Two New Trends That Have Eco Impact

There are two trends that we are finding across all markets (not exclusive to furniture) as we slowly emerge from the economic crunch. Both can be considered “green”.

The first is the rise in internet shopping. Whether it is because of the rising price of gasoline or simply due to the convenience and proliferation of computers, smart pads and smart phones- more people are doing their searches and shopping online. We have seen it personally but also article after article backs up our observations. Internet sales are up. Brick and mortar (the trade term for ‘stores’) sales are still struggling. The trends strongly indicate businesses that have a strong internet presence are in a better financial position and can offer their customers more.

The second trend is that there is more demand for customization and people are looking for quality in their purchases. I am not sure if this is because we are thirty to forty years into a trend of settling for a homogenized quality level. Perhaps it is because of so much of what we buy is made off shore and consumers are questioning the policy and quality of current furniture being offered.

This doesn’t mean that the personal customer service is out. It all depends upon the site. There are two that we deal with that are good examples. www.20besttwenty offers less per category than many sites but each item is carefully selected by them. Like a juried art show. They work hard to select the very best and have built their reputation for that. www.zecozi.com is green conscious. They have a following of loyal customers that interact with their site – sharing what their favorites are.

Customization and customer service are at our foundation. By doing things the way we do means we work in an eco-friendly manner. We listen carefully to the customer and build what they want specifically. www.barbofurniture.com has several pages dedicated to this theme.. yet still don’t show everything we have made or are capable of building. We are increasing our web presence and are carefully selecting sites we can work with.

Both trends are green. People are not as willing to settle for something that will.. get by. By taking this mindset they are doing their homework, purchasing once and throwing away less.

Philosophical Differences in Shopping Viewpoints

Over the Easter weekend I had a chance to visit with family and I came ‘smack’ up against the “disposable shopper”. I have met this type of shopper in my store many times. I also have a couple of them in my family. I understand their outlook. They are trying to get the best “something” for less money. With the economy what it is today, in their eyes, that shopping philosophy makes more sense than ever. For the most part, this type of shopper is not going to ever see my view point. Usually I let it go but I can’t begin to tell you how much that way of thinking strikes me as wrong.

You are a bargain shopper. You go to Acme Store X or perhaps to “Craig’s List”. You are looking for “Item Y” (You need to fill in the blank here. It can be a washer, a shirt or a chair. Whatever.) You search out the cheapest one you can find, that seems to meet your criteria, and buy it. After a short time span it breaks or quits or perhaps it makes you sick and you need to replace it. You go back to your favorite bargain source and repeat.

This sets up a series of situations. 1)Every time you replace you are using more materials or resources. More metal for that washer, more fabric for that shirt or wood for the chair. 2) Everytime you replace you have to sell or some way dispose of what is broken. What happens to the rejected piece? How much can it be fixed or does it just end up in the landfills, leaching into our ground water. As it is our drinking water has growing amounts of formaldehyde, pharmaceuticals and other chemicals from things we have thrown away. 3) Everytime you throw away and replace you are spending more money. Yes, the amount is less than if you bought new and well made. That is a fact but so is the fact that the duration that the well made piece lasts versus the added totals of all of the cheap pieces, makes it not a ‘bargain’.

I know that both of my relatives who are “bargain hunters” and “disposable shoppers” think that they are smart to do what they do. They are proud of what they can save and they are happy because they can change the item frequently. Like I say, it is a philosophical difference. I, in turn, see it as very wasteful to change your furniture every five years or to wear something a few times and throw it away because you didn’t buy well made. It bugs me that more and more “stuff” is purchased and thrown away every year. It irritates me that sane people can think that is reasonable to drive 90 miles, or fly across the country, to a big city, to go to a “SALE” that had the same or similar stuff as their own city. What are they saving?? Certainly not gas!

So, as I write this, I have to admit that we will never agree on these points. Everybody is different. Each thinks they are right. (Visualize me shrugging.) You decide.