Furniture Shopping!!

 That was me, praying the entire five miles from the furniture store to my apartment. I was praying that the trunk of my car would stay tied down, that the big fat Ashley ottoman I just bought on clearance wouldn't come flying out and hurt someone, and I was praying it would all be intact when I arrived. I texted Laura every mile to let her know I was still alive, the ottoman was still in place, and that no cops were on my tail.  

    This morning I decided to go furniture shopping, and I don't even have a clue as to why I do that. I know I'm going to come home with something. It's like going to the shelter to look at dogs or going to the auction to look at horses. I will come home with something if I go furniture-looking -- it's just the way I am.

    Mathis has been a staple in the Oklahoma City area for over sixty years; it's where you go. I have gone to Bob Mills. I have gone to Evans. I have gone to Brunos. I have done my due diligence online as well. I shopped at America Freight and Living Spaces. It's just you can't really beat the better quality for the lower prices at Mathis Outlet. It's sort of their secondary shop; secondary to the main store, but I love it.

    The ottoman (an Ashley Signature) was up on a shelf against the wall in the back where they had clearance items.  It was marked $116 and the regular price is $315 at the original Mathis. I can tell you this, when I looked it up online it was as low as $207 and as high as $413 in the same city, all shops being about 4-6 miles apart from one another. Yeah, I'm going with Mathis Outlet if it's $116!  One online store was the closest at $207.  That's a huge difference. Living Spaces was out of them, but sold them for $413.

    What I've decided to do with the piece is to put it in the corner and use it as my sitting space with pillows against the wall. I'll get a 3-seater sofa for the other side of the room. If I need to, I can move the ottoman to the other side of the room to watch TV, but that will likely never happen. We don't watch TV much at all. I'll end up using the ottoman as my daily sit-space for when I write, and I can have a dog or two join me. When I'm not using it, I'm sure one or the other cats will find it comfortable.

    My new place is going to be so precious! I simply cannot wait to have it all set up. It will be another week before we move, and another week before it's all set up and ready to take pictures.  I will take pictures. You don't have to worry about that.

    When I walked into Mathis Outlet there was (of course) someone there to greet me. His name is Cobi and he's probably 20. He smiled and told me his name, said he'd be available if I needed him. I hate it when people follow me or push themselves on me, so it was nice to have him just say hello and leave me alone.  Later, I found the kid and asked if he had a business card. He texted it to me.  This way he has my phone number as well. Good plan.

    I left the store, texted him to let him know, and thanked him. About an hour later I texted him again and asked the size of the ottoman. I sent him a picture. He texted back that it was a standard oversized ottoman and 3 feet by 3 feet at just about 20 inches tall with the feet attached.  I measured my car and thought it would just about fit. I let him know I was on my way. He met me in the back, and we loaded it up - - except, it didn't fit in the back because the doors of my car won't bend that way.  We put it in the trunk and used twine.

    We both laughed because he had to take the legs of the thing off to fit it in my car's backseat, but it still didn't go in. He set the legs to the side, grabbed the ottoman, put it in the trunk, and went to find twine.  He said out loud "You grab the legs and I'll get the twine."  It took half a second before both of us were spitting trying not to laugh too loudly.  He turned so red I thought I was going to have to pour my bottled water over his head to cool him down.

    We were tying the ottoman down when another salesman came out to the bay and said "Oh, I guess it's sold then."  To which Cobi smiled again and said "I guess it is!"  He had been trying to up the guy who had asked, and he was finally able to do it.  I asked if he really wanted to up the man, to which he said he did.  I told him to start studying FOREX trading, get his license to become a Claims Adjuster, and start making real money in the next 90 days.  Cobi agreed to check it out.

    So, on the 24th I'm going to order the sofa that I like. It's not the exact color match, but close, and I can always connect the two with throws and pillows. It's going to be lovely.  Cobi agreed to find someone to deliver the sofa for me so Laura and Reuben don't have to fight it through the door.  I liked that. I'll tip the guy(s).  I'm nice like that.  I'll even pick up a couple of area rugs but not right away. I want the dogs to learn to "go" outside before I lay rugs down.

    Sundays are great days to go furniture shopping. I made a quick pass through Walmart on my way home the first time. There are a couple of Walmarts I will shop at, and one of them is close enough to the furniture stores that when I'm in the area I'll swing by.  If for no other reason, I go to get my steps in, but I have decided that when I move I'll shop at THAT Walmart for food when I can because, like I said, it's not like the others. It's not in a residential area; most industrial. You have to be on your way there, or passing through to shop there.

    Furniture isn't something you buy all the time. Most people take a lot more time deciding what they want, but I pretty much know the style I like, the brands I trust, and the colors that I believe will work in my living spaces. I have to think "Will this look good with cats and dogs fighting on it?"  That's a factor in my decision making, and I have to ask myself if they haven't price gouged me.  

    My friend used to be the bookkeeper for a fine furniture store and she proved to me that the markup on furniture is sometimes 400%. You can find bargains, but the better bet is to go to places that will either price match or already have lower-than-average prices. Mathis Outlet is that place.

    If you go to Mathis Outlet and Cobi is there - - ask for him. He probably won't be there long, not after he gets a taste of claims adjusting and Forex trading....not if he's smart. He said he etched out $2300 last month and it was hard to do. He can do that in 1/2 a month as a claims adjuster and that's the low end; the desk side.  If he were to go into property field adjusting he'd make that every week.  We'll see how he adjusts. He'll be there on the 24th when I buy the sofa, and that's good.

Photo Credit: Me (That's Bilbo's ottoman now)