Hey Cheapies,
I was looking at a couch to buy from Freedom which has gone up in price $1000 since Jan. The other half is pretty sold on it but the more frugal side of me is wondering if there are any membership groups or discount codes which could claw back the extra charge.
Worth a try at least. Thanks!
I don't know how Freedom Furniture works when it comes to their sales staff but from my 30+ year career selling big ticket furniture items my tips to get the best price possible would be…. go in towards the end of the month when all the salespeople are trying to hit the next tier of their commissions, they'll be more inclined to discount and discount heavier. Go in on a Monday or Tuesday when things are slow and sales are scarce, don't go in during the weekend. Don't HP, you have exactly zero bargaining power if you HP things, always pay cash if you can. Play coy, the last thing you want is for the salesperson to know that you have your heart set on this couch and this couch only because they ain't going to discount it much if they know that. Make them think you're interested in one from another store as well, grab some brochures and business cards from other stores and have them in your hand when you go to look at the couch, as a salesperson if someone had a bunch of cards from other stores with them that meant that chances are if they walked out the door I'd probably never see them again so my priority changed from trying to make as much profit from the sale as I could to just making sure I closed the sale at any cost, a smaller profit from a $3500 sale is better than letting the sale go to one of our competitors. And finally, keep asking for a better price because the first price you get won't be the best they can do and neither will the second or third. People talk about salespeople wearing them down and talking them into buying something they don't want, well it works both ways and I've seen customers wear down salespeople to the point that the salesperson will do anything they can to close the sale and have it be over with. Also, once you think the salesperson has given you the best offer you'll get don't be afraid to counter offer, salespeople on the floor have a limit on how low they can take the margins, so once you think they've reached that limit then make your offer and tell them to take it to their manager because the manager has the power to undercut those limits that the salesperson has to adhere to. Keep asking for better prices and making counter offers until you know you've got the best price, send them back to their manager a few times, the worst that can happen is that they'll say no to one of your offers, and even then it's probably not a hard no so keep pushing them.
Also worth noting that sometimes things are on sale with prices that can't be repeated, there are totally valid reasons for a store being unable to offer an item at the lower price it was a few months earlier.
Freedom have long held the stocking model of just having shelf stock and minimal (if any) warehouse stock. I recall >10 years ago getting sick or going there and wanting something, only to be told it will be delivered months from now. Thanks but no thanks. No longer support them.
Covid and the associated supply chain dramas have only made this situation even worse.
We just bought locally made furniture and it was made (to order; as we wanted a specific fabric) and we are sitting on it 1 month later - including a period of downtime for them due to a covid isolation case. There are companies you can support that still have a good responsible business model and don't just milk their customers.
If you have a screenshot of the price back then, you could try show them it and ask if they could sell it to you at that price. Or at least ask for a discount because $1000 is a big spike ….
I have a printed quote at the cheaper rate with no expiry date but they won't honour it.
Sounds like another local business that should be blacklisted…haha
If you can't find something similar at The Warehouse or iFurniture, then you are probably out of luck, the others are pretty much the same, i.e. on the expensive side.
I wanted to order an outdoor couch last week but it said delivery in September.. seems like Freedom are having stock problems in some areas.
lookslike find out when the delivery day would be. Incase it changes the household views. :)
I have around $600-$700 of vouchers with them that I could sell to you for a discount if you are interested.
Can you PM me, I think you have your privacy settings on to not receive new messages?
I only just set up an account so that I could comment on your post. Now as a new account holder I can't message for 24 hours apparently. I will message you tomorrow.
Freedom are very expensive for what you get. They do have some sales throughout the year though. I’d wait and see if I were you!
Back in Jan we found a buffet table we liked online. Thought we will go in store to check it and maybe ask for a bit or bargain. We almost finalized and when asked about delivery time the guy told us it will be available in October what a outrageous long wait. Luckily I didn't order online as it said in stock. I literally said that do you think a normal person will pay in full and wait for 10 months for the delivery. I said straight on his face you should mark it as not in stock and I won't be coming back for a long time.