Still waiting on furniture? Don't blame the mattress store

Apr. 21—New mattress on backorder? You're not alone.

Furniture Superstore owner Jim Sather said business has been "through the roof, nationally, for every furniture store" since shops reopened last spring. Money saved from skipping vacations and evenings out, as well as stimulus checks, contributed to the spending boom, he said. And as customers spent more time at home, they noticed improvements to be made, local furniture store owners said.

The supply issues caused by COVID demand and a reduced workforce aren't limited to couches — delivery dates for home appliances were pushed further and further back starting in the fall of 2020. Now, a foam shortage is causing similar problems for mattress and furniture sellers. In early spring, storms in Texas shut down several plants that manufacture foam for cushioning, Sather said, meaning manufacturers' supplies were cut.

"Things are improving, but it's certainly challenging," he said.

Ashley Furniture manager Randy Mortlend agreed that material shortages coupled with increased demand have been the norm since the start of the pandemic, though he couldn't pinpoint any specific item or category that's continually sold out.

Josh Meyer, owner of Rochester's Slumberland Furniture, said he's seen increased demand for "nice mattresses, recliners, a lot of lift chairs."

"It's just more of everything," he said.

Don't shoot the messenger

Backorder times are improving, Mortlend said — a wait time of two to three months for sold-out is normal now, instead of half a year or so.

"It's starting to flow a little better," he said.

However, some customers still see longer waits — though that's hardly the furniture stores' fault.

Mortlend said Ashley Furniture has prepped its customers for a wait of one to three months, at least, but stores are at the mercy of manufacturers, who might suddenly announce longer wait times.

Before shutdowns began, delivery estimates were fairly accurate. Now, they're susceptible to change at a moment's notice.

"It all depends on how the salesperson talked to them in the first place," he said. "If they said, 'Oh, it looks like your piece could be in in three weeks,' then it gets pushed back for some reason, then they're a little upset."

Meyer agreed that his staff relays manufacturers' ship dates to customers, but has had to call them back to add two or more months to previous estimates.

Lead times can go anywhere from "a few weeks to six to nine months on some products," Sather said. Furniture Superstore did and does sell some furniture from the showroom floor, he said, which creates some flexibility.

However, the warehouse had to cut back on floor sales early in the pandemic, "or our store would be empty." Nowadays, the store is easing back into offering the "immediate gratification" of those sales again.

Sather said as long as his staff is careful not to overpromise and underdeliver, customers are generally all right with the long wait times.

"Most people have been really awesome," he said. "Ninety-nine percent of people are super understanding."