Buying Office Furniture On A Budget

It’s very common for customers to visit our showroom and say “We’re on a budget”. In fact, it’s usually also within the first 5 sentences when explaining what they are looking for. And to be honest, that’s ok! We like customers on a budget! We sell used office furniture. If it wasn’t for people on a budget, we would be selling all NEW furniture. And in this economy who can afford that?

Let’s face it, this economy isn’t what it used to be, and any type of furniture is expensive, office furniture included. And because of this, small businesses are saving money by purchasing used and/or refurbished office furniture. There really is no need to break the bank for new office furniture if most people can’t tell the difference anyway. Most used and refurbished furniture is obtained through a combination of companies going out of business, downsizing, or simply upgrading because they can afford to do so. If larger companies can afford to upgrade and discard their used but perfectly decent office furniture, there’s no reason why smaller businesses can’t take advantage of that. We understand that funds for most small businesses are tight. And we want to help. We’ve come up with a few suggestions to help you find the office furniture that you need, and maybe save some cash along the way.

1)      USED and REFURBISHED – Before shopping for office furniture, you should first consider your feelings on used office furniture. Does it really matter that much if someone else sat at your desk before you did? Is it going to annoy the boss to think that all his cubicles are NOT brand new, rather refurbished? If not – then what’s stopping you from buying used and/or refurbished? If it helps save some cash – do it!

2)      Check for a local used office furniture dealers.  Google “used office furniture” and your city – and watch the results populate. You’d be surprised how many of us are out there. At the end of the day, we would love for you to come to Furniture By George… so be sure to consider us first. However, if we don’t have, or can’t get what you need, at least you know there are other dealers in your area that might be able to help.

3)      Check community websites. We advertise on websites like CraigsList.com, FurnitureFinders.com, and CommercialFurnitureMall.com. All these sites are great for finding used office furniture. To see all of Furniture By George’s Listings on Craig’s List - go to the furniture category and type in our phone number: 727-561-0325

4)      Get an idea for what you are looking for before stepping foot inside a furniture showroom or warehouse. There is nothing more frustrating to a customer to have a sales person ask 20 questions, and not have an answer to any of them. To keep yourself from getting discouraged you can prepare yourself by asking yourself a few simple questions. First, decide exactly what style you are looking for: Wood or Laminate? Contemporary or Traditional? What colors do you have in mind? What are the room dimensions? And what are the most essential aspects of the office that are needed? Do you really need that extra lateral file TODAY? Are you even sure it will fit?

5)      At the same time, don’t be too picky. Have you ever heard the saying “champagne taste on a beer budget”? If this is you, you might need to reconsider what is really a “need” vs. a “want”.  Is it absolutely crucial for you to match the color of the chairs in the break room to the tile on the floors? Do you think you could give up the bright blue chairs for the cheaper black ones? If you can give yourself a little leeway with colors, you might find that purchasing used office furniture isn’t as horrifying as you expected. On the flip side, if you do settle for that awful color, we can always help out with reupholstering later.

6)      Remind yourself: “I can upgrade later!” If it makes you feel any better about giving up the colors you had your heart set on, just remind yourself that you can upgrade later. It may not be in the budget now to buy the mac daddy of office furniture but it will be one day. That is the plan anyway, right? Most companies, including Furniture By George, will work with you when you’re ready to upgrade, like trading in your current used office furniture for the nicer more expensive furniture. All you have to do is ask.