I turned down a sale today...

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Frankly, I wish we'd destroy or send back all our furniture displays when they were the last pieces of an item left, just because if the thing breaks (or possibly more likely, when, since we don't take a whole lot of time and effort in assembling displays; plus if parts go missing or screws don't tighten as much as they should, we just say "Fuck it, it's just a display, it looks good enough") the customer would probably blame us for it anyway.

The only furniture displays we do not sell are infant furniture; those displays cannot be sold according to state law. Or at least that's the reason we give.

[pssorens]

not to mention the liablity if the piece of furniture falls apart and breaks something or someone. Thats why my company sells no displays.

[Dips]

Mark once lost a sale. The customer wanted an update and felt he was entitled to have it for free. Mark told him it wasn't free.

There was an argument. The customer's parting shot was something to the effect of, "I'm not going to pay for it, so I'm not going to get it." <click>

Mark told the dial tone, "Correct." Then came to me so we could commiserate over the loss of a $0 sale.

[South Texan]

But I'm not really mechanically-inclined

Man, can I empathize with that statement. But if you are going to buy cheap stuff, you have to accept that it does not come to you like the thinkgs you find in a regular furniture store.

Never ever, under any circumstances, assemble something for the customer.

Whatever they do to it afterwards, if it breaks, they will blame you. Now you have a lawsuit on your hands, and quite possibly would get fired.

Wise words. ANYTHING you or your store does to assemble that furniture creates liability for any accident or injury that can be even loosely attributed to the assembly.

Our K-Mart furniture area has little business cards holders dotted about with cards for a local who's set himself up in the "assemble it for you" business. Obviously K-Mart endorses him, but by it being a totally separate business, they are not at all responsible for his actions. If a customer said something like the above, they'd just hand her a card and say "call this guy".

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE contact your insurance carrier before doing or assuming that! If K-Mart appears to be endorsing this guy or helping him in his business by steering customers to him, many jurisdictions WILL hold K-Mart jointly liable/responsible for damages even if the guy is independent of K-Mart -- and K-Mart probably is a "deep pocket" compared to that guy, so attorneys like to add businesses like that in as co-defendants.

[Music Mo-Gal]

I don't think it's sucky to ask for an assembled item. It doesn't sound like she was rude, nor was she asking for anything unreasonable. Not everyone knows how to assemble furniture themselves.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Not everyone knows how to assemble furniture themselves.

Then those people can go to a full-service furniture store and pay the extra money to get a quality product, fully assembled and delivered to their home, instead of the cheap particleboard shit we sell.

Or failing that, they can go to a thrift store.

It's just another case of people wanting high-end service at Wally World prices.

Speaking of assembly problems with displays--a guy came in today to pick up a wardrobe he had on raincheck. Then, after he got it almost completely assembled, he came back because he was missing a screw. All the other wardrobes we had in back were being held for other people, so we ended up taking it out of the display (It was just one of the small screws that hold the drawer glides in place). It won't affect the way the display looks but it will be an issue when the wardrobe goes on clearance and the display's all that's left.

[Jadedcarguy]

I bought an end tables/coffee table set from a full-blown-real-live furniture store with commissioned sales people and everything!




Had to assemble them myself.

[nomorecarts]

I sentence the defendant to 20 years chained to a cash register at the local Wally World alongside the other local failures of humanity who work there. Case closed.

*bang bang bang*

I'm entertained by the irony that you picked a store that would have accommodated her by having someone assemble a boxed unit

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

I'm entertained by the irony that you picked a store that would have accommodated her by having someone assemble a boxed unit

Wally World does that?

They do seem to have enough staff for it.

Regardless, it is not a service we offer, there are no plans for us to offer it, even though it might really take off if it were.

[fish3k1]

Well, if they used their 30 minute lunch to assemble it, and charged $20, that's $40 an hour! Far more than most retail workers make.



I would think it would be okay if they made it clear (to anyone who cared ask) that they are working (on their own time) directly for the customer, and not the store. Or do it after they punch out for the day.::

I don't know if the US works the same, but if I was to do something like that I'd probably end up getting investigated under 'conflict of interest'.

One of our (now ex) staff was working on the side doing photo corrections/restorations digitally at home. This is NOT a service we offer (we just print what we're given). He mentioned what he did at home, and suggested that we might offer the same service in store. The management seemed really enthusiastic - then opened an investigation into him soon as his back was turned. He quit as soon as they told him.

[nomorecarts]

Wally World does that?

They do seem to have enough staff for it.

Regardless, it is not a service we offer, there are no plans for us to offer it, even though it might really take off if it were.

we have a year round assembler, then a few seasonal ones in the summer, and most of the things they assemble are assembled free, I'm not sure if they charge to assemble things from boxes, they don't get a whole lot of requests for it, but they do it. mostly bikes and grills

I think they make the customer wait and pick it up later if the assembler isn't in at the moment though

[Chromatix]

Bikes I can understand - they're quite fiddly to adjust certain parts of them and it helps to have experience. Particularly as the fiddliest parts to adjust are the brakes, which are a safety thing. There aren't many places that will sell an unassembled bike, AFAIK.

I suspect free assembly services are less common for furniture. IKEA do have a combined delivery-and-assembly service, but they charge a lot for it.

[nomorecarts]

my store sells unassembled bikes too, but the main customer for those is people who have a long trip to get to their house and having it in a box makes it easier to transport