What's the Difference Between Retail and Commercial Office Furniture?

I always get a lot of comments and questions about the price of our commercial office furniture. Some people are convinced that since they have seen a similar model in a retail store somewhere that we are gouging our prices. From time to time on our social media, we will get a comment such as “your prices are too high” so I thought I would address these concerns directly. Hopefully by the end of this, you will have a better understanding between the products sold in retail stores, residential home stores and those found on the online marketplace of Madison Liquidators.

I wish I could teleport everyone to the showroom at Madison Liquidators along with an example of a retail furniture, residential furniture for a side by side by side comparison. I am very confident that a simple glance between the two would end all debate. But we can’t do that, I hear we are only five to six years away from having that kind of teleportation technology though…

So until that day comes, we will have to rely on other means. I am going to highlight some features and materials that are commonly found on the online marketplace of Madison Liquidators versus what can be found in typical retail furniture and residential furniture. There are some terms that will be thrown around but I will do my best to explain them. The primary term that I want to discuss is “commercial grade laminate.”

Laminate is the most common commercial office furniture material found on the online marketplace of Madison Liquidators. Commercial grade laminate is kind of an umbrella term as different processes are used such as thermofused, melamine, or high pressure. I could get really technical and boring here but for everyone’s benefit I will not. The pertinent information that you need about commercial office furniture laminate is how strong it is. Let’s begin with the finish- it is scratch resistant, smudge proof, stain resistant, and water resistant (meaning you don’t have to worry about condensation from a drink leaving a ring on the surface of your desk.) They also have the ability to provide many beautiful finishes that will maintain their attractiveness for many years.

Internally, the processes that go into making commercial grade laminate ensure that the office furniture will last for many years as it is a durable product that can withstand the daily abuse that comes with being placed in an office. Commercial office furniture can be the last purchase of that type for your entire career. Many of the commercial office furniture laminate changes are made for a business trying a new style but even then, that original piece will find its way to an office furniture liquidator for resell because there’s still many years left on its lifespan.

Compare that to a retail or residential desk that you have purchased for your home computer. You won’t be finding commercial grade laminate in the materials list. Instead, you can expect terms such as wood veneer, or press wood. While some accent pieces of the office furniture found on the online marketplace of Madison Liquidators utilize these materials at their highest quality, retail furniture are primarily made from these materials. They aren’t backed by a manufacturer’s warranty, and if they ever have to be moved around the home, they basically fall apart in the move because they cannot hold up to the stress.

When I was in school, my mother purchased a large desk from one of the largest retail chains in the world and had me put it together. It was fine until the day she decided she wanted it on the other side of the room, and upon trying to move it, it ended up folding over onto the floor because it wasn’t built to last. I’ve had something happen like this several times while moving throughout the years, from computer desks to entertainment centers, they all crumble under the pressure.

Fast forward to when my home office desk arrived from our brand partner Harmony Collection that I selected from the online marketplace of Madison Liquidators. I put it together and temporarily placed it in my living room until my home office was ready. After a couple months of sitting in my living room, I moved it with the help of a friend with no problems. It now sits in my home office where it looks just as nice and is just as strong as it was the day that I put it together. It will be in use for as long as I need it. I imagine it’s something my kids will have to deal with when I leave this world, hopefully many, many, many years from now. Even then, I’m sure it will still be able to be resold to someone who needs a desk.

The other type is residential furniture. It is all the furniture that you put in your home from a home furniture retailer. These stand apart from retail furniture as they are held to different standards. For example, our sofas are purchased from a home furniture marketplace, a retail comparison is a futon. The quality is completely different between the two and without much argument, you would expect to pay more for your primary family sofa versus a retail futon that would fit comfortably in a college dorm room.

Without me going into too great of a detail about the differences between commercial office furniture, retail furniture, and residential furniture I can offer an illustration. The next time you go to a business that has a couch in the waiting room such as a bank, or a doctor’s office sit on it. Examine how sturdy it is, and how firm the cushioning is. Maybe inquire how long that business has had that furniture. Then go home and sit on your sofa and compare. There will be many differences that you will notice immediately. Softness of the cushions for example. Then compare those against that futon that I just mentioned. The quality is different for all three, just as the purpose for them is.

They are so different despite being the same basic product because of what they are used for. A residential furniture sofa is designed for one family to use periodically, while a commercial office furniture sofa is designed for use throughout a work day by an unlimited amount of people. The retail futon, is a stopgap quick fix for a period of time. It’s safe to say that the commercial office furniture sofa will see more use and therefore need to be built to a stronger standard to hold up to that use. Since it is built with stronger materials with a stronger base, it is fair to expect the commercial office furniture sofa to cost more than the residential furniture. The same goes for the retail futon.

I assure you, there is not a successful business around that went to a retail store to furnish their offices. Because that’s not what retail furniture is for, they need commercial office furniture. They come to Madison Liquidators with their needs because they know that with us and our brand partners, they can expect a level of quality that they can’t get from the corner market or the “big box store.” I am not bashing those places, I shop at them all the time but when it comes to a professional business, maybe office supplies are best purchased from places such as these. For commercial office furniture, call on Madison Liquidators for the entire business or home office furniture.

When it comes to price, it all boils down to what you need. A college dorm room can be filled with retail furniture such as a computer desk and a futon because they are cheap in price and quality. They may last the entirety of your time in college. For your home, purchasing from a home furniture business is perfect because the quality is exactly what a single family needs plus with furniture such as sofas, the cushioning is softer and more comfortable than both retail furniture, and commercial furniture. For a professional business or a home office where you work from home for forty hours a week or more, then I highly suggest that you look to Madison Liquidators and the commercial office furniture that we provide from our well respected brand partners.

So, there’s a brief breakdown of the differences in quality between retail furniture, residential furniture, and commercial office furniture. To recap, a retail furniture version is going to be an extremely low end product that should be considered for a short term solution, I am sure there are rare examples of pieces that last longer than expected, but for the most part don’t expect too much when settling from this level of furniture. Residential furniture is a wide margin of quality of home furnishings that you would find in a home furniture store. As with everything else, depending on the store and the brand, quality will vary. However, we purchase residential furniture for one family to use anytime they are home. Commercial office furniture is used for professional and home offices where any number of users could use either fulltime or periodically, day in and day out for many years to come. Forty hours a week or more, every week without fail so they must be built to the highest standards and that’s what you find on the online marketplace of Madison Liquidators. With this understanding if you are ready to order then give us a call at 888-831-1012.