It used to be UCC Total Home. sounds like a scam. I am renovating a
bathroom and 2 kitchens, so a good discount would be great. But my
research suggests this is not worth it. Any good or bad experiences?
Thanks
DoctorJ

My mother has an account there and she lets my wife and I order on it.
I just got my bedroom set, and my son's bedroom set up with fairly nice
furniture. We saved a bundle over retail. All I can say is that you
need to buy more than two rooms worth of furniture to make it pay.
Also, don't get it for the electronics or tool purchases. Their
selection on that stinks. The faucet selection seemed nice, but they
don't carry a wide range of quality vs. price. Most things are
higher-end.

Interesting concept, tho'. I really hate furniture stores, their 300%
markup, and their "Going out of business for the 37th time this year"
sales. I love having the alternative available. When you take the
presentation tour, do they let you browse the catalog library? If so,
take some notes and price it against the Internet and HD. See where
your savings fall.

As far as it being a scam, no. It's definitly not a scam, but I can
see why you might think that way.

Thats great you got a discount on someone elses dime. Mention thee fact that
you MIL paid about 4500.00 for the membership. SO if your only doing a small
reno. I don't think its worth the membership price. But if your a contractor
or a landlord with many properties then maybe it wou;ld be.

Searcher

I don't recall the membership being anywhere near $4,500. We joined to
renovate a kitchen. The savings on high end cabinets more than paid for
the membership. For a slight upcharge. the cabinet wholesaler sent a
designer to the house. We also went to the showroom in NJ to sit down
with them. My wife ordered what I thought were wierd colors after
falling in love with a display, but it came out realy nice. The
downside to our membership is, when working on the house, we tend to
make decisions at the last minute and it takes a month or so to get
things there. If we were more organized, we would get even more out of
them.

Interesting concept, tho'. I really hate furniture stores, their 300%
markup, and their "Going out of business for the 37th time this year"
sales. I love having the alternative available. When you take the
presentation tour, do they let you browse the catalog library? If so,
take some notes and price it against the Internet and HD. See where
your savings fall.

Furniture stores don't sell at a 300% markup. Ever wonder why your
stockbroker NEVER recommends furniture stores?

GOB sales are regulated by state laws and if a store is reported to be
stretching the rules (usually 90 days limit) the state AG will investigate
and press charges if they don't start complying with applicable laws.

They are not a scam, but, IIRC you pay upfront for the membership, then go
shopping through catalogs with very little actual product on display. A
different way to shop, but here in Chicago we have free alternatives as
well.

S

mrsgator88 writes:

GOB sales are regulated by state laws and if a store is reported to be
stretching the rules (usually 90 days limit) the state AG will
investigate and press charges if they don't start complying with
applicable laws.

So you've heard.

Fact is, this type of thing goes on interminably with no prosecution.

One store near me has been in its final days for years.

"Richard J Kinch" wrote in message
. ..
mrsgator88 writes:

GOB sales are regulated by state laws and if a store is reported to be
stretching the rules (usually 90 days limit) the state AG will
investigate and press charges if they don't start complying with
applicable laws.

So you've heard.

Fact is, this type of thing goes on interminably with no prosecution.

One store near me has been in its final days for years.

Just curious, where are you located? That wouldn't happen here. I think
the fines alone are such good revenue that the AG almost couldn't avoid
going after a GOB abuser.

S

What they do where I live is have a prolonged GOB sale, close the doors
for a couple weeks, and re-open under a different name with a "grand
opening" sale. The markups aren't seriously 300%, but I would say
they're at least %150 percent without a sale. %100 with a sale. I
know this because I shop at Direct Buy. I shouldn't try sarcasm with
writing.

As for "someone else's dime," yes, I didn't have to pay for the
membership. My savings were immediate. That was why I mentioned that
you would want to furnish at least two rooms fully to see a savings.
My point was that you need to make up for the initial investment with
some minimum purchases, not that everyone gets to know someone with a
membership. I was just relaying a real-world case.

"trbo20" wrote in message
oups.com...
What they do where I live is have a prolonged GOB sale, close the doors
for a couple weeks, and re-open under a different name with a "grand
opening" sale. The markups aren't seriously 300%, but I would say
they're at least %150 percent without a sale. %100 with a sale. I
know this because I shop at Direct Buy. I shouldn't try sarcasm with
writing.

Thats very cynical. Really, when a furniture store (or any other retail)
closes the same type of store will often open with new owners in the same
location. Thats what we did, and when the bridal store next to us closed a
completely different person opened a bridal store in the same spot. Its
free advertising.

Secondly, what costs are you including (or excluding) when calculating a
markup? Furniture can't be shipped UPS. The cost to ship a piece of
furniture to a warehouse are typically 15-20%. Most stores don't charge
even close to what it costs to do an in-home delivery. If a store charges
$50 to deliver you a sofa, you can bet it probably costs closer to 100-125.
Even the Directbuy website states the average retail markup on furniture is
only 43%! You're pulling numbers out of a hat.

Even if they sell at true wholesale, you'll still have to pay all the
transportation charges, so that eats away at your savings. And you're stuck
with what they offer. I don't care how much they offer, its not everything.

As for "someone else's dime," yes, I didn't have to pay for the
membership. My savings were immediate. That was why I mentioned that
you would want to furnish at least two rooms fully to see a savings.
My point was that you need to make up for the initial investment with
some minimum purchases, not that everyone gets to know someone with a
membership. I was just relaying a real-world case.

Its nice you can buy on someone else's membership. I'm surprised they allow
that, since the membership is supposedly how they make money. Or, maybe
there really is a markup. Did you get to see the "confidential" wholesale
price lists? Did they charge you actual freight costs? Was it a flat fee
or a calculated amount? Did you get a bill from the shipper, or was it just
a line item on their invoice?

I'd think that before buying a membership you'd have to do some shopping and
find out what things really sell for, and have that information handy before
buying a membership. Also, it seems they'll bargain with you on the
membership price. Like buying a car when you start heading for the door the
price goes down.

S

My numbers are not factual -- they derive from my personal experience.
I firmly believe that the $2,700 I paid for a bedroom set through
Direct Buy would have cost at least $6,000 elsewhere. I don't know
this for sure, because not all stores carry the exact line and
manufacturer. I do know what others have paid for their sets. Many
pay upwards of $1,000 for the bed alone. I got a bed, marble-topped
dresser, chest-of-drawers, and a beveled mirror. The maker is Hooker,
and the line is Verona.

When you buy a membership at Direct Buy, you are informed that you can
bring guests into the store. The member has to be the one who places
the order, but you can ship it to any Direct Buy location. This is a
perk of the membership, thus we stayed within the store's policy and
did nothing unethical. My intention in my original post was to vouch
for Direct Buy as one who ordered from them in the past.

Yes, we paid freight. The cost of freight was around 5% of the total.
We also paid delivery. $60 bought three strong men and a moving truck
for one hour who took great care not to scratch the furniture or walls
while carrying up my stairs. It's a complicated delivery; as I have
a landing in the middle, and a 180 degree turn at the top. They also
took off the packaging and hauled the boxes and packing materials away
for me. I tipped them 20 bucks each making my total $120.

I am cynical. When I walk into a warehouse-sized store in prime real
estate and see four or five people hanging out in suits waiting to
follow me around for their commission, I get a little edgy about
handing over my money. I'm not the kind of person who is easily
swayed by halogen accent lights, and mood music. I know people who
have driven to North Carolina, rented a truck, and drove their
furniture back to circumvent the markups.

Recently, a large chain in my area, Philadelphia, went out of business.
Every busy intersection for miles around had those stick signs planted
in the ground, and light poles were plastered with banners. They
actually hired people to drive their cars all around the high traffic
areas with large taxi bill-board style signs advertising the sale. It
seemed like this went on for months, although it may well have only
been 90 days.

Once the place finally went out of business, a new store immediately
took its place. Not just one store, but every store. The entire chain
had a "grand opening" sale that also seemed to go on forever.
Maybe it was more than a simple name change, but my hunch is that if
you follow the money, it will lead to the same people at the end.

Here's another real-world story. I renovated my bathroom and needed
a new vanity. I plumbed in two sets of hookups for a double-vanity and
either needed one large double, or two small singles. I really wanted
something made out of solid wood with a nice finish, good accents, and
at least a fake stone top. I shopped a *lot* of furniture stores, and
the best I could do was something tiny for around $1,200 each.

I was ready to just settle and put in some Ikea knockdowns when I
happened to be in Costco. They had a beautiful large double vanity
with a natural granite top. It even included the sink basins. The
total price was $800. Here's a pictu
http://www.costco.com/Images/Content...ct/583600L.jpg
(Note: the price on the one in the picture is $1,229 because
shipping and handling are included.)

It is because of this and other experiences that I never ever step foot
in a furniture store anymore. I just think they have terrible business
models. Everything in this post and my previous posts are my opinion.
My opinion and a $1.50 will buy you a cup of coffee, so take it with a
grain of salt. I don't claim to have inside industry knowledge, just
industry experience as a consumer who pays attention. I will not
continue to reply to this topic, as it was not my intention to start a
debate. I apologize if I have offended.

wrote:
It used to be UCC Total Home. sounds like a scam. I am renovating a
bathroom and 2 kitchens, so a good discount would be great. But my
research suggests this is not worth it. Any good or bad experiences?
Thanks
DoctorJ

Scam IMO - My elderly parents were convinced that their $6,000 (YES,
$6,000) would return them significant savings. They had just a bath and
kitchen remodel in mind. The sales person was very high pressure (From
what I heard from the 'rents). The direct buy has a no guest policy
around here. There is even a physical line on the floor that you cannot
cross unless you are a member. There are very long lead times (6-8 weeks
for stuff). No ETA available, just a "we will call you when its in".
Limited selection of items. Cant see most stuff, you are just shopping
out of a catalog on online. yes, the prices seem good but then you pay
shipping, handling and sales tax. In my state that adds up to about 16%.
Shipping is based upon the cost of the item, not the weight. So, a
$900 faucet costs a lot more to ship than a $200 faucet even though in
reality the would cost direct buy the same $$ to ship. Oh - And if the
item is over weight they charge you a surcharge to ship! Oh - and its
extra for delivery to your house. The base shipping is only to their
warehouse! You have to pay about 10% plus tax for them to just get it
into the warehouse!

All in all - The items bought so far have saved them about $10 on
several thousands in purchases and have the added frustration of not
knowing when the items would arrive.

Unfortunately they have been so frustrating to deal with that the
remainder of the projects items will be purchased through normal
channels and the $6K written off as a learning experience.

Avoid them!

Inviato da X-Privat.Org - Registrazione gratuita http://www.x-privat.org/join.php

Direct ripoff

wrote in message
...
It used to be UCC Total Home. sounds like a scam. I am renovating a
bathroom and 2 kitchens, so a good discount would be great. But my
research suggests this is not worth it. Any good or bad experiences?
Thanks
DoctorJ

Direct buy -- good or bad?

I guess it depends on what you plan on doing. I sat with the sales
person, compared in hand prices, the best I could find locally for
appliances. Just on the kitchen appliances alone, I saved over $1500.

I've heard many say that they haven't seen the savings etc on
comparison items...that was not my case, I had a whole mess of prices
and hands down I saved using DB.

Alternatively, depending on how you view things, you can spend $X on
locally available items...and for the most part be satisfied. Or you
can spend $X and step up in quality. I'm spending the same amount of
money, I'm just leveraging purchasing power, still staying with in
budget.

I guess it's all in how you look at it.

DC

mrsgator88 writes:

Just curious, where are you located?

Palm Beach County, Florida USA.

On Sun, 07 May 2006 01:04:06 GMT, wrote:

It used to be UCC Total Home. sounds like a scam. I am renovating a
bathroom and 2 kitchens, so a good discount would be great. But my
research suggests this is not worth it. Any good or bad experiences?
Thanks
DoctorJ

Back in the UCC days, opinions were all over the map. Membership fee
was extremely high, but on some big-ticket items good discounts could
be found. Several years ago I had an acquaintance who was a member,
and she didn't feel ripped off. You had to be in the market for a
lot of furniture or jewelry, though, to make it worthwhile. The deal
back then was that the product was delivered to UCC, and you had to
get it from there to your house. Easy enough for a diamond bracelet,
but a hassle for a king-size bedroom set. And since many consumer
products are already heavily discounted in the internet age
(electronics for example), the UCC model seems hardly worth the
trouble most of the time. BTW I'm not a member, and have no intention
of becoming one.
--
NewsGuy.Com 30Gb $9.95 Carry Forward and On Demand Bandwidth

No ! It's a scam ! RUN ! Seriously, this is pure BS. Don't even go.
Yes it's $4,000 or so and NO you cannot make that up through better
deals on stuff.

I have a friend who had this and they are absolutely disgusted that
they spent $3500 or whatever it was, and it's a pain in the a$$ to deal
with.
YMMV

responses inline

"trbo20" wrote in message
ups.com...
My numbers are not factual -- they derive from my personal experience.
I firmly believe that the $2,700 I paid for a bedroom set through
Direct Buy would have cost at least $6,000 elsewhere. I don't know
this for sure, because not all stores carry the exact line and
manufacturer. I do know what others have paid for their sets. Many
pay upwards of $1,000 for the bed alone. I got a bed, marble-topped
dresser, chest-of-drawers, and a beveled mirror. The maker is Hooker,
and the line is Verona.

When you buy a membership at Direct Buy, you are informed that you can
bring guests into the store. The member has to be the one who places
the order, but you can ship it to any Direct Buy location. This is a
perk of the membership, thus we stayed within the store's policy and
did nothing unethical. My intention in my original post was to vouch
for Direct Buy as one who ordered from them in the past.

I think some locations are franchised, so that may or may not apply to all
locations.

Yes, we paid freight. The cost of freight was around 5% of the total.
We also paid delivery. $60 bought three strong men and a moving truck
for one hour who took great care not to scratch the furniture or walls
while carrying up my stairs. It's a complicated delivery; as I have
a landing in the middle, and a 180 degree turn at the top. They also
took off the packaging and hauled the boxes and packing materials away
for me. I tipped them 20 bucks each making my total $120.

My bad. Freight costs will vary greatly depending on how far the furniture
has to be shipped. 5% can be the norm if you're close enough.

I am cynical. When I walk into a warehouse-sized store in prime real
estate and see four or five people hanging out in suits waiting to
follow me around for their commission, I get a little edgy about
handing over my money. I'm not the kind of person who is easily
swayed by halogen accent lights, and mood music. I know people who
have driven to North Carolina, rented a truck, and drove their
furniture back to circumvent the markups.

I don't blame you. Years of well honed research has proven it sells
furniture at retail. Getting people to ignore the price tag is science unto
itself.

Recently, a large chain in my area, Philadelphia, went out of business.
Every busy intersection for miles around had those stick signs planted
in the ground, and light poles were plastered with banners. They
actually hired people to drive their cars all around the high traffic
areas with large taxi bill-board style signs advertising the sale. It
seemed like this went on for months, although it may well have only
been 90 days.

The GOB sale is often preceded by heavy advertising. But the signs in the
ground, etc, was probably only for 90 days.

Once the place finally went out of business, a new store immediately
took its place. Not just one store, but every store. The entire chain
had a "grand opening" sale that also seemed to go on forever.
Maybe it was more than a simple name change, but my hunch is that if
you follow the money, it will lead to the same people at the end.

When a car dealer closes, another car dealer usually takes its place. When
a restaurant goes out of business, another usually takes its place. Ditto
for many others. In reality, when a furniture operator goes under and wants
to reopen, its never in the same location.

Here's another real-world story. I renovated my bathroom and needed
a new vanity. I plumbed in two sets of hookups for a double-vanity and
either needed one large double, or two small singles. I really wanted
something made out of solid wood with a nice finish, good accents, and
at least a fake stone top. I shopped a *lot* of furniture stores, and
the best I could do was something tiny for around $1,200 each.

I was ready to just settle and put in some Ikea knockdowns when I
happened to be in Costco. They had a beautiful large double vanity
with a natural granite top. It even included the sink basins. The
total price was $800. Here's a pictu
http://www.costco.com/Images/Content...ct/583600L.jpg
(Note: the price on the one in the picture is $1,229 because
shipping and handling are included.)

It is because of this and other experiences that I never ever step foot
in a furniture store anymore. I just think they have terrible business
models. Everything in this post and my previous posts are my opinion.
My opinion and a $1.50 will buy you a cup of coffee, so take it with a
grain of salt. I don't claim to have inside industry knowledge, just
industry experience as a consumer who pays attention. I will not
continue to reply to this topic, as it was not my intention to start a
debate. I apologize if I have offended.

Well, I'm in the furniture business and you didn't offend me. DB will work
for some people and not for others. You are right that furniture is a
terrible business model. Most people keep a sofa longer than they keep a
home! It takes a lot of expensive real estate, halogen lights and soft
music to convince people otherwise :-)

S

"Richard J Kinch" wrote in message
. ..
mrsgator88 writes:

Just curious, where are you located?

Palm Beach County, Florida USA.

That surprises me. Stores in Florida aren't even allowed to advertise "Sale
off of MSRP".

S

mrsgator88 writes:

Stores in Florida aren't even allowed to advertise "Sale
off of MSRP".

Eh? Like fair trade laws? I though those were abolished federally in the
60s. Retailers set their own prices unless they're under (illegal)
manufacturer restraint-of-trade practices or local licensing cartels (like
much of the retail HVAC biz).

So much of human activity seems to have become a felony in Florida.
Proportionality and reasonable-doubt have given way to plea-bargain style
justice.

"Richard J Kinch" wrote in message
.. .
mrsgator88 writes:

Stores in Florida aren't even allowed to advertise "Sale
off of MSRP".

Eh? Like fair trade laws? I though those were abolished federally in the
60s. Retailers set their own prices unless they're under (illegal)
manufacturer restraint-of-trade practices or local licensing cartels (like
much of the retail HVAC biz).

Two separate things. If a store in Florida (and a couple of other states)
advertises a sofa or stove, etc, On Sale for $699, Reg. or Orig or MSRP
$999, that's illegal unless they can prove that selling activity took place
at the $999 price. And no, they're not allowed to put something new on the
floor for two weeks marked at $999 and then run the sale for a month. Read
the Sunday papers and look closely at the prices. Usually there's no
percentage off or original comparison price unless its a closeout.

Fair trade laws are another matter. Ever wonder why certain name brand
items cost the same at EVERY store? The manufacturer can't tell you what to
sell it for, but, can tell you the lowest advertised price you can display.
Or, can choose to stop doing business with you if you get ratted out for
selling at the wrong prices.

S

mrsgator88 writes:

Two separate things.

Yeah, phony percent-off advertising vs retail price maintenance. Both
illegal but also done all the time here. With regard to the former, I
observe "intermediate markdowns may have been taken" fine print all the
time.