Need Furniture? Try Buying Samples

When it comes to summer, lots of people choose to move and do some home decoration. The furniture market is also going to have its peak high on sale. Many last chance sale or sample sales are released in summer, not Craigslist at this point, so it is a good time to consider shopping new furniture.

Imagine when you walk into a furniture store, let’s say IKEA, and you want to find a sofa for your living room. You stroll to the “Living room Furniture” area, and you see the price tags. Most sofas’ price is from $2000 to $5000, but the one you found you have a crush on is $8000; which is totally out of your budget for sofa. Then what are you going to do? Gritting your teeth and buying it, or wait until the summer sale and let your wallet breathe. I will choose the second one, and here are my reasons.

I will begin with the phrase sample sale. Most people know products would be put on sale when it’s about to be out of stock or out of season, but not many people know that they can buy samples. Take clothes as an example; my cousin used to work at a fashion magazine, and she always had the latest handbags or apparel from the designers’ brands, which doesn’t match her pay. I asked her why, and she told me the clothes for shooting, once the models wore them, after the shooting, those clothes will be sold with 70 percent off. That is the same when it is furniture. When you go to IKEA, you can buy sample furniture in the showrooms and, usually, it will be sold with discount compare to the new items in the storehouse.

Now, you may come up with the question of why buying sample furniture? To find this out, I went to IKEA this week. I found it’s hosting a 50 percent off sale. I walked around and asked a clerk in the showroom, whose last name is Lu, if I could buy a sample desk. I thought she would say no and gave me some official replies, but she didn’t. Lu gave me a surprised look and told me the price in whispers. It did shock me; the sample desk was sold with 80 percent off. Buying sample is nothing different from buying new products in the storehouse, except the price. Sample furniture is cheaper because it has been touched and sit by other customers, but they are still good to use.

According to 2015 Furniture Insights from Smith Leonard Accountants and Consultants, last year in July, the orders of furniture increased to their highest pace in eight years. Many furniture stores like IKEA and Wayfair are promoting discounts on their products. When selecting furniture on sale, remember to pay attention to the materials. Take tables as an example. The tables on sale are usually made of pine wood or hybrid wood; these tables were not expensive with their original price, so the discount is probably just a promotion for clearance. You can buy these tables for sure, but if you are seeking for high quality tables; consider things made of walnut or oak. The discount on tables made of these woods is worth to take. Therefore, be careful if the price is “too cheap”.

Before you want to make a list for your home furniture, remember to decide a budget, which is important to the shopping. Even though you are going to shop at a sale, you still need a budget to help you clear your goals; otherwise you will buy something you would never use and waste money. The budget for your furniture depends on the type of furniture you want to purchase. If it is for living room, the budget should be no less than $800 if you shop at a sale and want to buy something good. It also depends on the style you want your home look like. The more complicated style you want, the more it will cost you. Therefore, make some decisions before you go to the sale, and it will help you find your furniture.

The summer sale on furniture gives the people an opportunity to realize part of their dream homes. Although we paid less on the furniture we want, that doesn’t mean we put less effort on our dream homes. What we are actually purchasing is a sense of happiness and a clear vision of life. So, get your wallet ready for summer!