Finding and choosing new furniture for your office can be a challenge. There are so many different factors you will need to consider in order to make the best choices for your own work space. One of the primary decisions that you will need to make is where you will purchase your office furniture. Office furniture is available from so many different sources that it can be confusing to know what the best option will be for your own situation. Before you even pick specific stores to patronize, you will need to choose whether you will buy your office furniture online or in a store. There are advantages and disadvantages to both options, so be sure that you consider the options carefully before you make your final choice.

Your first consideration should be convenience. Do you have the ability, time and availability to go to multiple stores in order to find new office furniture? If you do not already have a preferred furniture chain or store to check out, you may find that you spend a lot of valuable time running around to different stores trying to compare your options. Even many stores of the same chain offer different products in stock from location to location. Before making your final decision, you may also find that you need to visit some stores more than once, to remind yourself of your options, to make comparisons, or because in the midst of shopping, some furniture becomes unavailable. If you find the products you want, it may be difficult to find a store associate to assist you in actually purchasing them if the items are too large for you to carry by yourself.

Shopping online eliminates that hassle. Instead of running to multiple stores and having to take careful notes or even pictures to remind yourself of your options, you can instead accomplish the same tasks by simply opening multiple browser windows or tabs and clicking back and forth between several stores you can browse at the same time. You can instantly compare brands, styles and prices without ever leaving your home or office. On the other hand, if you are just in the process of setting up your first office or cannot spend a lot of time online, you may still find that visiting storefronts is your best and most convenient option to buy your new office furniture.

Your second consideration should be the cost of the furniture. Because online stores do not carry the same overhead costs as physical stores do, they can often offer better pricing than you would ever find in a typical store. In addition, the selection that you find available online can be more extensive than what you find in your local store, allowing for better price comparisons to consider before choosing your furniture options. On the other hand, buying furniture online leaves no room for cost negotiation. The price of the furniture and the cost of shipping it to your home will be set long before you ever open a web page. In contrast, if you visit a physical store, you may be able to negotiate pricing for the pieces that you select, or take advantage of free shipping types of offers. By balancing which would be more beneficial to your shopping experience, you can make the best decision.

Your final consideration can be simply titled “what you see is what you get.” That phrase means something vastly different if you purchase your furniture online instead of picking it out in a store. One distinct advantage to shopping in a store can be the fact that you can see exactly the piece of furniture which will be arriving in your home. There will be no guesswork as to the actual measurements, the grain of the wood and the condition of the furniture. When you purchase office furniture from an online store, the pictures that are available may not accurately convey the actual appearance. Wood finishes can turn out to be a different shade, measurements may be approximate instead of exact, and you may find that the overall quality is different from what is depicted.

In addition to “what you see is what you get,” a related consideration is your ability to send back furniture that you do not want or that is damaged upon delivery. With a local store, this may not be a very difficult task. But with an online store, it can be expensive, frustrating or nearly impossible. Some stores – online and off – state that if you accept delivery, and change your mind later, you will have to pay the full cost of the return freight, which can be hundreds of dollars in some cases. If the item is clearly damaged when the truck arrives, refuse to accept the delivery.

Before you purchase furniture from either a physical store or an online outfit, make sure you know what you are getting into and know all of the policies concerning your purchase. Only then can you be satisfied that you have made the very best decision for your new furniture. As with any major purchase, comparison shop for the best selection and prices. Low price alone, however, should not be the sole deciding factor. Consider convenience, customer service, warranties, and other store policies that can make or break your shopping experience.

Sandy Darson is a freelance writer who writes about furniture and decorating, often discussing one specific kind of furniture such as office furniture.

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By Darson Sandy