Before you Buy - How to Make Sure These Are the Chairs for You

Before you Buy - How to Make Sure These Are the Chairs for You
February 23, 2020 119 view(s)
Before you Buy - How to Make Sure These Are the Chairs for You

Just in case you were sharing a fallout shelter with Brendan Fraser for the last 20 or so years, you should know that people are buying pretty much everything on the internet.

You can go online right now and buy a Tesla, a real military tank, or even 100 folding chairs.

I know, I know - how in the heck could they possibly ship folding chairs in bulk like that?

Well, we figured it out and quite frankly we are glad people are buying so much event furniture online.

The downside of buying things online now is that you just don’t have much of an opportunity to touch, feel, see the product before buying. I would sure like to know how that tank handles before I fork over the dough.

When it comes to event equipment like folding chairs and tables, what you see online at some sites isn’t always what you get, so it pays to take some extra steps before whipping out your credit card.

Don’t worry. Here are some ways you can get a good sense for the quality of the event equipment before you buy.

Online Reviews and Social Proof

I’m leading with this one because it is the most tried and true method of determining how well a product will fit your needs. Reading what others have to say who have used the exact chairs you are thinking about buying is a reliable method of gauging how well they’ll work for you.

Here at EventStable, some of our best-selling chairs have a dozen or more reviews. While some limit their responses to one or two words along with a 5-star rating - “#1 product”...

...others give a good rundown on some key features of the chairs or tables. Features that will help you make the right choice, like an indication on how easily they stack, how heavy the chairs are, and whether they are strong and comfortable...

Often, a good set of reviews can be enough to give you the confidence you need to pull that trigger and invest in chairs and tables. 

Trade Shows

Sometimes though, online reviews might not be enough. You might be in the position where you are in need of more than just a couple hundred folding chairs or a dozen plywood tables.

Many of our busy party rental customers buy chairs and tables every single year, and are often trying to add new items to their inventory. In the rental business, you have to keep inventory fresh and clean, and on top of that you have clients who are asking about what is new.

 

For these folks, attending a trade show can be an efficient use of their time, with multiple vendors attending these shows displaying many different categories of products, from tables and chairs to tents, software, catering equipment and more.

Trade shows are also a terrific opportunity to put your hands on the product. When we exhibit at these shows, customers treat our chairs like we are displaying a bunch of 9 week old puppies.

Chairs get picked up, rubbed, and I saw a guy take a good whiff of a chiavari cushion one time.

If it makes sense for you and your business, make it a point to head to a trade show. The bonus is always that you get to meet your vendors in person, which is always nice.

Order Samples

If waiting months and traveling to Vegas or Orlando just to buy some chairs and tables isn’t your idea of a good time, calling your vendor and ordering a single sample chair is, I think, the best way to go.

There are actually a ton of benefits you get by ordering a sample that reviews and even trade shows can’t give you.

Comparing to Existing Stock

Even though you can put your hands on a chair at the show, you can’t really get a sense for how well it will match your current inventory (if you have one).

A lot of times, a venue might have say, 100 fruitwood folding chairs and want to buy 100 more. It can be difficult (and not always accurate due to differences in computer monitors) to determine colors online. How well will the new chairs match the old?

Easiest way to tell is to order a single sample chair.

Put One in The Showroom

Another benefit is that having a physical sample on hand can help secure rentals (or bookings), when you haven’t even paid for the chairs yet.

Truth be told this is often a big time strategy for rental companies and wedding venues.

Here is what you do. Order a sample chair and put it in your showroom. The best time of the year to do this is early in the season, but you can pull it off any time of year.

Then, when clients come to visit, you have beautiful new chairs on display for them to choose from. And you haven’t even bought them yet.

 

Client loves the chairs and wants to book the rental? Great! Now you do this 4 or 5 times and you have darn near enough money in the bank to pay for the bulk order of chairs.

We have a lot of customers who don’t buy anything until they have set up a handful of rentals. It’s kind of a “proof of concept” thing in the rental business that works for wedding venues as well.

Getting a 50% Discount on Sample Chairs from EventStable

Like I said earlier, ordering a sample chair can be as easy as picking up the phone and talking to your rep.

If you’d rather order online, this is EventStable, and we have you covered.

Our new sample chair program makes it easier than ever to get the sample chairs you need without spending an arm and a leg.

You can get up to three different sample chairs with this program. To buy them, just shop the site as you normally would, add the chairs to your shopping cart, add the super secret discount code (not really a secret - it’s on the sample program page and I just want you to go check it out), and complete your order.

You’ll get 50% off the chairs, tracking information within a couple days, and within a week or two, you’ll have new chairs in your showroom to display and start collecting deposits on.


Author: Will Murphy

Will is one of the owners here at EventStable. He lives in Florida with three amazing ladies and a boxer named Frank. A former party rental operator, he cannot resist the urge to turn over a chair out in public to see who made it. "Dad, you love folding chairs", is the common response. 

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