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How Can I Have the Best Experience While Shopping for Furniture?

When I first started in the furniture business, one of the things I struggled to understand was why some customers would be frustrated and upset during their shopping experience and other customers would have a wonderful time. Over the years, I have come to understand that the customer who comes to the store prepared and with an open mind seems to reap the benefits of shopping in the World’s Largest Home Furnishings Showplace. Before you arrive, I would suggest several ideas for the Furnitureland South customer.

1. Mentally prepare yourself for a wonderful adventure. If you come shopping with a feeling of dread and foreboding, your chances of having a successful trip are not very good.
2. Do some research before you arrive. As consumers, most of us know more about buying automobiles than we do about buying home furnishings. This is because we have bought more cars over the years and we have researched the cars to make sure the one we purchase is the one we want. Does this make sense when we tend to make longer-term commitments to the furniture we buy than the cars we drive? The internet is a wonderful tool to learn about furniture and Furnitureland South has an in-depth website that will educate and inform every person who visits.
3. Come shopping with a game plan. When I meet a customer for the first time, I try to discover their goals for this visit. Many people just want to look and get a feeling for the store, which is fine. If you have certain objectives that you wish to accomplish while here, the sooner that you share those objectives with your Sales & Design Consultant, the sooner you can be on the road to having a successful shopping experience.
4. Understand and believe that your Sales & Design Consultant is here to serve you as a consultant and a partner. We truly want your shopping experience to pleasant and successful.

Below are a few helpful technical tips about furniture shopping:

• When shopping for a dining room you must realize that 75-80% of the tables you will see have a veneer top. Veneer is not a bad thing! The only way to achieve the beautiful inlay patterns on the top of a dining room table is to use veneers. Ask your Sales & Design Consultant to explain the difference between veneers and solid wood tabletops.
• Many of us have heard the term "Eight-Way Hand-Tied" while shopping for a sofa, loveseat, or chair. What this means is that the spring system is tied eight different ways, by hand, to the frame or to an adjacent spring. This is traditionally the best, most long-lasting way to construct a sofa, loveseat or chair. Most of your higher quality upholstery companies use an "Eight-Way Hand-Tied" spring system.
• When looking for a bedroom suite, take few moments and inspect the drawers. Dovetailing is the method used to join a drawer’s sides to the front and back. There are two styles of dovetailing, English and French. English dovetailing looks like interlocking teeth where the corners are joined. French dovetailing connects the sides of the drawers to the front and back by sliding into a "canal" on the front and back of the drawer. Also, look at the bottom of the drawer for drawer supports. Drawer supports will add to the life and stability of the drawer.

I will add more fun facts about shopping at Furnitureland South in my next article. Please do not hesitate to contact me if I may assist you with your next design project.

Ted Humphrey has been described by his customers as "the most patient and understanding design consultant I've worked with. He is always prepared and knowledgeable of his craft." Ted has been in the home furnishings industry for over fifteen years as Sales & Design Consultant and a store Manager. "I guess my best attribute is that I put myself in my customer's situation and treat them like I would want someone to treat my mother, if she were shopping at Furnitureland South. I help my customers get focused and we approach the task at hand as a team."

• Ted Humphrey
• Sales & Design Consultant
• 336-822-3000 x2553
• fax: 336-822-3891
• Tedhumphrey@furniturelandsouth.com
• Furnitureland South, Inc
• 5635 Riverdale Drive
• Jamestown, NC 27282