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Stickley Furniture prices are confusing me, how to budget?
My wife and I just moved into a new house. I was told my one of our local furniture guys that Stickley Furniture is of very high quality and that if we want something that is "solid wood" (not all wood), Stickley is a safe bet. As a result, we went to the only Stickley store in NJ (Stickley & Audi in Paramus - there maybe another dealer now but this is the only one we could find.).
In any event, we love the Mission stuff but the prices are well...insane...or are they?
Example, the Mission table and chairs (6 or 8) are listed MSRP of 12k, on the floor for 10k, but with a 40% sale, it's 6k. My guess is if we bought a lot of stuff in one shot we could potentially haggle that down to 5k or less. Or can we? The thing is we talked to one of the sales guy/interior designers and he told us that we are eligible for a complimentary visit to help us choose our furniture, give us a floorplan, and ensure our happiness BUT we may think our budget and their prices don't match.
We want to furnish a living room, dining room, and maybe a foyer. Our budget is around 15-20k. Am I way OFF and Stickley would really cost us DOUBLE that or are we within range? Are we wasting our time?
HELP!
PS. If not Stickley, then or next stop is probably gonna be Gat Creek, since from what I understand that is also solid wood (mainly cherry) and built in the US (WV and Ohio).
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Re: Stickley Furniture prices are confusing me, how to budget?
Every dealer sets their own prices - as a general rule (VERY general) if they are trotting out the MSRP book, a 50% off discount is an aggressive discount for you from a brick and mortar store. Good luck!
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Re: Stickley Furniture prices are confusing me, how to budget?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
drcollie
Every dealer sets their own prices - as a general rule (VERY general) if they are trotting out the MSRP book, a 50% off discount is an aggressive discount for you from a brick and mortar store. Good luck!
Keep in mind the 40% is their discount, not mine. So how does THAT work?
EDIT: So I read some of your posts DC, and I was curious why you don't care Stickley? It would seem to be right up your alley. I looked at the lines you do carry and Treharn looks promising too (I assume that is true, solid wood construction made in the USA right? The problem here is we've never seen a piece by Treharn so there is that.)
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Re: Stickley Furniture prices are confusing me, how to budget?
Perhaps you mis-read my post or I didn't clarify. If a store is showing you the MSRP of an item in a retail price book, and they discount it 50% off that MSRP, then that's not a bad price for you to work from in buying from brick and mortar. At one time (2007) I made an inquiry into carrying Stickley when the Wash DC area dealer that had the line went bankrupt, but they (Stickley) dismissed my business as 'too small' and not worthy of the line. So that, was that.
Treharn is better made than Stickley in my opinion. Stickley has good designs in their niche and a strong brand name - but its nothing special.
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Re: Stickley Furniture prices are confusing me, how to budget?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
drcollie
Perhaps you mis-read my post or I didn't clarify. If a store is showing you the MSRP of an item in a retail price book, and they discount it 50% off that MSRP, then that's not a bad price for you to work from in buying from brick and mortar. At one time (2007) I made an inquiry into carrying Stickley when the Wash DC area dealer that had the line went bankrupt, but they (Stickley) dismissed my business as 'too small' and not worthy of the line. So that, was that.
Treharn is better made than Stickley in my opinion. Stickley has good designs in their niche and a strong brand name - but its nothing special.
In terms of Stickley my wife and I agree with you. It's nothing special but it is well made. 10k well made? Not on your life.
Let me ask you this then, what's the difference between say Treharn and Gat Creek? Both seem to be similar in terms of solid wood construction and a lot of options.
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Re: Stickley Furniture prices are confusing me, how to budget?
IIRC The mission-style furniture at Stickley is indeed pricey. But they also offer other more contemporary styles. Moreover their store near me carries furniture by many other makers too, including Baker, Sherrill, Ekornes, Hancock & Moore (IIRC), Taylor King, etc. Their pricing for these seemed to me to be be similar to that of the other brick & mortar stores around here.
My recent sofa search ended in a Stickley sofa, one of the newer models. It wasn't cheap but it was less than their Mission style offerings. We had trouble finding a fabric we liked, from many of the other makers, to go with our dark blue H&M chair. But the Stickley fabric we ultimately found looks great with it (IMO). Otherwise I wouldn't claim anything uniquely great about it, it just happened to be the one my wife liked the look of, and liked sitting in, at the end of the day, when we got tired of looking more. And (I think) made in NY, keep those tax dollars and employment at home!!
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Re: Stickley Furniture prices are confusing me, how to budget?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
needstuff
IIRC The mission-style furniture at Stickley is indeed pricey. But they also offer other more contemporary styles. Moreover their store near me carries furniture by many other makers too, including Baker, Sherrill, Ekornes, Hancock & Moore (IIRC), Taylor King, etc. Their pricing for these seemed to me to be be similar to that of the other brick & mortar stores around here.
My recent sofa search ended in a Stickley sofa, one of the newer models. It wasn't cheap but it was less than their Mission style offerings. We had trouble finding a fabric we liked, from many of the other makers, to go with our dark blue H&M chair. But the Stickley fabric we ultimately found looks great with it (IMO). Otherwise I wouldn't claim anything uniquely great about it, it just happened to be the one my wife liked the look of, and liked sitting in, at the end of the day, when we got tired of looking more. And (I think) made in NY, keep those tax dollars and employment at home!!
Do you mind me asking what was the price or even more importantly, what was the mark down from the asking?
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Re: Stickley Furniture prices are confusing me, how to budget?
IIRC the mark-down was 40%. That's about what the "higher end" brick & mortar stores around here will do, so far as I found when I was looking. when they are not on "sale" they are more like 30-35% IIRC. The stores we looked at, that is.
On the plus side, the Stickley salesperson helped us a lot with selection and fabric, beyond what we would likely have been able to do over the phone. We benefitted from that help, for this particular purchase. The salespeople who helped us there seemed to me to be above the norm, based on what/who I encountered elsewhere. And of course we actually sat in examples of the various sofas.
Of course we would have welcomed the opportunity to pay less, but such opportunity did not leap out at us for this particular purchase. We had a lot of trouble settling on something to buy. It was worth an additional 10% to put us out of our misery, frankly. It would be different if we knew what we wanted without utilizing in-store sales assistance and actual examples to sit on. We tried going that route for a long time, but at the end of the day we were still without a new sofa. So we said screw it, let's do it "the old-fashioned way". Which worked, in short order. At some additional expense, no doubt.
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Re: Stickley Furniture prices are confusing me, how to budget?
Let me ask you this then, what's the difference between say Treharn and Gat Creek? Both seem to be similar in terms of solid wood construction and a lot of options.
Its been a few years since I've looked at Gat Creek, so to be perfectly honest I'd have to see their current lineup of product. I think they have a more 'production' look to their pieces with conventional finishes and narrow board construction, however I think its a well-made product. They work in different woods, too. Treharn is a cherry and tiger maple house, Gat Creek is maple and cherry. One of Treharn's "claims to fame" is their vibrant figured maple (Tiger Maple).
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Re: Stickley Furniture prices are confusing me, how to budget?
RE: The difference between Treharn and Gat Creek.
I recently purchased a Treharn bed frame (the Sheraton Bed) from Duane. It was very well built, 100% solid wood, straightforward traditional joinery, strong and steady.
Initially I was very interested in the bed frames made by Gat Creek, mostly because of the style and the wood species they use. Husband and I liked the Franklin Bed, in particular. I asked the manufacturer for some close-up shots of the disassembled frame, and noticed that they use a "hook and cleat" system, which I read isn't the best.
Ultimately, husband and I decided to play safe, since this is not an inexpensive purchase, plus we want it to last beautifully for our lifetime. We are glad we went with the Treharn bed.
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Re: Stickley Furniture prices are confusing me, how to budget?
Ahhh...hook and cleats on bed frames will always fatigue and usually will tear out over the years. You will get a 'squeaky' bed rather quickly and you never want to push/pull a bed frame like that as it severely weakens the corners. With a proper 8-way bolt up bed (more costly to make) the bed will last hundreds of years structurally - if it gets a bit loose just tighten the bolt.
Glad you are enjoying your Treharn bed, Cookie! It's a good choice. Thank you!
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Re: Stickley Furniture prices are confusing me, how to budget?
Frankly, you said 50% off was very aggressive. I'll bet you a Treharn dining room set that the Stickley guys still make money at that 50% off price. MSRP 12k for a dining room set is insane. Half of that is still on the high end of the market IMO.
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Re: Stickley Furniture prices are confusing me, how to budget?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Trogdor
Frankly, you said 50% off was very aggressive. I'll bet you a Treharn dining room set that the Stickley guys still make money at that 50% off price. MSRP 12k for a dining room set is insane. Half of that is still on the high end of the market IMO.
IMHO, MSRP is just MSRP. It doesn't matter as long as the final price sounds reasonable to the person who pays for the item.
From my personal purchase experience, I have to say 50% off MSRP is quite good for new, non-clearance-sale items. We've purchased many many big pieces (Sherrill, H&M, Maitland-Smith, Theodore Alexander, etc) from a local medium- / high-end shop. The discount we get is usually around 35%-40% off MSRP. The Maitland-Smith partners desk we got has a quite high MSRP (around $10k-$12k, if I remember correctly), so I pushed hard and managed to get 55% (or so) off MSRP, but I was able to get that discount only because I had been a very loyal customer who kept purchasing from that store.
The bottom line is, the manufacturers and the retailers have to make money. Otherwise they will go out of business sooner or later. The only question is how much profit they take in from the sales and how much is left once they subtract the operating expenses from the profit.
The $12k dining table set doesn't sound too terrible once you try adding up the price of individual items, say $1200 per chair (x 6) + $4800 for the table = $12k. These prices I used are in line with what the good custom furniture markers would charge for their work. (I know these prices probably sound insane to people who are not accustomed to high-quality custom furniture, my husband included. :cool: )
Now, the Stickley dining set is not really custom and you could get 50% off. This brings the price down to $600 per chair (x 6) + $2400 for the table. Assuming the chairs and the table are made properly, it's quite a bargain!
Of course, what one thinks reasonable might sound crazy to another person. There's always that sticker shock. But once one gets over that, I think she/he will start collecting true-heirloom quality pieces, myself included. :p
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Re: Stickley Furniture prices are confusing me, how to budget?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Cookie
IMHO, MSRP is just MSRP. It doesn't matter as long as the final price sounds reasonable to the person who pays for the item.
From my personal purchase experience, I have to say 50% off MSRP is quite good for new, non-clearance-sale items. We've purchased many many big pieces (Sherrill, H&M, Maitland-Smith, Theodore Alexander, etc) from a local medium- / high-end shop. The discount we get is usually around 35%-40% off MSRP. The Maitland-Smith partners desk we got has a quite high MSRP (around $10k-$12k, if I remember correctly), so I pushed hard and managed to get 55% (or so) off MSRP, but I was able to get that discount only because I had been a very loyal customer who kept purchasing from that store.
The bottom line is, the manufacturers and the retailers have to make money. Otherwise they will go out of business sooner or later. The only question is how much profit they take in from the sales and how much is left once they subtract the operating expenses from the profit.
The $12k dining table set doesn't sound too terrible once you try adding up the price of individual items, say $1200 per chair (x 6) + $4800 for the table = $12k. These prices I used are in line with what the good custom furniture markers would charge for their work. (I know these prices probably sound insane to people who are not accustomed to high-quality custom furniture, my husband included. :cool: )
Now, the Stickley dining set is not really custom and you could get 50% off. This brings the price down to $600 per chair (x 6) + $2400 for the table. Assuming the chairs and the table are made properly, it's quite a bargain!
Of course, what one thinks reasonable might sound crazy to another person. There's always that sticker shock. But once one gets over that, I think she/he will start collecting true-heirloom quality pieces, myself included. :p
Well, this WILL be interesting then.
Wondering if anyone else reading this can share their experiences too (buying Stickley or any other high end brand)
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Re: Stickley Furniture prices are confusing me, how to budget?
A couple of things I would like to point out in this discussion without getting too deep into the theory of Capitalism as an form of economics and that is that as a Consumer, try to avoid going down the path of determining what profit you feel a store should make. I do see that happen quite often, and the reality of it is that unless you own your own small business, you don't have any idea of the operating costs involved. A consumer cannot decide what a fair profit would be for the merchant to make on a sale. it's very costly to operate a retail store, with a lot of expenses behind the scenes that are far more complex than simply what a dealer pays the supplier and markup percentage. Every business has to set their own pricing for them to be successful and remain in business, and its typically done with gross margin percentages (GPM). After operating costs are deducted, then there is a net margin (profit) at the end of each year which that business owner uses to live on as income. That's the basics of it all but realize that each store has different operating costs that affect the percentage of pricing (GPM). What ultimately determines the retail price is both that GPM target in conjunction with what competitors are selling the product for. As a consumer - you read articles about how to shop for the lowest price and for many it becomes a quest to seek that out, and folks will spend hours on the internet to get to that last nickel on price - and in our form of commerce there is certainly a right to do that and you should spend your money where you are comfortable doing so. However there are other factors you should consider such as A) What level of service do you expect during the sales process including return privledges? B) If there is a problem with the order, will I get the support I need to resolve it from the selling dealer or will I be brushed off? C) Will that dealer be there for me in 5 or even 10 years if I need service after the sale?
Manufacturers are well aware of who sells their product and how individual stores price out. What typically happens is that the dealer selling at the lowest prices offers the least service, often to the point of not even responding to a customer complaint or concern. That low-ball dealer can't afford to offer ANY customer service because every customer service contact costs money, even if its nothing more than 20 minutes on the phone that is 20 minutes burned up a "X" dollars an hour. At some point, quality manufacturers will not tolerate these discount pricing renegades because of this lack of customer service and they are cut off, and lose their dealership. That and poor budgeting on the part of heavy discounters mean they lack funds for emergencies or bumps in the economy with no cash reserves and as a result, you see them all burned up within a few years and gone. The successful business makes enough profit on sales to sustain their business, offer a decent level of customer service, can weather an economic downturn, and make enough for the owners/employees to enjoy a reasonable lifestyle and earn a living wage.
Just a couple of things as an example to consider as thinking points on why stores have to charge what they do. 1) If I go back 20 years ago to the mid-1990's, I would say 85% of my sales were paid for via check / cash. Now in 2014, that is the reverse and 90 % of all sales are done on plastic, each carries a charge to the merchant, and its not even a flat rate! There are something like 34 levels of percentage charges now with a business rewards card the most costly to process (as they are the least likely to pay interest to the issuing bank). Years ago, I use to simply absorb those percentage costs as they were small in percentage and only 15 % of total receipts. Today, it's a major expense and I have to increase the selling prices of the goods to cover those fees. You pay more for the goods as a consumer as a result because it has increased the cost load for the goods. 2) A forum such as this costs several thousand dollars a year to run and operate, its not truly 'free' and yet no one here is asked to pay a fee to use it, either for the actual time on it, or for my time as a consultant (it takes 30 minutes to type out this reply, for example). How many heavy discounters offers something like this for you to use as a tool? Not many! There are many more instances of costs you don't really see as a consumer (Don't even get me started on what it costs to run a delivery truck) and that all has to be reflected in the selling price of the goods.
What you want to do as a consumer - my advice - is to find out what is comfortable for you to spend on a purchase, balance that with the quality of the product so you can get a crude cost analysis (Years of Useful Life vs Cash Outlay), then make your purchase based on whom you feel comfortable doing business with based on their reputation, knowledge, convenience and service after the sale. Don't focus so much on the bottom dollar but look at the intangibles in making your purchasing decision and buy within your comfort zone financially. Above all, avoid the trap and pitfalls of trying to determine what a 'fair' price would be for you to pay, that will just make the whole thing a bitter and frustrating experience. Do your due diligence in shopping around of course and then select from whom you wish to do business with after weighing all the factors.
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Re: Stickley Furniture prices are confusing me, how to budget?
Duane gives excellent advice.
In my last reply, I didn't mean to imply that the price is the only factor to consider. I was focusing on that aspect, since the OP seems to be more concerned with price. :o
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Re: Stickley Furniture prices are confusing me, how to budget?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
drcollie
A couple of things I would like to point out in this discussion without getting too deep into the theory of Capitalism as an form of economics and that is that as a Consumer, try to avoid going down the path of determining what profit you feel a store should make. I do see that happen quite often, and the reality of it is that unless you own your own small business, you don't have any idea of the operating costs involved. A consumer cannot decide what a fair profit would be for the merchant to make on a sale. it's very costly to operate a retail store, with a lot of expenses behind the scenes that are far more complex than simply what a dealer pays the supplier and markup percentage. Every business has to set their own pricing for them to be successful and remain in business, and its typically done with gross margin percentages (GPM). After operating costs are deducted, then there is a net margin (profit) at the end of each year which that business owner uses to live on as income. That's the basics of it all but realize that each store has different operating costs that affect the percentage of pricing (GPM). What ultimately determines the retail price is both that GPM target in conjunction with what competitors are selling the product for. As a consumer - you read articles about how to shop for the lowest price and for many it becomes a quest to seek that out, and folks will spend hours on the internet to get to that last nickel on price - and in our form of commerce there is certainly a right to do that and you should spend your money where you are comfortable doing so. However there are other factors you should consider such as A) What level of service do you expect during the sales process including return privledges? B) If there is a problem with the order, will I get the support I need to resolve it from the selling dealer or will I be brushed off? C) Will that dealer be there for me in 5 or even 10 years if I need service after the sale?
Manufacturers are well aware of who sells their product and how individual stores price out. What typically happens is that the dealer selling at the lowest prices offers the least service, often to the point of not even responding to a customer complaint or concern. That low-ball dealer can't afford to offer ANY customer service because every customer service contact costs money, even if its nothing more than 20 minutes on the phone that is 20 minutes burned up a "X" dollars an hour. At some point, quality manufacturers will not tolerate these discount pricing renegades because of this lack of customer service and they are cut off, and lose their dealership. That and poor budgeting on the part of heavy discounters mean they lack funds for emergencies or bumps in the economy with no cash reserves and as a result, you see them all burned up within a few years and gone. The successful business makes enough profit on sales to sustain their business, offer a decent level of customer service, can weather an economic downturn, and make enough for the owners/employees to enjoy a reasonable lifestyle and earn a living wage.
Just a couple of things as an example to consider as thinking points on why stores have to charge what they do. 1) If I go back 20 years ago to the mid-1990's, I would say 85% of my sales were paid for via check / cash. Now in 2014, that is the reverse and 90 % of all sales are done on plastic, each carries a charge to the merchant, and its not even a flat rate! There are something like 34 levels of percentage charges now with a business rewards card the most costly to process (as they are the least likely to pay interest to the issuing bank). Years ago, I use to simply absorb those percentage costs as they were small in percentage and only 15 % of total receipts. Today, it's a major expense and I have to increase the selling prices of the goods to cover those fees. You pay more for the goods as a consumer as a result because it has increased the cost load for the goods. 2) A forum such as this costs several thousand dollars a year to run and operate, its not truly 'free' and yet no one here is asked to pay a fee to use it, either for the actual time on it, or for my time as a consultant (it takes 30 minutes to type out this reply, for example). How many heavy discounters offers something like this for you to use as a tool? Not many! There are many more instances of costs you don't really see as a consumer (Don't even get me started on what it costs to run a delivery truck) and that all has to be reflected in the selling price of the goods.
What you want to do as a consumer - my advice - is to find out what is comfortable for you to spend on a purchase, balance that with the quality of the product so you can get a crude cost analysis (Years of Useful Life vs Cash Outlay), then make your purchase based on whom you feel comfortable doing business with based on their reputation, knowledge, convenience and service after the sale. Don't focus so much on the bottom dollar but look at the intangibles in making your purchasing decision and buy within your comfort zone financially. Above all, avoid the trap and pitfalls of trying to determine what a 'fair' price would be for you to pay, that will just make the whole thing a bitter and frustrating experience. Do your due diligence in shopping around of course and then select from whom you wish to do business with after weighing all the factors.
From a customer's point of view:
The problem with all of the above is that it is based on the premise that the furniture biz is transparent with respect to pricing. And as I've already established in this thread as well as in many others after a quick search, it's not. I'm speaking in general not specifically toward your business Duane. You seem to be the diamond in the rough so kudos! Again, Duane, if I was closer to you, I would most certainly stop by and talk about our little project.
But because of the wide variation of prices, that means a furniture store's overhead means very little to me because I can not as a consumer separate greedy markups vs real business operating costs. And as a result, when I see a 12k dining room set marked down by 40-50% that means to me it was overly inflated to begin with, and it's true fair market value (FMV) is somewhat dubious. And at the end of the day, FMV is what I feel comfortable spending no matter the brand.
Moreover, furniture isn't like selling plumbing. How many folks need real customer service after the purchase of a dining room set, a solid wood one at that? I would venture to guess that the overwhelming majority of high quality furniture sold comes with very little issues (i.e. pieces damaged, falling apart, etc. etc.). Otherwise as a brand, their reputation of "quality" would be lost. All I'm saying is MOST of the customer service happens BEFORE the sale, not AFTER. I could be wrong, but that's my perception.
Finally, and most importantly, if a customer walks in willing to spend 20k on furniture, I would expect the business to heavily discount. For example, we just bought some outdoor furniture that was not that expensive from a Mom & Pop shop since we wanted to support them and their prices were inline with Amazon (couldn't believe it). They gave us 20% off even then (total was about 1000 dollars, it was two Adirondack solid PLASTIC (LOL, well no maintenance) chairs, fiberglass umbrella, base, etc. Canadian company, nice stuff too). With the 20% markdown it was a bit cheaper than ordering if off Amazon. I mean WOW.
If folks are interested, I can most certainly give updates on my Stickley experience. If this doesn't work out, it is either Gat Creek or Treharn with the former being much more accessible in my neck of the woods.
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Re: Stickley Furniture prices are confusing me, how to budget?
When I first got into this business, I decided to buck the trend of "FURNITURE SALE! 40 to 60% OFF!!" that is standard practice in this industry. I saw it as needless and indicative of snake oil salesmen to market that way, and it requires neon signs in the store and constant advertising. That was nearly three decades ago and I'm still here, so it shows that my formula worked enough to at least stay in business. I only offer an additional discount when the manufacturer offers ME one, such as the ongoing H&M 5% off Sale. Folks say... "Only 5%!?" Well...yeah....that's what I am getting so I'll pass it onto you.
To cut through the chase on things and get to the bottom of it all, the industry as a whole marks up 3x the dealer wholesale (there are exceptions to this, but for the majority of suppliers this works). So, an item that the dealer pays $ 1,000 for has a MSRP of $ 3,000. If the dealer sells at 40% off, then the retail is going to be $ 1,799 and if they sell for 50% off then its $ 1,499. Gross Profit Margin (GPM) is (Retail - Cost) / Retail so at 50% off that works out to a GPM of 33%. There are not many furniture stores that can stay in business if they attempt to operate at under 33 % GPM. If they run a VERY tight ship, with no debt, low rent and few employees, they may net 15% from that at year end if they get a decent sales year. And that's for a very aggressively priced store in a rather poor location. If you put them into a mall environment or a 'nice' location in a major retail area that 33% won't cut it and they will need another 10% to cover the real estate costs . Few stores in major cities such as Washington DC / New York / San Francisco / Chicago, etc. can afford to do 50% off every day, the margins are too low and expenses will grind them up (warehousing costs will eat them up as well, warehouse space is prime in major cities). That's why big discounters are usually in small outlying cities or warehouse areas where the space ie cheaper. Because the margins are what they are, you can now see why a 2 to 3 % credit card transaction fee can have quite an impact on the bottom line. That, in a nutshell, is how it all works. I run about as lean as a store can possible run - which is why I can price so aggressively. A lot of my local customers would like me to move to a 'better' location and I dearly would like to as well, but I'd have to add that 10 % onto the selling price to cover those nice locations and that has always made me cautious of a move.
You might be surprised at how much service is required after the sale. At any given time I have about 6 to 8 issues I am working on for customers. As I write this I have in the hopper the following and all require time and effort to pursue:
* A table refinish that a customer left in her sunlit kitchen window and it faded out dramatically due to constant UV rays. Not a warranty issue at all, but I'm not going to tell her 'too bad, buy a new table'.
* The third swivel base replacement on a H&M Swivel Recliner chair that the customer says doesn't rotate smoothly enough but bases # 1 and # 2 seem to work fine at our store.
* A replacement footboard on a bed that has a sap pocket in the wood. It's 'normal' but the customer would like it replaced so we will.
* A chair that is going back to H&M for replacement leather on an arm after it had been delivered due to a mysterious orange rash on it that no one seems to know how it occurred. I am replacing the leather at my expense.
* A set of replacement cores for an H&M sofa that I did not sell (their dealer had gone out of business) and I am sourcing for them as a courtesy.
* Treharn forgot to drill a cord hole in the back of an entertainment center that we shipped out of state (direct pickup), so coordinating to get a handyman there to drill a few holes in the back of it.
* A H&M Power/Lift chair in a high-end leather that my good customer ordered for her invalid husband and he was uncomfortable in it - so I have it back here on consignment to sell as a courtesy.
Customer service is one of those things where if you don't need it - you're golden. But when you DO need it, its really nice to have someone that will actually do something for you. And as you can see, many of the issues are not cut and dried - things many stores would say 'Sorry, that's not our problem". I try to operate at a higher level than that when I can.
As to the amount spent - $ 20K is not a particularly large number, I get an order that size regularly. When you work off realistic percentages in your business, you would have to have a huge order to compensate for the reduced percentage margin to cover it - if the order was say $ 100K, then there might be a tad bit more room in a discount, but also keep in mind that big orders present their own set of issues as well, such as having enough warehouse space and trucking capability to handle it. Often that means renting extra storage space and an additional truck / crew which is an added cost. When I did seventy-two pieces of Hancock and Moore for The White House (1600 Penn. Ave). I was getting a lot of pressure from the GSA buyer for additional discounts. I called H&M and asked for one and was turned down, and was presented with "We will have to put every employee on this order to get it all done at the same time and there is no efficiency in that, in fact it will screw up our production schedules to drop everything do make this order in a timely manner". After I got off the phone, I realized that was correct. So I couldn't get the GSA buyer a lower price, but still won the bid as my every day price was lower than anyone else's on the items by quite a bit.
I think everyone has their own comfort levels of buying - not only furniture but in every consumer product from a car to a house to a piece of jewelry. You have to buy in your comfort level, or maybe just a little beyond. When you exceed it, then your expectations of what it should be and the anxiety of the price overcome the fun of the purchase, and you really can't enjoy it like you should. Probably best to seek out pieces that work for you within that comfort level and stay in that range. You won't find anyone fireballing out Stickley to my knowledge, the maker controls the distribution too tightly to allow renegade discounters to sell the line.
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Re: Stickley Furniture prices are confusing me, how to budget?
I would like to chime in on the Stickley quality. Having lived much of my life in central NY where the main Stickley case goods are manufactured and having purchased a number of Stickley pieces at their factory store ( the original one in Fayetteville and the newer one at their factory in Manlius) I can attest to their quality and focus on customer satisfaction.
When you enter their main factory showroom they have a major display, almost museum like, showing the history of the company. There is also a section where they show various construction and joinery techniques. The display explains the evolution of furniture manufacturing, benefits and shortfalls of changes in technology and various techniques. Most importantly and beneficial they show how they construct various pieces and types of furniture, including hand finishing. I own a 72" double pedestal solid cherry desk (no veneers, solid brass pulls, ball bearing double drawer closures, dovetail drawers, etc.) purchased 22 years ago, solid cherry dining table with inlays that is as beautiful as any I have seen anywhere, and a number of occasional tables. While Stickley may not feature the options for true custom pieces with exotic woods and made to order sizes that small craft manufactures like some of Duane's custom suppliers, it is certainly very good and well made and furniture I am proud to have in my home.
Also, it is interesting that I purchased my first piece of H&M furniture, a chair for my Stickley desk, at the Stickley factory showroom.
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Re: Stickley Furniture prices are confusing me, how to budget?
Just another thought about your purchasing decisions. If you are in northern NJ, you might consider contacting the sales group at the Stickley factory about any sales opportunities. Not having been back to their facilities in a number of years I don't know the status of their factory store, but they did have special sales events from time to time. A 4 hour car trip to Manlius ( eastern suburb of Syracuse) might be worthwhile. Also it might be an opportunity to see additional pieces that the local store may not have in stock and to become more knowledgable about the brand/quality.
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Re: Stickley Furniture prices are confusing me, how to budget?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
drcollie
When I first got into this business, I decided to buck the trend of "FURNITURE SALE! 40 to 60% OFF!!" that is standard practice in this industry. I saw it as needless and indicative of snake oil salesmen to market that way, and it requires neon signs in the store and constant advertising. That was nearly three decades ago and I'm still here, so it shows that my formula worked enough to at least stay in business. I only offer an additional discount when the manufacturer offers ME one, such as the ongoing H&M 5% off Sale. Folks say... "Only 5%!?" Well...yeah....that's what I am getting so I'll pass it onto you.
To cut through the chase on things and get to the bottom of it all, the industry as a whole marks up 3x the dealer wholesale (there are exceptions to this, but for the majority of suppliers this works). So, an item that the dealer pays $ 1,000 for has a MSRP of $ 3,000. If the dealer sells at 40% off, then the retail is going to be $ 1,799 and if they sell for 50% off then its $ 1,499. Gross Profit Margin (GPM) is (Retail - Cost) / Retail so at 50% off that works out to a GPM of 33%. There are not many furniture stores that can stay in business if they attempt to operate at under 33 % GPM. If they run a VERY tight ship, with no debt, low rent and few employees, they may net 15% from that at year end if they get a decent sales year. And that's for a very aggressively priced store in a rather poor location. If you put them into a mall environment or a 'nice' location in a major retail area that 33% won't cut it and they will need another 10% to cover the real estate costs . Few stores in major cities such as Washington DC / New York / San Francisco / Chicago, etc. can afford to do 50% off every day, the margins are too low and expenses will grind them up (warehousing costs will eat them up as well, warehouse space is prime in major cities). That's why big discounters are usually in small outlying cities or warehouse areas where the space ie cheaper. Because the margins are what they are, you can now see why a 2 to 3 % credit card transaction fee can have quite an impact on the bottom line. That, in a nutshell, is how it all works. I run about as lean as a store can possible run - which is why I can price so aggressively. A lot of my local customers would like me to move to a 'better' location and I dearly would like to as well, but I'd have to add that 10 % onto the selling price to cover those nice locations and that has always made me cautious of a move.
You might be surprised at how much service is required after the sale. At any given time I have about 6 to 8 issues I am working on for customers. As I write this I have in the hopper the following and all require time and effort to pursue:
* A table refinish that a customer left in her sunlit kitchen window and it faded out dramatically due to constant UV rays. Not a warranty issue at all, but I'm not going to tell her 'too bad, buy a new table'.
* The third swivel base replacement on a H&M Swivel Recliner chair that the customer says doesn't rotate smoothly enough but bases # 1 and # 2 seem to work fine at our store.
* A replacement footboard on a bed that has a sap pocket in the wood. It's 'normal' but the customer would like it replaced so we will.
* A chair that is going back to H&M for replacement leather on an arm after it had been delivered due to a mysterious orange rash on it that no one seems to know how it occurred. I am replacing the leather at my expense.
* A set of replacement cores for an H&M sofa that I did not sell (their dealer had gone out of business) and I am sourcing for them as a courtesy.
* Treharn forgot to drill a cord hole in the back of an entertainment center that we shipped out of state (direct pickup), so coordinating to get a handyman there to drill a few holes in the back of it.
* A H&M Power/Lift chair in a high-end leather that my good customer ordered for her invalid husband and he was uncomfortable in it - so I have it back here on consignment to sell as a courtesy.
Customer service is one of those things where if you don't need it - you're golden. But when you DO need it, its really nice to have someone that will actually do something for you. And as you can see, many of the issues are not cut and dried - things many stores would say 'Sorry, that's not our problem". I try to operate at a higher level than that when I can.
As to the amount spent - $ 20K is not a particularly large number, I get an order that size regularly. When you work off realistic percentages in your business, you would have to have a huge order to compensate for the reduced percentage margin to cover it - if the order was say $ 100K, then there might be a tad bit more room in a discount, but also keep in mind that big orders present their own set of issues as well, such as having enough warehouse space and trucking capability to handle it. Often that means renting extra storage space and an additional truck / crew which is an added cost. When I did seventy-two pieces of Hancock and Moore for The White House (1600 Penn. Ave). I was getting a lot of pressure from the GSA buyer for additional discounts. I called H&M and asked for one and was turned down, and was presented with "We will have to put every employee on this order to get it all done at the same time and there is no efficiency in that, in fact it will screw up our production schedules to drop everything do make this order in a timely manner". After I got off the phone, I realized that was correct. So I couldn't get the GSA buyer a lower price, but still won the bid as my every day price was lower than anyone else's on the items by quite a bit.
I think everyone has their own comfort levels of buying - not only furniture but in every consumer product from a car to a house to a piece of jewelry. You have to buy in your comfort level, or maybe just a little beyond. When you exceed it, then your expectations of what it should be and the anxiety of the price overcome the fun of the purchase, and you really can't enjoy it like you should. Probably best to seek out pieces that work for you within that comfort level and stay in that range. You won't find anyone fireballing out Stickley to my knowledge, the maker controls the distribution too tightly to allow renegade discounters to sell the line.
20k on two rooms is a significant investment in my book. With 6%+ unemployment rate and retail sector pretty much completely flat, I'm surprised you think otherwise.
FYI, Duane, I just been informed there is an additional 10% off the 40% if you spend more than 10k right now. LOL. That's 50%. Like I said, 50% off Stickley MSRP seems exactly where folks should start. Anything else is highway robbery.
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Re: Stickley Furniture prices are confusing me, how to budget?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
cuse69
Just another thought about your purchasing decisions. If you are in northern NJ, you might consider contacting the sales group at the Stickley factory about any sales opportunities. Not having been back to their facilities in a number of years I don't know the status of their factory store, but they did have special sales events from time to time. A 4 hour car trip to Manlius ( eastern suburb of Syracuse) might be worthwhile. Also it might be an opportunity to see additional pieces that the local store may not have in stock and to become more knowledgable about the brand/quality.
Would they offer cheaper prices than in NJ? We are not in northern NJ, but central. That four hour car trip better be damn well worth it!
Do you mind if I ask how much mark down did you experience when you bought your piece?
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Re: Stickley Furniture prices are confusing me, how to budget?
I can't answer your question regarding markdown, except when they held a special sales event ( once or twice a year) the prices were indeed lower than their normal markdown from MSRP. I don't recall the markdown on the pieces I purchased but I am value focused when making big ticket purchases and I am sure the markdown exceeded 50% of MSRP. I liken it to the annual factory sale on Hickey Freeman men's clothing at the factory in Rochester, NY were 50-70% off of MSRP was typical.
These sales were only local, not national, so I would suspect if they still hold them the prices would indeed be better than NJ. You absolutely need to call the headquarters in Manlius to check on the schedule and confirm. Also, I lived in Princeton and worked in New Brunswick for a few years and the drive from central NJ to Syracuse is about 4 hours with another 15 min. to Manlius.
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Re: Stickley Furniture prices are confusing me, how to budget?
Trogdor posted above:
FYI, Duane, I just been informed there is an additional 10% off the 40% if you spend more than 10k right now. LOL. That's 50%. Like I said, 50% off Stickley MSRP seems exactly where folks should start. Anything else is highway robbery.
Trogdor,
An additional 10% off furniture that is already discounted 40% would be a total discount of 46% not 50%. It would be different if they said an additional 10% off the total, that would be 50% off.
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Re: Stickley Furniture prices are confusing me, how to budget?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
djjm
Trogdor posted above:
FYI, Duane, I just been informed there is an additional 10% off the 40% if you spend more than 10k right now. LOL. That's 50%. Like I said, 50% off Stickley MSRP seems exactly where folks should start. Anything else is highway robbery.
Trogdor,
An additional 10% off furniture that is already discounted 40% would be a total discount of 46% not 50%. It would be different if they said an additional 10% off the total, that would be 50% off.
I will double check, but I believe it was off the total.
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Re: Stickley Furniture prices are confusing me, how to budget?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
needstuff
IIRC the mark-down was 40%. That's about what the "higher end" brick & mortar stores around here will do, so far as I found when I was looking. when they are not on "sale" they are more like 30-35% IIRC. The stores we looked at, that is.
On the plus side, the Stickley salesperson helped us a lot with selection and fabric, beyond what we would likely have been able to do over the phone. We benefitted from that help, for this particular purchase. The salespeople who helped us there seemed to me to be above the norm, based on what/who I encountered elsewhere. And of course we actually sat in examples of the various sofas.
Of course we would have welcomed the opportunity to pay less, but such opportunity did not leap out at us for this particular purchase. We had a lot of trouble settling on something to buy. It was worth an additional 10% to put us out of our misery, frankly. It would be different if we knew what we wanted without utilizing in-store sales assistance and actual examples to sit on. We tried going that route for a long time, but at the end of the day we were still without a new sofa. So we said screw it, let's do it "the old-fashioned way". Which worked, in short order. At some additional expense, no doubt.
Hello.
From Kettering OH. Came to the local store because the H&M site listed it as the only seller within 50 miles. The store had a large selection of Stickley, Jessica Charles, BY, but not much of an H&M sofa selection. The sales lady, Valerie, was great. We are small people, elderly (late 60s), and found one Stickley 500 series sofa that we found attractive in fabric, and extremely comfortable. Most sofas seemed built for large people, and are Backbreakers. We ordered a motion sofa in that fabric, cancelled within 2 days and changed it to the 500 series that sold us in the first place. Added a cocktail ottoman. We paid 35% off. A few days later, we saw a TV ad at 40% off. The store gave us an immediate credit. Have to applaud their policies. Then darn it, a week or so later, we saw an ad for 42% off Presidents Day sale. Couldn't resist. We went back in to look for a chair that would make the room. We selected the Stickley Mission Chair/Ottoman, in grey semi aniline leather, that is a good match for the fabric on the sofa. It's called a recliner, but you have to move pegs in back to put it in the reclining position. No footrest, so the we added the ottoman for the look. That chair will make the room, when delivered. Our only regret is that we ordered the sofa/table in expresso wood stain. We selected the cherry for the chair. That's the problem with adding on pieces at different times. Woulda, coulda, shoulda. The store policies and great sales help made us immediate repeat customers. Would never order online or even from the store catalog. We sat in so many sofas, and only felt comfortable in one. The 500 series is made for smaller people. Caution on leather. We had a semi aniline previously. I spilled a cup of tea on it, cleaned it up immediately, but it looked terrible after that. We will be more careful this time.
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Re: Stickley Furniture prices are confusing me, how to budget?
I just wanted to let you know this is very helpful information and to say thanks. I know the credit card companies also hit businesses for another 3% when a customer returns an item, so that is another contingency businesses have to plan for. Anyway, I just bought my first Stickley yesterday from a small local dealer and I was unsure of the pricing since I couldn't find a single MSRP anywhere on the internet for Stickley. I figured the store's "our price" which is about 25-30% off "MSRP" is really their regular price since they always have those. Every once in a while they have a "red tag" sale offering deeper discounts on a just a few items. Your forum answers put me at ease about what I paid. Customer service also goes a long way for repeat business. My sofa will arrive today. I'm pretty sure it won't match anything in my house, so when I get the funds to add more pieces I will be calling the same salesperson who helped me with this one, and if we find the right ones, I probably won't care that the pieces won't be on sale.
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Re: Stickley Furniture prices are confusing me, how to budget?
Google: Paul Stein Stickley for my review of the Stickley Morris Chair I purchased. I put photos on.
Special order in grade 3 Italian leather. I went with cherry wood. Supposed retail about $ 4700. I paid $ 2700, plus another $550 for the Ottoman. Peg reclining system. Presidents Day sale at about 42% off.
I also purchased a sofa and 48 inch long Ottoman. Initially got the standard 1/3 off. Next week, I saw the store advertising the President's Day sale with all Stickley at 42% off. They gave me a price adjustment. My only regret is that I ordered the sofa and large Ottoman first in a different wood, dark vs cherry. We got the newer series sofa for smaller people. Wife is 4 ft. 10. I am 5 ft. 7. We are retired and on the sofa many hours per day. Super comfortable, and so glad we got it over a recliner. We got a fabric sofa, and added a Sure Fit cover, as we have a small dog. The sales lady recommended a leather Ottoman as it stands up better to the feet. The Morris Chair is for our larger guests, and is a beautiful statement piece. The sofa that matched the chair was for larger people, and we had trouble getting out of it.
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Re: Stickley Furniture prices are confusing me, how to budget?
I think my chair is actually called the Bow Arm chair. I get confused between the two.
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Re: Stickley Furniture prices are confusing me, how to budget?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
catchat
I just wanted to let you know this is very helpful information and to say thanks. I know the credit card companies also hit businesses for another 3% when a customer returns an item, so that is another contingency businesses have to plan for. Anyway, I just bought my first Stickley yesterday from a small local dealer and I was unsure of the pricing since I couldn't find a single MSRP anywhere on the internet for Stickley. I figured the store's "our price" which is about 25-30% off "MSRP" is really their regular price since they always have those. Every once in a while they have a "red tag" sale offering deeper discounts on a just a few items. Your forum answers put me at ease about what I paid. Customer service also goes a long way for repeat business. My sofa will arrive today. I'm pretty sure it won't match anything in my house, so when I get the funds to add more pieces I will be calling the same salesperson who helped me with this one, and if we find the right ones, I probably won't care that the pieces won't be on sale.
Your comment on customer service. My Ottoman arrived with a cracked leg. It was then refinished locally. Poor job. I sent it back. They ordered a new one and let me keep the other one until the new one arrived. I paid $ 1250 for the supposed $ 2000 MSRP Ottoman. Special order, 48 inches, Italian Leather. Part of the 42% authorized sale for President's day.
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Re: Stickley Furniture prices are confusing me, how to budget?
Note, we wound up going with King Hickory instead. Similar quality albeit different style and the prices were more competitive.
This was AFTER we looked at Hickory Chair, H&M, and even Theodore Alexander (my wife really likes a game table they make) in addition to Stickley.
I am still toying with the idea of a Stickley Morris chair and coffee table for the room but we'll see.
The only thing that really annoys both my wife and I are the fact that for at least sofas, we can't sit on much which makes it almost impossible for us to order anything.
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Re: Stickley Furniture prices are confusing me, how to budget?
You didn't give your height and weight. I am 5 ft. 7, 182 pounds.
My wife is 4 ft. 10, 135 pounds.
I purchased the Morris/Bow Arm chair both as a statement piece and for my larger guests. It's really too large for me to sit comfortably on. The 4 recline positions, activated by a manual peg system, is a cute touch, but not too practical. My chair and ottoman in grade 3 special order leather was $ 3250, at a supposed 42% discount. Worth every penny as a statement piece. Wouldn't want it as my everyday chair/ recliner. Google: "Paul Stein Stickley" to see it. As you can see, my dog has claimed ownership. It is his chair.
For our size, we ordered a midsize length sofa, with a seat depth perfect for our size. We were ready to give up, when we sat in it. We instantly knew it was perfect. My gripe is when the sales people see customers of smaller stature, or even larger stature, walk into the store, why don't they guide them to the right size furniture for their build. For years, we purchased uncomfortable (for us), deep depth sofas, not knowing there was anything else. We spent 3 hours in the store, trying many sofas, and the hovering sales lady never mentioned seat depth. We were fortunate that our store's showroom had a large collection of Stickley furniture.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Trogdor
Note, we wound up going with King Hickory instead. Similar quality albeit different style and the prices were more competitive.
This was AFTER we looked at Hickory Chair, H&M, and even Theodore Alexander (my wife really likes a game table they make) in addition to Stickley.
I am still toying with the idea of a Stickley Morris chair and coffee table for the room but we'll see.
The only thing that really annoys both my wife and I are the fact that for at least sofas, we can't sit on much which makes it almost impossible for us to order anything.
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Re: Stickley Furniture prices are confusing me, how to budget?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
pstein15
You didn't give your height and weight. I am 5 ft. 7, 182 pounds.
My wife is 4 ft. 10, 135 pounds.
I purchased the Morris/Bow Arm chair both as a statement piece and for my larger guests. It's really too large for me to sit comfortably on. The 4 recline positions, activated by a manual peg system, is a cute touch, but not too practical. My chair and ottoman in grade 3 special order leather was $ 3250, at a supposed 42% discount. Worth every penny as a statement piece. Wouldn't want it as my everyday chair/ recliner. Google: "Paul Stein Stickley" to see it. As you can see, my dog has claimed ownership. It is his chair.
For our size, we ordered a midsize length sofa, with a seat depth perfect for our size. We were ready to give up, when we sat in it. We instantly knew it was perfect. My gripe is when the sales people see customers of smaller stature, or even larger stature, walk into the store, why don't they guide them to the right size furniture for their build. For years, we purchased uncomfortable (for us), deep depth sofas, not knowing there was anything else. We spent 3 hours in the store, trying many sofas, and the hovering sales lady never mentioned seat depth. We were fortunate that our store's showroom had a large collection of Stickley furniture.
Seat depth is the biggest issue with my wife. She isn't that tiny either (5'5" 130 pounds).
Most of the sofas we sat on were just very uncomfortable for her because her feet would not touch the ground even if she sat upright. It was very disheartening to see her get frustrated one sofa after the next.
What's WORSE about a lot of these premium brands is you can't sit on anything. Most sales folks expect you to lay out 3-4k on a sofa without ever sitting on it. It is ludicrous. So in many respects, we went with a brand (King Hickory) because we could a) familiar with the brand b) US made/solid wood/8-way hand tied springs etc. etc. and more importantly c) could actually sit on it.
I just don't understand how these companies can sell furniture this way.
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Re: Stickley Furniture prices are confusing me, how to budget?
I understand your frustration Trogdor. I'm not a big fan of my local brick and mortar store that deals H&M, Stickley etc. It's a nice store in a nice neighborhood. They sell pieces at MSRP, 30% off is considered a sale. My experience there has always been like walking into a country club where I'm more likely to be confused for the help than a customer. At least two of the sales ladies have asked me before what I do for a living - it's kind of surreal.
There are many people on this forum that are comfortable with the prices of high end pieces. There are also many that are just struggling to purchase that first nice piece. We all do what we can with the idea in mind that you can *always* go higher. I'm really glad that you found pieces that you were comfortable with.
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Re: Stickley Furniture prices are confusing me, how to budget?
Women's legs are shorter than men's from the knees down, so it's always difficult to find a sofa that fits both a woman and man well. If the sofa is just for the lady, then for your typical 5' 5" woman something with a 18.5" to 19" seat height and a 19" seat depth would be pretty much ideal. However a man my size, 5' 11" would be cramped on it. I have made many a custom H&M sofa for ladies and that's typically where we custom spec it at.
As for it being 'ludicrous' to purchase a sofa without trying it out, I find that opinion a little strong. I only carry a few brands of upholstery, yet within those few brands there are over 4,000 frames and I have a 5.000 s.f store. It's impossible to put every frame in a maker's line on display, you would need a store the size of a football stadium. Generally if you can try out a maker's brand in two or three frames in a store, the whole line will usually sit similar. They do have pretty good continuity across the line. Biggest differences are not how they sit, but the style from frame to frame. There's a perception they all sit different, but the reality is the differences in a maker's line as to comfort are usually subtle.
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Re: Stickley Furniture prices are confusing me, how to budget?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
drcollie
Women's legs are shorter than men's from the knees down, so it's always difficult to find a sofa that fits both a woman and man well. If the sofa is just for the lady, then for your typical 5' 5" woman something with a 18.5" to 19" seat height and a 19" seat depth would be pretty much ideal. However a man my size, 5' 11" would be cramped on it. I have made many a custom H&M sofa for ladies and that's typically where we custom spec it at.
As for it being 'ludicrous' to purchase a sofa without trying it out, I find that opinion a little strong. I only carry a few brands of upholstery, yet within those few brands there are over 4,000 frames and I have a 5.000 s.f store. It's impossible to put every frame in a maker's line on display, you would need a store the size of a football stadium. Generally if you can try out a maker's brand in two or three frames in a store, the whole line will usually sit similar. They do have pretty good continuity across the line. Biggest differences are not how they sit, but the style from frame to frame. There's a perception they all sit different, but the reality is the differences in a maker's line as to comfort are usually subtle.
Duane, though I completely understand the business factors involved AND I think everything you said above is quite reasonable, it is STILL LUDICROUS in my opinion to purchase a 3-4k sofa without ever sitting on it. I would even be so bold to say that I'll BET that many, many customers have post purchase regret even if they won't admit to it after actually sitting on the piece they ordered 8-10 weeks a go. It may look nice but is it really comfortable?
I agree that sitting on a similar spec'ed piece from the same manufacturer will give you a good idea of what you're getting yourself into but it is still a dangerous game nonetheless.
I have now sat on a sofa from every single high-end brand you can think of minus Baker (one sales women said they are "pricing themselves out of the US market") and they all feel different when you are actually slap your butt on them. What's worse is A LOT of the sales reps you meet have NO IDEA about some of the brands they sell since they only move a fraction of them. Duane, you are more of the exception than the rule.
@Jenny: I have been asked what my wife and I do for a living several times during our shopping experience minus the place we actually bought furniture from! I'm surprised they don't want a credit check. (btw, I have been thinking of making up an answer to this question that is funny like, "My wife and I are professional clowns." or something like that).
Btw, here is one more idiotic story about Stickley:
So remember that sale I was talking about in a few posts back about a year or so ago. Well, because of a delay on THEIR side getting us fabrics, we went past the day of the sale. As a result, I asked them if they could just extend the sale ONE weekend past it since we were in the middle of the purchasing process for most of that month (again, we had to wait for them to send us fabric samples then some of the fabrics we choose were out of stock and we had to choose again, the store is about an hour or so away, normal stuff, nothing out of the ordinary). Anyway, the owner of the store said, "I can't do that" and we would have to pay the non-sales price and basically loose 3k in the process.
They lost literally a 10k+ sale in 10 minutes. I couldn't believe it and to this day I don't know how that store stays in business.
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Re: Stickley Furniture prices are confusing me, how to budget?
What I have done for many customers is arrange for them to go to the factory when one is coming off the line to get a tour and test-sit a particular piece if they can't find it anywhere. Yes, that means travel to the factory, but its a way to do it. Usually my customer gets the VIP treatment when they go and they enjoy the experience - coming away with a great knowledge base of how things are made and all the steps. It's a pretty good experience.
I buy my floor models six months out in advance and my store is usually pretty full, but on occasion if I get a customer that just has to try out a particular sofa or chair, I will order one for stock. Depending on their choice of cover, I may or may not order it in what they like. My assumption will be they will not buy it, so I have to get it in a cover I think is the most appealing. Then when it comes in, they can try it out and go from there. Sometimes too, I will let them order a piece with the condition they don't have to take it if they don't like it (again, depending on the cover selected) however they have to put a deposit on it as if they were ordering it, and if they don't like it when it arrives they get a store credit towards something else but not a refund of their deposit. That's about the best a dealer can do. Sometimes I have too much inventory (like right now) and can't do that, all depends on stock levels.
Factory sales are pretty difficult to get extended. Most the time they will say 'no, sorry'. I have had clients wait too long on a sale period and attempt to order the next day when it has ended and I can no longer get that discount for them - and that's going to the CEO of the company for the request, not the customer service people. When its' over - it's usually over - but I will make a phone call and try on to get it in. Now here's a tip for you when that happens and you are up against the deadline. Go ahead and place the order and do a CUTTING FOR APPROVAL. What this does is lock in your order and they will send a piece of the cover prior to production for you to say yea or nay. Production does not start until you approve the cover so you have at least two weeks before that CFA will arrive. Then you can cancel or re-select the cover if you like. The store may or may not allow you to do a full cancel of your order - check their policies and ask them. In my store, if you cancel a CFA order you can have a refund less 5% of the deposit fee. So if the deposit was $ 1,000 the refund amount is $ 950 and you can walk away from it.
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Re: Stickley Furniture prices are confusing me, how to budget?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
drcollie
What I have done for many customers is arrange for them to go to the factory when one is coming off the line to get a tour and test-sit a particular piece if they can't find it anywhere. Yes, that means travel to the factory, but its a way to do it. Usually my customer gets the VIP treatment when they go and they enjoy the experience - coming away with a great knowledge base of how things are made and all the steps. It's a pretty good experience.
I buy my floor models six months out in advance and my store is usually pretty full, but on occasion if I get a customer that just has to try out a particular sofa or chair, I will order one for stock. Depending on their choice of cover, I may or may not order it in what they like. My assumption will be they will not buy it, so I have to get it in a cover I think is the most appealing. Then when it comes in, they can try it out and go from there. Sometimes too, I will let them order a piece with the condition they don't have to take it if they don't like it (again, depending on the cover selected) however they have to put a deposit on it as if they were ordering it, and if they don't like it when it arrives they get a store credit towards something else but not a refund of their deposit. That's about the best a dealer can do. Sometimes I have too much inventory (like right now) and can't do that, all depends on stock levels.
Factory sales are pretty difficult to get extended. Most the time they will say 'no, sorry'. I have had clients wait too long on a sale period and attempt to order the next day when it has ended and I can no longer get that discount for them - and that's going to the CEO of the company for the request, not the customer service people. When its' over - it's usually over - but I will make a phone call and try on to get it in. Now here's a tip for you when that happens and you are up against the deadline. Go ahead and place the order and do a CUTTING FOR APPROVAL. What this does is lock in your order and they will send a piece of the cover prior to production for you to say yea or nay. Production does not start until you approve the cover so you have at least two weeks before that CFA will arrive. Then you can cancel or re-select the cover if you like. The store may or may not allow you to do a full cancel of your order - check their policies and ask them. In my store, if you cancel a CFA order you can have a refund less 5% of the deposit fee. So if the deposit was $ 1,000 the refund amount is $ 950 and you can walk away from it.
Duane that is a great tip. I'm surprised the store we were working with didn't suggest that. Their loss!
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Re: Stickley Furniture prices are confusing me, how to budget?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Trogdor
Duane that is a great tip. I'm surprised the store we were working with didn't suggest that. Their loss!
LOL, gotta be able to think on your feet....
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Re: Stickley Furniture prices are confusing me, how to budget?
I recently got quoted 10% off list price/MSRP for a Stickley 100 Series 85" upholstered sofa. The fabric is 100% polyester and is not a performance fabric. I'm not in the business of telling retailers what they should charge, but that sounds terribly overpriced. Am I right about that?