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Thread: just read the Flexsteel sendoff from Duane

  1. #1
    chappy12744 Guest

    Default just read the Flexsteel sendoff from Duane

    Guess that answers my question on Flexsteel JUNK
    from the july 08 comments
    I will not buy that brand!

  2. #2
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    Quote Originally Posted by chappy12744 View Post
    Guess that answers my question on Flexsteel JUNK
    from the july 08 comments
    I will not buy that brand!
    On the Chinese stuff....I agree. The USA made product is better. The bottom line is $ 1,800 doesn't buy you top quality, it gets you mid-line. And in Mid-line Flexsteel USA is OK. I am a high-quality store, so I get a little jaded and am pretty critical of the mid-line products. I still have a Flexsteel dealership, but am on the verge of letting it go. I sell about 80 pieces of Hancock and Moore for every Flexsteel sale so my Flexsteel floor models really are not earning their floor space. My Flexsteel sales were 3 % of my H&M sales and what usually happens is the Flexsteel customer comes to my store - gets a look at the good stuff - and adds some to their budget to step up.
    Duane Collie
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    My Private Messages are Disabled - Please ask questions here in the forum.

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    Quote Originally Posted by drcollie View Post
    On the Chinese stuff....I agree. The USA made product is better. The bottom line is $ 1,800 doesn't buy you top quality, it gets you mid-line. And in Mid-line Flexsteel USA is OK. I am a high-quality store, so I get a little jaded and am pretty critical of the mid-line products. I still have a Flexsteel dealership, but am on the verge of letting it go. I sell about 80 pieces of Hancock and Moore for every Flexsteel sale so my Flexsteel floor models really are not earning their floor space. My Flexsteel sales were 3 % of my H&M sales and what usually happens is the Flexsteel customer comes to my store - gets a look at the good stuff - and adds some to their budget to step up.
    Duane, if you let Flexsteel go what if anything might you decide to carry to takes it place? The reason I ask is you said said that you get sales from people coming in for the Flexsteel that decide to up their budget and go H&M which isn't a bad thing. I know for myself I most likely would stop in thinking to look at the Flexsteel but a good salesman who can educate me why H&M is a step up just might earn my money whereas without flexsteel I might never stop thinking H&M is out of my price range.

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    The number one comment I get from my leather shoppers is that they would like to see more Hancock and Moore on the floor, more models. I keep fifteen to twenty on the floor but my shop is very small, so it means bumping slower sellers to make room for the fast movers. H&M is simply blowing out everything else in the store in the category so it makes sense to give it the space. On the other hand, I've been in this business long enough to know that its not smart to put all the eggs in one basket, so I may keep the Flexsteel line but just not show more than one or two pieces, same with Bradington-Young and even Leathercraft.

    I hear you on the step-ups. I have one "Made in China" Flexsteel Lattitudes recliner on my floor right now. Had a customer want one, and in order to make the freight dollars work I ordered two and put one on the floor. It's junk. But what it does is upsell the H&M, so I don't mind having it around. I keep it upstairs, and when customers complain that they don't want to spend $ 1,600 on a recliner I say "I have one upstairs for half of that in leather". They go up and look at it, come right back down and sell themselves on the better units.
    Duane Collie
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    My Private Messages are Disabled - Please ask questions here in the forum.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by drcollie View Post
    The number one comment I get from my leather shoppers is that they would like to see more Hancock and Moore on the floor, more models. I keep fifteen to twenty on the floor but my shop is very small, so it means bumping slower sellers to make room for the fast movers. H&M is simply blowing out everything else in the store in the category so it makes sense to give it the space. On the other hand, I've been in this business long enough to know that its not smart to put all the eggs in one basket, so I may keep the Flexsteel line but just not show more than one or two pieces, same with Bradington-Young and even Leathercraft.

    I hear you on the step-ups. I have one "Made in China" Flexsteel Lattitudes recliner on my floor right now. Had a customer want one, and in order to make the freight dollars work I ordered two and put one on the floor. It's junk. But what it does is upsell the H&M, so I don't mind having it around. I keep it upstairs, and when customers complain that they don't want to spend $ 1,600 on a recliner I say "I have one upstairs for half of that in leather". They go up and look at it, come right back down and sell themselves on the better units.
    I can see why you would want more space for H&M furniture. I also was curious because I know you sell flexsteel because you feel their American made stuff is a solid value so curious if you replace it with something as good or better.

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    The US-made product is better from Flexsteel than the China product. No question there in my mind.

    All these furniture makers require a certain dollar value per year for a store to keep current in fabric/leather samples and catalog updates, etc. In order to maintain those thresholds and initial buy-ins, it requires a fairly good floor space and financial commitment. Before I buy into another line I have to be willing to make that and right now there's nothing (in another brand) that I'm willing to invest in. I think I'll probably give my Flexsteel space to a H&M sister company, Jessica Charles. I don't have to have the big buy-in as an H&M dealer so its easy to get into.
    Duane Collie
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    My Private Messages are Disabled - Please ask questions here in the forum.

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    Quote Originally Posted by drcollie View Post
    The US-made product is better from Flexsteel than the China product. No question there in my mind.

    All these furniture makers require a certain dollar value per year for a store to keep current in fabric/leather samples and catalog updates, etc. In order to maintain those thresholds and initial buy-ins, it requires a fairly good floor space and financial commitment. Before I buy into another line I have to be willing to make that and right now there's nothing (in another brand) that I'm willing to invest in. I think I'll probably give my Flexsteel space to a H&M sister company, Jessica Charles. I don't have to have the big buy-in as an H&M dealer so its easy to get into.
    How does Jessica Charles compare to US made flexsteel in terms of price/quality?

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    Jessica Charles is premium. I don't have price info but expect it to be on par with H&M on price and quality.
    Duane Collie
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    Dropping Flexsteel as a brand effective today. Anyone local to Wash DC thats interested, I'll be closing out the six floor model pieces I have at VERY aggressive pricing. Sorry, not planning on shipping any of these as they're out of the boxes and it would be expensive to do so. Local pickup/delivery is best.
    Duane Collie
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    My Private Messages are Disabled - Please ask questions here in the forum.

  10. #10
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    Didn't take long for the Flexsteel Rep to come by and get the samples and my catalogs! Gone out of the store as of 11 a.m. today, but its all good. I'm really not very large and need the space for better selling products. By the numbers, I sold 93 pieces of Hancock and Moore for every Flexsteel piece in 2008. That pretty well shows what's going out the door.....
    Duane Collie
    Straight answers from thirty-six years in the business.
    My Private Messages are Disabled - Please ask questions here in the forum.

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