Office Furniture Buying Mistakes That’ll Cost You Big

While picking out furniture for your office seems like a relatively easy task, in reality, it’s about much more than just looks and comfort.

There are a number of factors that have to be considered in order to get the best value for your buck. By avoiding these five common furniture buying mistakes, you’ll ensure that the furniture that you choose will help to improve work productivity and employee satisfaction.

1. Choosing Price Tag Over Value

Hey, we’re the first to admit that we love a great deal! There is no shame in bargain shopping for the essentials, but when it comes to your office furniture, cheaper is definitely not better.

Why? Because typically cheaper means the furniture was made cheaper (poorer quality materials, mass produced for volume, etc… ). And that means that it just won’t last you as long as it should, ultimately costing you more time and way more money in the long run.

Takeaway:

When looking for new furniture for your office, don’t fall into the trap of a cheap red price tag. You’ll want to think of your furniture as an investment, that will return value both financially and physically in the long run.(Pictured: Executive Desk)

2. Purchasing Without a Plan

If you don’t know what you want when you go to look for furniture, you’re going to end up wasting your precious free time, and no one has enough of that in general right now. Frustration will kick in and, sometimes, people will end up making rash decisions on pieces they regret in the long run.

Takeaway:

To set yourself for success, you’ll want to assess what your needs are. Do you need a cabinet to go along with your desk for storage? Do you want to be able to sit and stand while you work?

You’ll also want to assess what you’ve liked about the furniture you’ve had in the past as well as what you’d like different. Not enough back support? Too easily scratched and stained?

And lastly, while it’s fun to make decisions based on what’s trending, you may want to consider investing in pieces of office furniture that are timeless, as well as stylish. That way you won’t find yourself two years down the line wishing you had not bought that stained glass desk.(Pictured: Sit and Stand Desk)

3. Choosing Style vs Comfort

The saying, “Beauty is pain.” just doesn’t work in this scenario. In reality, comfort is a huge factor in the overall productivity of workers in an office setting, and the way that ultimate comfort is achieved is with an ergonomically sound workspace. You may be tempted to go with what looks good, but if it doesn’t support you or your employee’s physical needs, work will suffer in the end.

Takeaway:

Luckily, furniture manufacturing companies have taken giant strides in the area to provide options for furniture that is comfortable and ergonomically sound, as well as stylish.

Look for furniture that has been designed and tested to properly support your body while you work throughout the day.

We work many companies that can  specifically design chairs and workstation essentials with ergonomics and style first in mind.(Pictured: Orthopaedica)

4. Forgetting True Cost of Ownership

It’s common to forget that the price tag of your furniture is not the only cost you may incur throughout the purchasing and installation phase. It’s important to remember to add items such as freight charges, packaging and handling costs, taxes, and any installation or assembly chargers that’ll be tacked on. Before you sign on the dotted line (or on the digital screen), make sure you talk to your vendor about what the total cost would be after you factor in all these potential additional charges.

Takeaway:

When shopping around, make sure to ask your vendor what all the costs of purchasing would be to avoid any credit card surprises.

5. Buying Without a Growth Mindset

Whether you only need a few pieces of furniture at the moment or you are buying in bulk to furnish an entire office building, one of the biggest mistakes organizations make is not buying with future growth in mind.

What people end up with is furniture that doesn’t adapt to your changing technology or workspace and/or mismatched furniture through the entire office making it feel like you’re all working for different companies.

Takeaway:

When buying furniture, look for pieces that would look good across the entire organization and ones that can be easily moved or reconfigured to fit your changing needs. Many companies have cohesive collections of furniture that allow you to grow and add at your pace.

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