If you're looking for furniture, you refuse to buy it used, and you're not willing to pay full fare at the premium retail stores, you can reduce your purchasing costs by at least half, and that's without even being too smart about it. Read this and be smart, I'll save you more and your backside will thank me to boot.- Most furniture outlets, whether liquidation or factory-direct outlets, sell just two kinds of furniture; Handsome but uncomfortable, or comfy/cozy but hideous. Pick carefully and know your taste, but always give your heiny a test drive on the springs.
- Don't shop by price, when appearance is critical, and don't shop by appearance if you actually plan to spend 4-hours a night watching the boob tube.
- Remember that it's all made in China either way, so none of the non-designer brands are any worse than the next, so shop by price and comfort exclusively.
- Forget about name brands. They'll only mean anything to maybe two guests since forever, so don't put down an extra ten-grand for that prestige, unless those two persons can benefit you directly more than five-grand a head. It's the same advice I give to would-be Rolex buyers. Nobody cares but you, let the notion go.
- Make sure the springs don't probe you in the back worse than alien abduction crafts. Nothing against it, sounds a bit curious, but I'd only agree to it as it pertains to legitimate space aliens, not just discounted pine crafted by quasi-slave-labor. Also nothing against quasi-slave-labor, I just think what you get should be equal parts attractive and comfy.
- Know what furniture costs, and don't pay even half of what you'd expect to pay at the premium outlets.
- Ask about cash discounts. If that fails, ask about "better-than-cash" financing, but pay it off in the first month.
- Consider buying "returns" from the likes of Rent-A-Center instead of purchasing new. It's mid-grade furniture, and it isn't bad stuff. It's kind of worn, but it's rock-bottom priced, usually, so just make sure the numbers work and call it a day.
- Hotel returns are cheap too, if you can find them. Hotels usually turn over the property in short order, and you'll get damn-near new stuff at "just take out garbage" prices.
- Ignore the scratch or minor tear to the upholstery. You'll put the scratch there yourself in three-months either way, so for $200 off, maybe it's worth consideration.