Find 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 below tips in combination and you will know the secret to hunt 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 thereof before the season starts e.g. Beds, stoves and heaters before winter, dining room sets before Xmas, 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. Headboard, bed sets, 2 divisional couches, etc.

 

 

 

 

These trends are usually the same among the different shops in the industry. Use this information now to start comparing the specials of the different shops to 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 a 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 that you need plus applying patience is the key and most important ingredient needed to find real furniture specials. Consider the below 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 your 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 the discount that will leave you with some extra cash (and a personalized 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 Xmas time. Search the website of these furniture stores that you consider buying from to determine which periods they prefer to 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 found what you were looking for). Specials during these times are usually covering 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 are dreadful times for furniture shops with regards to sales because of consumers that 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 end January they usually worked through their stock lists and that is a perfect time for you to search and hunt for that furniture special you need. Lots of discounted items are then loaded on websites and displayed in walk-in and online stores. Remember to get that sales assistant that needs to achieve a target to hunt down a special for you (they have access to the systems and discount lists).

 

– Overpriced items might not sell and be offered at discount prices: Furniture takes longer to sell than clothing and technology. People need to budget for furniture, unlike a nice hat that you (just) add when you buy clothing.

 

3. Know your prices

 

You have to study prices and therefore you should be able to see an overpriced item easily. Wait patiently, it might be available in a couple of months or weeks at a discounted price. Why? The system of the retailer will flag the item as a bad seller and reduce the price to get the money back and invest in different stock.

 

If the available stock number is still high after a couple of months you know that the retailer made a mistake on this item. The quality might not be perfect in comparison to the price or the colour combination is not popular, 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 as well as 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 advance of upcoming furniture specials. Take the time to visit one-day-only deal sites and set alarms on these sites on the specific products that you are interested in.

 

This will ensure that they only send you furniture deals that might interest you (and don’t get spammed). Remember that you have that you only have that specific day to react and make use of the deal and 50% of the time the biggest bargains sell within the first hour. Register on many of these sites as you can – this will give you a bigger 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. Transport (shipping) of furniture is not offered by price-competitive courier companies and might be your key to turn deals into furniture special. Always include transport costs into the calculations when comparing deals. Even this cost might be negotiable (especially with the smaller independent shops) and especially in the quiet periods of the month (outside of 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 if you transport more than one item on a time, due to the high cost of each trip. In quiet times of the months (outside of month-end trade), you will be able to negotiate and get a discount on your transport!

 

6. Find furniture specials in the warehouse, end of range and display stock

 

Big retailers encounter all sorts of challenges with aging stock, displayed stock, returned stock, wrong purchases, and more. Furniture is bulky and difficult to handle. Moving stock to branches where a specific range does sell fast is not that easy at all and is rather time-consuming, expensive, and not part of the normal distribution schedule. It is here where the great opportunities for you to find great furniture specials lies.

 

Display items are not used items. It stood on the shop floor and was viewed and touched by customers. If items like headboards were displayed behind a dressing table, pedestals and a bed, there is always a chance that no customer touched it at all.

 

90% of shoppers demand new items and refuse to buy or receive the display item. Most retailers do offer discounts on displayed stock due to this reason. A displayed item indicates to you the durability of the item and possible marks that might occur and should be prevented.

 

Use this in your advance and rather request a discount on the displayed items and keep the above-mentioned points that 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 through stock lists for that item that you want. With a bit of luck, there might be a last one or two left in the warehouse and it might be marked as aged stock at a massive saving.

 

7. End of range/last of our best sellers

 

Ranges end because of various reasons such as non-supply of certain material, changes made by suppliers of the manufacturers, new fashionable colour, consumer needs that change suddenly (like 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) on.

 

 

 

Problems like a handle that is missing, set incomplete, bolts and nuts that are missing or even a broken mirror. Use these problems in your favour! Maybe you can replace the handle, bolts, nuts, or mirror or have less space and the incomplete set can fit in better! You will be able to find all these missing pieces at one of your local hardware stores at a fraction of the discount that you received. This is yet another example where you can get more for less.

 

8. Black Friday

 

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Do not forget about events like black-Friday and birth-day sales! Price knowledge is key if you want to use these events to ensure that you strike a bargain. Furniture can be misleading – compare measurements, quality of material, the thickness of the wood, self-assembly, etc. and don’t forget about the transport (shipment) fee that is a big cost component at furniture. Apply the above tips and tricks and you will furnish your house with desired furniture at a fraction of the price. Bargains are out there, get yourself ready and go and hunt it down.