No Such Thing As Free

Currently, I'm on the hunt for a new couch for the beach house. The furniture which is presently down there just doesn't really work for the space it is in. I'm trying to find a smaller sectional that I feel would just fit the living room better. Oh, and because it's just the beach house, I'm trying to find one on the cheap. No need to go crazy for a house that no one lives in from November to March. All of this has led me on an Internet wild goose chase of sorts, checking out many smaller furniture stores websites. While none of them have produced any furniture that fits what I am looking for, I have notice a common theme in them: no matter how big or small the operation is, they are just dying to give you stuff to go with your new furniture.

Seems like every furniture store is offering free tables, rugs or TVs when you buy a couple couches. Now, on a purely marketing level I understand this, because at the end of the day, no matter how much they dress it up, a couch is a couch is a couch. You sit on it, you lay on it - there isn't much you can do to dress that fact up. The only real differences are size, color and how plush you need it to be. So, really, what you are the most worried about is how much it costs, because if you can get it close in two of those categories then you can live with it not being up to your standards in the third. If a couch is cheap and comfortable, I can buy slip covers. Some consumers need major incentives to spend an extra hundred at one store or another; to some a free Blu-Ray player may be just what the doctor ordered.

However, I'm not one of those consumers. Here's the thing that immediately pops into my head when I see that I can get free end tables and a rug with the purchase of a new couch: how over-priced is that couch? I'm not thinking about all the stuff they are willing to throw in - I'm wondering how much cash the furniture dealers must be making to feel secure enough that they can give away all these electronics and still turn a profit. Because we all know that they aren't going to give you all this stuff and lose money. They're still going to be making money hand over fist, no matter how many TVs they throw in.

So, while I appreciate the effort, I would much rather save money on the couch and then do some additional searching for the best price on a new TV (though, if Jordan's ever brings back the deal where you get a free Callaway driver with your purchase I might be interested). If the furniture dealers really want to give me a good deal, I offer an alternative: knock a few hundred off the price of a small sectional and you can keep the 3-D TV that I didn't want anyway. You'll still be able to clear some warehouse space and I'll be much more comfortable when I stay down at the beach, even if I'm watching an older TV while I'm there.