Comments: She has done all the research for you! My husband and I were fairly certain we would go to North Carolina to purchase some new furniture. After reviewing Causey's furniture shopping anthology, we are VERY certain. She has detailed information about most discount furniture stores in the USA, payment methods, shipping information and whether or not the store has in-store financing, plus a complete list of manufacturers carried in the store. I am so impressed by this compilation. It is a discount shopper's dream come true!
Rated By: A reader
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Comments: Great reference - a must have for anyone buying furniture! I recently bought The Furniture Factory Outlet Guide, and it is fantastic. Well written, organized, thorough. Painfully easy to locate a number of Furniture Outlets that carried what I was looking for, with store addresses, email addresses, phone numbers. WOW!
Rated By: A reader
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Comments: Excellent source for name brand furniture at a discount This book is an excellent guide for anyone wanting to save money on furniture. It gives excellent reviews of each furniture outlet, and became the crucial foundation for planning a trip to the furniture capital--North Carolina. Telephone numbers along with the lines of furniture carried at each outlet helped me save time by knowing exactly which outlets I wanted to visit prior to arriving. It also distingushed which outlets accepted telephone orders. Excellent source for information in one location. I saved $650 on 3 pieces of furniture; it was well worth the cost of the book!
Rated By: A reader
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Comments: A Great Source I have purchased items from several of the stores reviewed in this book and have visited a number of them. My experience has been consistent with the author's comments. While I have owned several guides on NC furniture, this is the best that I have seen. I wouldn't shop without it. It will pay for itself many, many times over.
Rated By: A reader
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Comments: Buying furniture? Read this first! This book is a "how to" book on buying fine furniture at deep discounts. The author reviews many separate outlets, providing the information you need, such as phone numbers, reputation, brands carried, and payment methods. The index is a cross reference to the outlets that carry the brands you want. I have actually followed the author's suggestions and bought furniture by phone - with great satisfaction.
Rated By: A reader
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Comments: Never buy retail again This book was well-organized and informative. We saved about 20% on the cost of a whole suite of furniture for our bedroom including headboard, footboard, night stand, dresser, mirror, chest of drawers and an armoire - even after shipping costs! We also purchased a special-order sofa and loveseat at just over half the cost at a local retail store based on the author's suggestion. The only down side to using an outlet is the time you have to wait for your furniture - about 6 to 12 weeks. However, this book will help you cut down on search time. This book saves countless hours surfing the net for furniture outlets! A great buy!
Rated By: A reader
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Comments: Good, but don't rely on everything you read Although this book was published in 1999, the information within it is seems to be considerably older. I know this because after reading the book, I took a day trip to high point (I live about 2 hours away), and found that several places in the book were no longer there, or were carrying much different lines. If you are planning to make a longer trip (like a vacation) based on the information in the book, be sure to verify that what you are going to see is actually there. The other fault with the book is that the descriptions of the stores seem written like some travel guides, where everything is great, every store is wonderful, and so forth. It gets you excited about a store, then you go see it and it turns out to be a dump that carries one brand of furniture that nobody has ever heard of. However, even with the above mentioned faults, the book is worth the money, and the read. This type of information is hard to find in a single place, and the book is well-organized, and easy to use as a reference. Just be careful to do some additional research before counting on it, especially if you are travelling far. Overall, I'm recommending it.
Rated By: cristina fuentes
From: Miami, FL
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Comments: Expensive decoraters need not apply This is the BEST resource book about buying furniture at discounted locales. I travel to North Carolina to buy furniture for my home and directs me exactly to where I want to go to buy what I am looking for. This book contains helpful info for which stores to visit directly or better to call in offers around the nation. I still use this book for all my decorating needs, fabrics, accessories and tips. A must for all furniture/decorating bargain hunters who look for top of the line needs at bargain prices.
Rated By: A reader
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Comments: This book has paid for itself! One thing a buyer should know is that this book is a GUIDE. You have to do all your research before you call a company. Luckily, most manufacturers have web sites where you can view their collections, get product information and get the item numbers that you need before you call for a quote.
A note about old information: I do not consider this to be a defect of the book. I have the 1999 edition, which I have been using all week to look for a bedroom set. Many of the companies I called were listed in the book as carrying the Stanley line. Many of the stores I called no longer carry Stanley. After a few of the same responses, I finally asked why many stores no longer carry that line. The answer was simple-- Stanley asked for more room in the showrooms and if the showrooms didn't enlarge the Stanley line within their companies, Stanley pulled the line from that store. Since many companies didn't have the extra room (plus they didn't agree with Stanley's practices) they were no longer able to carry Stanley. How is that a problem with the book? I don't hold the author of the book responsible for the politics that go on within the furniture industry. I do believe that the information was correct at the printing of the book and that if the information has changed, it will be reflected in newer editions.
Since I have to buy furniture for every room in my house, I also have ordered Ms. Causey's other book "The Insider's Guide to Buying Home Furnishings".
I am saving about ...including freight on the queen bed, dresser, mirror and nightstand that I plan to buy. ...x a house full of furniture is a lot of money and I am grateful a book like this exists to help me find the best deals!
My friend and I plan to visit High Point and Hickory next year and we do plan to call companies first to verify they still exist and if they carry a particular line I want. I have heard visits in person to North Carolina save you more money because you can buy from the outlets and the savings on the furniture (including freight) more than pay for the trip to go look. What fun!
Rated By: Kimberley Wilson
From: VA USA
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Comments: READ THIS BEFORE YOU GO SHOPPING I love fine furniture and I don't pay retail for anything. I was planning on going to North Carolina this month to pick up a new living room set when I saw this book. It probably saved me over $[money]. Thanks to Kimberly and her marvelous guide I saved time, money and wasn't overwhelmed by all the outlets. Having read the book and highlighted the most interesting stores I got exactly what I wanted in a timely fashion and within my budget.
Rated By: A reader
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Comments: Terrific Guide! I am furnishing a new house and looking for all types of furniture. I had heard North Carolina was the place to go. With this guide, all the questions I had have been cleared up. As a matter of fact, since I already knew the make/model # of the items I wanted I was able to call up many of the places in the guide and do my shopping over the phone!! On one item- an end-table, it is retailing for $... - I got it for $... plus only $... shipping (includes set up in my house) from North Carolina to NY!...I know I will save thousands. I have already saved hundreds! The trick to using this guide is KNOWING the make/model# of the item you are after so you can specifically ask for that when you call/visit places in the guide. Otherwise the guide will help you map out a trip to NC if you just want to browse.
Rated By: A reader
From: Unavailable
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Comments: remember the college guides? This one looks like one...every page has a different outlet, with information like location and telephone, hours, email, a brief description with very personalized comments from the author, directions on how to get there, and lists of manufacturers each outlet carries or does business with. It also has some photos of items you could find there and the great discounts offered. Too bad I don't live in the North Carolina area or I would be off every weekend going to every outlet. It's great for those who really want to save big money on furniture and accessories for the home. The book did mention 3 big warehouses in NC, which I already know about, but offered more info about them than what I already knew. If you plan on getting furniture, get the book, but first check if there is a copy in your local library instead of spending the money on the book. This is a guide you will probably use once every other year, or until you finish furnishing your home.
Rated By: A reader
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Comments: Saved thousands of dollars I purchased a house recently and decided to replace almost all my furniture. I bought The Furniture Factory Outlet Guide for assistance. I saved literally over $10,000 using this book. My one recommendation to use this guide is to shop your local furniture stores, get the furniture manufacturer's name, the group name and/or number of the pieces you like. Then use the guide to call the stores listed in the guide that carry the furniture manufacturer you're looking for, and price shop, one against the other for the best deals. You really don't even have to go to NC, unless you want to spend a couple days looking and figuring out what furniture you like. Then go home and call the stores in this guide. Good luck and happy shopping.
Rated By: J. Cameron "furniture nut"
From: Hillsboro, OR
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Comments: Bought the book, made the trip to NC I stumbled across Causey's book on a North Carolina furniture discounter's web site. My husband and I made the trip from Portland, OR, for less than $400 with all of our frequent flier miles and Marriott Reward points. We loved the people and had a blast! Causey's book was instrumental in helping to plan the trip. It reduced the number of stores we visited significantly, and we were able to trust in the discounters that we visited. Here's my advice:
1. If you don't know exactly what you want (ex: style of bedroom set), get the book and make the trip. We went to the After Market Sale in early May and just about everyone had a big sale. I can't understate the value of seeing so many pieces within a short time. We were able to quickly develop preferences for which styles, manufactures, and colors would work in our home. Our favorite place was the Hickory Furniture Mart - a great experience for those buying mid- to high-end furniture. 2. If you already know exactly what manufacturer and collection you want (maybe you've seen something in your home town), get the book and call all of the listed discounters for quotes. The book has an index by manufacturer, so it's really simple and will pay for itself in the time you save. There are tons of discounters, so the book is needed to weed through the masses.
(...)
At the end of the day, the trip was well worth it. We found a perfect dining room set and bedroom set to meet our needs. We ended up buying Thomasville furniture due to their very unique, warm, and rich Cognac stain (fantastic sales team at the Hickory Furniture Mart: ask for Shana Bretzius and Randy Huffman). Seeing all of these pieces in person, we thought Thomasville was a clear standout.
We are ecstatic and couldn't have found such perfect furniture for us without making the trip. We also validated that in all cases, the DirectBuy prices are lower than the NC discounters, even when including the After Market Sales. Unfortunately for us, DirectBuy doesn't carry Thomasville (due to Thomasville's minimum retail pricing policy), and we decided the Thomasville furniture was the perfect fit for us. We did, however, get the minimum pricing + free shipping + free white glove delivery (they carry it in and set it up) to Portland, OR. And, a much better deal than our local stores!
Rated By: Pamela Kearney
From: Ireland
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Comments: furniture factory outlet guide Have not actually travelled to NC yet, but plan to in October. This book is very helpful in planning the trip and deciding where to go. It's exactly what the description is and I'm sure will be very useful.
