Five Benefits of Shopping for Furniture Locally
Imagine: with just a click of a button, you’ve bought your dream sectional couch for your dream living room in your dream home. The couch finally arrives at your front door, you have it installed, and then…you realize it’s worn and ripped in several places. Great, you think. Now you have to get it repackaged and shipped back out, contact customer service, and attempt to get a replacement or refund. All of a sudden, this time and effort just doesn’t feel worth a silly couch in your home, and you feel like your vision is ruined.
The Easy Solution? Shop in Person and Shop Local
In today’s world, the average consumer makes many purchases online, but how many of those purchases — particularly furniture — are actually reliable? After all, while online allows you to order and select from the comfort of your pajamas and bed, you aren’t speaking with experts who can elevate your shopping experience and help you out with design options. You’re unable to test out that gorgeous sectional couch to make sure it’s plush enough to comfort you after a long day. You’re facing higher shipping costs and being potentially misled by customer reviews. Plus, you’re less likely to find unique pieces and accessories that’ll complete your personalized look for your living space.
The good news? Local furniture stores give you access to all of these things and provide a more personalized, welcoming experience.
You Can “Try Before You Buy”
While online shopping can be convenient in terms of travel, you’re seeing exactly what a retailer wants you to see on the website. This tends to be a very narrow sense of what the product is actually like.
You might not think trying before buying is a necessary step in selecting furniture pieces, but it’s actually the most important part! Would you purchase a home without visiting it first? You need to make sure it has your optimal square footage, and that the kitchen, bathroom, bedrooms, and living space are up to your standards. In short, it’s always better to physically test out the furniture itself at local furniture stores before making a purchase for a few reasons:
- Saving time and money on returns and replacements: Who doesn’t love saving money and time? Testing out furniture will ease the stress of wondering if you’ll need to spend additional money and time on returns and refunds.
- Ensuring you’re getting what you’re promised and what you paid for: You want to make sure that your vintage coffee table is worth every single penny, but you also want to make sure the real item lives up to its description in terms of comfort, color, style, and function.
- Measuring it to be sure it fits where you want it in your living space: When you visit a local furniture store in person, remember to bring that tape measure! It’s so important to track dimensions in your home and with potential new furniture to make sure everything fits!
Additionally, can you really envision how a cabinet for a dining table will look in your home if you haven’t seen it in person first? Or can you really determine how comfortable a chair will be if you don’t sit in it first? When you shop at local furniture stores, you can explore your options and see and feel the furniture out for yourself, and if you need assistance, experts are always right there to help!
First-Rate Customer Service and Access to Experts
Something local furniture stores have that the online sites don’t? A personalized experience that allows you to really explore your options, plus direct access to the store’s sales team who are ready to help you out!
Experts and sales team members are an essential part of your furniture shopping journey. There’s nothing better than walking into a furniture store and receiving that initial greeting from a team member, followed by the classic “I’d be happy to walk you through some options!” What if you have questions? Any good salesperson will be able to answer any and all specific questions you might have about a product or can highlight features about similar products that may entice you to make a different purchase.
Another bonus? Salespeople at local furniture stores have an in-depth knowledge of the pieces that the websites don’t. Sure, a site can tell you a bit about the style and color of a bed frame. However, store experts walk you through the color scheme, design, styling, and placement tips for your home, and they can also help you decide on additional accessories to complement the furniture. If you don’t see something you love, an expert can always help you find something similar to your vision or work with you to customize a product.
When you get real live human interaction, it makes the furniture shopping experience feel warm, inviting, and fun! Let’s not forget that this process, while stressful, is supposed to be fun too!
Convenience and Low Shipping Costs
Have you ever purchased an item online that looked super reasonable and then you get to the payment page and wonder why it’s suddenly more expensive than it said? It’s likely there were some hidden costs in there, particularly high shipping and handling prices. Meanwhile, local furniture stores don’t gloss over any additional expenses, so you can know exactly what you’re getting and when. It’s also significantly more convenient to see the piece in person to ensure there isn’t any wear and tear, rips, or scratches that’d require you to contact customer service for a replacement or a refund.
Not to mention, it’s actually more environmentally friendly to purchase locally because you’re minimizing the carbon footprint that shipping leaves on the planet. Also, if you have any special shipping needs, a local store is way more likely to participate in “white glove” delivery and accommodate your preferences.
Buying Accessories and Customizing Pieces is Easier
Have you ever been in search of both a sofa and a coffee table? Or perhaps you not only wanted to look at bed frames but also nightstands as well. Luckily, experts help you find the perfect accent and accessory pieces to complement your main furniture and help you tailor all of your selections to your personal style! While you can buy smaller accessory pieces online, it’ll be a long process of elimination and fitting pieces together to see if the design scheme and aesthetic are what you really want.
Another perk of shopping in person and locally? You have customization options! An online option can usually fall short of something distinctive and personal to you. Meanwhile, Team members at local furniture stores usually offer easy-to-customize pieces if they’re close to your vision but aren’t quite fitting the bill just yet. Decorating your living space should feel like an expression of who you are, so why not invest your time into looking in places that’ll work for you?
A Greater Chance at Finding Unique Pieces
Have you ever walked into another person’s home and realized they have the exact same furniture as you? Local furniture stores tend to carry more unique pieces to set your living space apart. Do you want to invest in something more long term that can work in any home and be passed on to future generations? If the answer is yes, you’ll want to source locally to find those unique pieces that will show off who you are and last for a long time!
Shopping at local furniture stores has so many benefits. It saves you time and money, allows you to get additional opinions on your selections, and allows you to ask questions and get solid answers. For more information and furniture options, visit the Mor’s Furniture Site.