Thanks! (I think)

ell, I'm in the business and have a small store that specializes in high-quality goods. I have little tolerance for shoddy workmanship and shortcuts, and virtually no tolerance for Pacific Rim goods (i.e., China, Vietnam, Indonesia).

My suppliers think I'm 'difficult' and the one thing I always hear from them is "You're the only one that has ever complained about that." So be it. I summarily toss out any supplier from my showroom who won't stand behind their products, and there have been plenty thrown out in 25 years of doing this.

My job is to retain my customers, and use my knowledge of the business to watch out for their best interests. This results in a steadfastly loyal customer base and I do no advertising other than my website (which I am not allowed to post here under the TOS agreement). How do I get that knowledge? Not by reading their marketing materials....I go to the places where the product is made - drive my own Freightliner there to pick it up. I know the owners of the businesses and know the people in the shops that build it. I learn by watching and talking to the workers.

I don't give a hoot about 'name brands'. That's done by advertising and marketing, NOT by quality. Some of the best products you will ever find are not 'name brands'.

I'm probably not the most successful retailer in the business, but I won't sell a shabby product no matter how attractive the margins might be.

A pretty good rule of thumb is 'You get what you pay for' in most instances. Other than that, the best thing you can do as a consumer is patronize a smaller store where they will take time to get to know you, and talk to you about quality. The larger the store, the less chance that is going to occur. When you find a store that's honest, and knowledgeable, stay with them and give them your business.

"So how is it that companies - builders, furniture manufacturers, whatever - somehow sneak into your mind and establish themselves as a good old solid reliable brand?"

they probably were a good brand and did quality work at one time - they just don't do quality any more. You'll find plenty of people who remember their 30 year old LaZboy as a quality item that lasted for years and years (I grew up with one, mom bought in 1982, still was in great shape when I gave it away in 2003) But would a new one last that long? Nope.

They don't really 'sneak' into my mind, I do the research by looking at what they offer, and then checking price points. I don't research their offerings in a magazine or catalog, I go hands-on either by a new supplier bringing a product to me, or I go to their production shop and see how they are built.

There are only two things that go into a piece of furniture. Time and Material. So, when you want to work more efficiently, and make more profit on a given item or hit a target price point, then you either cut the quality or amount of materials in the piece, or figure out how to make it faster.

Woodworking is primarily a time management business. Lots of artisans can make a beautiful piece - but the guy who can make it in 20 hours is at a significant advantage over the craftsman that takes 35 hours to produce the same piece.

The American consumer has put ENORMOUS pressure on furniture makers do do things to a price point. This is why you see cuts in quality of goods and workmanship. The pressure is so great, that the makers are in a stampede to get things made in China, where the average labor rate is .50 an hour rather than $ 19.00 here in the USA.

For example, you have consumers wanting a 'quality' reclining leather sofa unit for $ 1,999.00 and refusing to pay $ 3,999.00 for it. Well, the hard truth of the matter is you can't have a high-quality piece for that price point. So then the trick becomes to make it LOOK like its high-quality, but take the shortcuts internally where they are least likely to be seen. You wind up then with Bi-cast "leather", plywood frame material and cardboard stiffeners inside the piece.

Everyone has a budget they want to work within. Decide if price point is your primary goal or if its quality of the item...or somewhere in-between. In my experience, the higher cost goods are FAR more durable and less expensive over he useful life of the piece than those built to a price point.

Good Luck!

Is there much in-between? In furniture and also in other things it seems like there's an awful lot of cheap stuff which is cheaper and nastier than it used to be and then there's the expensive stuff but you have to figure out whether it's good expensive stuff or expensive stuff with a big advertising budget. I'm trying to educate myself about what to look for and how to understand the terminology.

We've nervously started to look at dining suites. I say nervously because last year the leg of a brand new upper-mid price chair at a relatives home came off as I sat down. It looked like it had been attached with some kind of long thick staples. They were offerred a repair but with much persistence managed to get a refund. They didn't want to live with the worry of when another leg would come off. The explanation for the "staples" was that the chair had been broken in the factory while being stained and the employee, fearing getting into trouble, had fixed it up himself. Hmmm.

Wondering about a couple of things. What are reasonable warranties in the US? (We were put off one dining suite that looked reassuringly solid by the 3 month warranty.) And are there stores over there that specialise in package deals, eg, sofa, dining, tv unit, double bed, bedside tables (and sometimes a sheet set or dinner setting or tv as well) all for one low price? (No, not planning to shop there.)

Jenathegreat, thanks for your input. Sad about LaZ-Boy.

Dcollie, your suppliers should appreciate you because your customers, their customers, must love you. Sadly I think the more common attitude is not "I will sell something good and the customer will be happy to come back" but "I will sell something for maximum profit today and worry about tomorrow later".