be easier to bargain and get a discount that leaves you with some extra cash (and a personalised furniture special).
– Determine the annual discount patterns: Most retailers run sales and discounts on the “man-made” yearly events like Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Black Friday, etc. and again just before periods with more holidays, like Easter and Christmas. Search the website of these furniture stores that you consider buying from to determine which periods they usually run their furniture specials. Like their Facebook, Instagram, and other social media platforms and subscribe to their newsletters and be sure to hear from them! (You can always unsubscribe when you find what you were looking for. Specials during these times usually cover discounts on a wider range of items (but carefully check the “end date” of the sale).
– Buy when nobody seems to have money: Each January until April is a dreadful time for furniture shops with regards to sales because of consumers who overspend during festive times, schools re-opened (with the cost of school-clothing, stationery, books for parents), etc. During this period, retailers try to get rid of excess stock before the financial year-end (by offering discounts). From mid to late January, they usually work through their stock lists, which is a perfect time for you to search for and hunt down the furniture special you need. Many discounted items are then loaded onto websites and displayed in walk-in and online stores. Remember to have that sales assistant who needs to hit a target hunt down a special for you (they have access to the systems and discount lists).
– Overpriced items usually do not sell. These items will then get discount prices in order to sell: Furniture takes longer to sell than clothing and technology. People need to budget for furniture, unlike a nice hat that you wear. Add when you buy clothing.
3. Know your prices
You have to study prices, so you should be able to spot an overpriced item easily. Wait patiently; it might be available in a couple of weeks or months at a discounted price. Why? The retailer’s system will flag the item as a bad seller, reduce the price to recoup the money, and invest in different stock.
If the available stock number remains high after a couple of months, you know the retailer made a mistake with this item. The quality might not be perfect, or the colour combination might be too modern, etc. You like it, and this might be your chance to negotiate a deal.
Use the online web assistant, walk-in store sales assistant, e-mail or any means and negotiate a good discount! Exploit the situation and create furniture specials for yourself. Retailers (especially smaller independent shops) will always try to get rid of overpriced, slow-moving stock.
4. One-day-only deal sites may surprise you
Engage in visiting walk-in stores and websites to get what you want at the lowest possible price. This will ensure that you know the market price of the items that you are interested in and can take advantage of upcoming furniture specials. Take the time to visit one-day-only deal sites and set alarms for the specific products you are interested in.
This will ensure they only send you furniture deals that might interest you (and you won’t get spammed). Remember that you only have that specific day to react. Take advantage of the deal, and remember that the biggest bargains sell out first. Register on many of these sites as you can – this will give you a wider variety to choose from.
A one-day deal is like an auction. Set an “acceptable price range” that you are willing to pay in advance so that you don’t get caught up in an adrenaline rush and pay too much. “If you let your emotions get high, your bargaining power will be low. Make sure you don’t negotiate from a position of need when making a deal.” Sharon Lechter
5. Expensive furniture transport might be the card to play to get that extra discount
The transport of furniture is expensive. The transport cost of furniture is sometimes expensive because it takes more than one person to handle it. Always include transport costs in the calculations when comparing deals. Even this cost might be negotiable (especially with smaller independent shops) and especially during the quieter periods of the month (outside month-end periods).
Most furniture retailers charge per load, not per item, meaning you can fill up the truck without paying extra. If you pay a bit more for one item, you could be better off financially by transporting more than one item at a time. Every trip is charged separately. In quiet times of the month (outside month-end trade), you can negotiate and get a discount on your transport!
6. Find furniture specials in the warehouse, end-of-range and display stock
Big retailers face a range of challenges with ageing stock, displayed stock, returned stock, incorrect purchases, and more. Furniture is bulky and difficult to handle. It is here that the great opportunities to find furniture specials lie.
Display items were not in anyone’s house; they were just on the shop floor. It was displayed on the shop floor, viewed and touched by customers, but not used by anyone. If items like headboards were displayed behind a dressing table, on pedestals, and in a bed, there is always a chance that no customer touched them at all.
Most retailers display items, but most customers refuse to buy or accept the displayed item. Most retailers offer discounts on displayed stock for this reason. An item on display indicates the durability of the item and what marks might occur. Use this to prevent it in your own house.
Use this in advance, and, rather than requesting a discount on the displayed items, keep the points we discussed earlier in mind. Another creative way to create your furniture specials is to search through warehouse stock. Use the online assistant or a friendly sales agent to search stock lists for the item you want. With a bit of luck, there might be a last one or two left in the warehouse. These items will be marked as aged stock and usually at a saving.
7. End of range/last of our best sellers
Ranges end for various reasons, such as a lack of certain materials, changes by suppliers or manufacturers, new fashionable colours, consumer needs that change suddenly (such as during the COVID epidemic), and more. There is usually one or two sets or pieces left of the best sellers. Usually, because these last two do have a problem(s).
Problems like a missing handle, an incomplete set, missing bolts and nuts, or even a broken mirror. Use these problems to your advantage! Maybe you can replace the handle or mirror, and the incomplete set can fit in your available space! You will be able to find it at one of your local hardware stores. This is yet another example where you can get more for less.
8. Black Friday
+Do not forget about events like Black Friday and birthday sales! Price knowledge is key if you want to use these events to strike a bargain. Compare measurements, quality of materials, wood thickness, self-assembly, etc., and the transport (shipment) fee when comparing furniture. Apply the above tips and tricks, and furnish your house at a fraction of the price. Bargains are out there; get yourself ready and go and hunt them down.