Buying a lounge suite... what are you paying for?
There is a huge difference in pricing between the various home decor stores. Is the difference in pricing justified? Is there a reason why one supplier should be far more expensive than another?
Over the years I have had my share of lounge suites, from top of the line for a formal lounge - down to a more economical suite for a family room. While styles and trends for lounge suites may come and go, the basic construction of a lounge suite remains the same.
Say what you will about discount home decor stores and the furniture they offer, but at the end of the day most locally manufactured lounge suites are constructed in the same way and it's only the padding and fabric used that differs, unless it's a genuine brand name.
If you had the opportunity to look underneath a couch of sofa you would find that the frame is made using chipboard and pine.
So I ask myself ... what are we paying for and why are prices so different? To provide an example of this I visited three home decor store websites and tried to find sofas that were similar in design and size: @Home, Furniture City, and Mr Price Home - shown in the same order below.
Sorrento Sofa @ R8999 - No details given
Downtown Sofa @ R4000 - Details given - These guys are at least honest and advise that the sofa is chipboard and pine frame, which is what most locally manufactured sofas are made of. Plus, the sofa has spring support in addition to foam padding.
Kaylin Sofa @ R4499 (incl R500 discount) - No details on the frame but they do state high-density foam padding and fibre-filled back cushions.
The prices for a sofa that is around the same size (2-seater) and has almost the same style, I don't understand the price difference from R4000 to R8999. I'm sure that if given the opportunity to look underneath you would find all three sofas are manufactured in exactly the same way. Perhaps it's time to take a closer look at what you are buying and whether you are getting true value for money.