3 Ways To Save Money At The Furniture Store

People love to spruce up their homes, which is probably why Americans bought nearly 50 billion dollars worth of home furnishings in 2013. When you arrive at the home furniture store, it can be easy to be bombarded with choices and salespeople, which can make it hard to score a great deal on your new items. Here are three ways that you might be able to save a little bit of cash the next time you shop for new furniture.

1: Shop At The Right Times

The furniture store is just like any other retail operation. They are constantly receiving new inventory, trying to get rid of the old stuff, and encouraging their salespeople to rack up big numbers. To accomplish these sales goals, furniture stores usually offer deals at certain times of the year. If you know when to walk into a furniture store, you have a better chance of paying a lot less for that gorgeous tweed chaise.

In order to clear out inventory, many furniture stores have incredible sales at the end of the fiscal quarter. The fiscal quarters end on December 31, March 31, June 30, and September 30. These sales might be disguised as "end of the season" sales, but just remember that most of the more aggressive price cuts will take place right around the end of the quarter. Businesses do this in order to start fresh with viable products, and to weed out surplus items.

Holidays are also a great time to go shopping for new furniture. Walk through your local furniture stores around big holidays like New Years Day and Labor Day, in order to see what kind of deals they are offering.

If you have your eye on a certain set of furniture, make a spreadsheet and track the sales prices of the piece for as long as you can. By understanding the high dollar and low dollar price of the piece, you will be able to recognize an aggressive deal from a weak one.

2: Understand That The Sticker Price Is Negotiable

Buying furniture is a little bit like buying a car. You wouldn't waltz into a car dealership and pay full sticker price for a ride, would you? You shouldn't do that at the furniture store either. When you spot the sticker price of the piece, think of it as a starting point for negotiations. You might feel silly asking for a deal, but you shouldn't. Salespeople are used to negotiating, and they expect to do some bargaining before a final sales price is determined.

In order to pay less for your piece, remember to be polite. Being forceful or rude will only aggravate your salesperson, which could disrupt your bargaining power. Never act desperate, and don't mention that you need the piece that day. If you act too desperate, a salesperson will not offer you a better deal because they will suspect that you would purchase the item anyway.

Instead of starting negotiations by explaining how much you want to pay, ask the salesperson for the best price that they could offer you. They will usually go back and talk with their manager, and then resurface with a lower price. If this total is not to your liking, explain what you are willing to pay for the item, and see how much you can talk them down. You might be surprised with just how much you can save by doing a little bit of friendly negotiating.

3: Ask About The Floor Model

Have you fallen in love with a table or sofa set, but can't stomach the cost? Consider asking the salespeople if they are interested in selling the floor model. Furniture stores regularly whisk through their warehouses to replace slightly damaged or worn-out example pieces. Oftentimes, these models can be cleaned in order to look brand new, but you can get them for a lot less money.  

Visit your local furniture store regularly, and look for signs of renovations. If you notice that they are changing the way that the children's area is set up, you might be able to pick up a nearly new version of that bunk bed set that you have been watching just by asking about the floor model.

It might take a little bit of practice, but by shopping smarter at the home furniture store, you can save some serious money. Check out the site and others like it to begin your research and shopping!