Has your life changed since the economic upheaval was suddenly thrust upon us in 2008? Very few people and very few businesses escaped unscathed the sweeping changes it ushered in almost overnight! It’s quite an understatement to say that we live in a different world today than we did prior to September 2008!
Much has changed, and much that “worked” before that fateful time doesn’t work today. Case in point: Twenty-two of the nation’s top 100 furniture stores in 2005 have since disappeared!
Why? Because the decades of strong economic conditions that helped them grow into a Top 100 Furniture Retailer evaporated suddenly, leaving them with huge unsustainable overhead in the new, much weakened economy.
Big is great when things are going well. But big homes, big (expensive) cars, and big stores can quickly become burdensome when things suddenly go sour! Recent history has proved that to be true. It could be argued that bigger wasn’t even better during boom times; but in today’s economy especially, bigger can be lethal to a business unprepared!
Case in point locally: Roomful Express, a Pittsburgh based company at one time number 71 on the top 100 list of furniture retailers–gone literally in just weeks after it became public they were in trouble!
Why are so many gone so fast? Because the traditional retail furniture store model–designed for the 80’s and 90’s–has become increasingly unsustainable in today’s unstable economy! What worked fine during boom times is clearly not working today! And the purging is most likely not complete–more may fall!
But in the meantime, many of those that remain must sustain their “bigness” with higher prices even though their ads claim quite the contrary. Why? Because today the cost of everything is going up, and business is sporadic at best. So when you’ve got a large overhead, and you can’t cut enough to sustain your business during soft times, you’re left with one choice–raise prices.
Unfortunately, even smaller local furniture retailers face the same problem only on a smaller scale. They’re trapped in a business model designed for decades past with big stores, big inventory, big warehouses, big trucks, and big payroll. Regardless of what their sale ads say, in the face of such significant fixed overhead, genuine low prices are impossible to offer beyond a few advertised specials or handful of doorbusters.
What is working today? Even a cursory study of today’s thriving retailers shows that creative new ways to sustainability–chuck the frills and cut the overhead–is the path to low prices. True off-price stores like Lumber Liquidators, Cabinets to Go, TJ Maxx, Ross, Marshalls, Home Goods, Five Below, Bottom Dollar, Aldi, and a myriad of “dollar” stores have grown during these challenging times while other stores selling similar wares, but still rooted in the past, struggle.
It’s after examples like these, Speedy Furniture was born! Like these adaptive businesses, the Speedy Furniture model is designed to grow and thrive in today’s economy–and more importantly, deliver genuine low prices today’s consumers seek. No gimmicks, no sales, just guaranteed low prices everyday!
By design, Speedy Furniture can deliver genuinely low prices everyday because we have re-engineered the furniture retail experience. We still offer the large selection furniture shoppers desire while dramatically decreasing the fixed overhead traditionally associated with such a selection–and then we put the savings in the prices! A creative blend of hi-tech and hi-touch you’ll love makes it all possible!
In fact, we’re so confident our prices beat other stores’ sale prices every day, we offer this challenge to shoppers: Shop any chain store or traditional neighborhood furniture store on their biggest sale day, and then shop a Speedy Furniture store any day. You’ll see where the real savings are!
We take our motto, designed to save you money, very seriously. Stop in, and we’ll prove it!
