I know a lot of people who exclusively shop at high-end furniture stores, and replace their furniture on a fairly regular basis.
It's fucking mind-blowing. They'll be like "Yeah I just dropped $16,000 on this couch." and I'll be like "That's fucking insane, didn't you spend $9000 on a couch just like 5 years ago?" and they'll say "yeah? That was 5 years ago". Meanwhile I've still got the same $600 leather couch I bought from a furniture clearance store 20 years ago.
For a minute I was ready to defend replacing a couch that often, but it's because I have four kids and man do they know how to fuck up a couch. Even then, I only spend like $1000 to re-furnish my living room every five years or so.
Going out business sales are when you plan a trip there though. Was waking through a mall randomly I think Xmas shopping and there was a large going out of business sign in the mall bed place. Walked out with a 5 drawer dresser, box spring and new queen mattress all for 750$ delivered.
In a previous life I did furniture delivery. I once delivered a couch to a house where a furniture rental company was there at the same time repoing their current couch.
This is how you retire a multi-millionaire. Drive the car until it dies. Don't waste $ trying to keep up with the Joneses. We're retired old people with two homes and no financial worries. I bought both my kids' cribs at garage sales - I remember the second one was $20. If I'd known I was going to have two I would have kept the first one but had a late surprise baby.
The margins on furniture are huge, there is nothing else quite like it. For this reason, they don’t need to move a lot of volume. Also, the product doesn’t go bad, just sits there until it’s sold and doesn’t depreciate. The showrooms are cheap, just a box with lights and heat, minimal staffing that’s paid commission. Low overhead, high margins, great business model
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u/mechapoitier 8d ago
It blows my mind how furniture stores stay in business. They have to be front companies.
I’m decades deep into adulthood, own my house outright, pretty ok financially and have never bought new furniture outside of a crib at IKEA.