'Unbelievable' Pandemic Furniture Demand Causing Extreme Delivery Delays
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- With so many people spending more time at home, furniture sales are shooting up to record levels. But waiting for furniture to be delivered is taking more time than ever.
Amidst a year of lows, furniture is in high demand. Deb Ball is re-doing her Lakeville home.
"Everybody, if they're not building or moving, they're redoing their homes," Ball said.
She found new furnishings at Schneiderman's in Lakeville, and according to manager Reese Hoffman, she's in good company.
"The demand for furniture has been unbelievable. People are not going anywhere, and so they want to, they're using their disposable income to update their living quarters and even the backyards," Hoffman said.
Whether it's couches, tables or beds, furniture is going quickly, but it's coming slowly. During the pandemic, they've had shipping delays at ports, fewer workers to transport, and then bad weather in Texas hit refineries. It all made for the perfect storm.
"There's a foam shortage, so that's impacting furniture across the board," Hoffman said. "Foam cushions for sofas and foam for bedding, so now that's impacting supply."
That means customers have to wait three to six months for deliveries, and sometimes longer -- and the stores have to pass on the news.
"We can't promise dates, we just have to give estimated dates and make sure that we update them as often as we can," she said. "Have patience."
Ball says she is up for the wait.
"I'm just one of those that have patience, and I know it's not their fault," Ball said. "I'm gonna finally kick my feet up one day [laughs]!"
For those in need of furniture ASAP, one way to get it faster is to buy a used floor model as-is, or a clearance room piece.