We at The Finishing Touch Floors Inc., being a family owned and operated business for over 30 years, have watched the industry, both wholesale and retail, go through many changes. I wish that I could say for the good, but I cannot. Through the years I have been asked if it is hard to open a retail flooring business.
From the first time that I was asked this, it struck me funny; and I have been giving the same answer every time, which is no! It’s easy to get into the retail flooring business, but not so easy to stay in the retail flooring business. Why? Well, of course, many reasons. But one of the biggest is that there is a constant, and enormous amount of flooring stores that open and close. When they open they make price the focus to get business. They are usually inexperienced, and have never installed a floor in their life. This being a service related business, the cheap or low price becomes the most expensive for the consumer.
These stores usually stay around just long enough to do a whole lot of damage to people’s homes, and costing the homeowner thousands of dollars, but much more than that in grief. They give such unrealistic low prices that it makes the Dealer that is legitimate, and that has been there for many years servicing their customers as if they are high priced, and they may very well not be. We are not the cheapest priced store, and if people look for the cheapest priced store they will find it, usually accompanied by the cheapest installers and lowest quality of service. Nothing is free! Whether it is labor or material, or tax.
We all need to beware of anything that sounds too good to be true. When you see flooring stores offering up to 75% off, well, they either were gouging before, or they are just using another gimmick. Beware of companies over measuring, and also under measuring. Beware of Sunday sampling or bait and switch, where you are shown one sample of wood or especially carpet and sent out a lower quality. Beware of companies trying to sell you an upgraded padding. They should have been using it from the beginning. Every carpet has the correct compatible pad that should easily last for the life of the carpet.
Beware of companies that want to charge to give you an estimate, especially if they say that you can apply it to the purchase, you should not feel obligated. Whether it be wood flooring, carpet, tile. vinyl laminate, granite counters, cabinets, or stone floors, or custom bath and showers, we cannot be out matched. Please give us a call, or come by and visit us at one of our four locations. We are confident that you will be more than pleased.
From the first time that I was asked this, it struck me funny; and I have been giving the same answer every time, which is no! It’s easy to get into the retail flooring business, but not so easy to stay in the retail flooring business. Why? Well, of course, many reasons. But one of the biggest is that there is a constant, and enormous amount of flooring stores that open and close. When they open they make price the focus to get business. They are usually inexperienced, and have never installed a floor in their life. This being a service related business, the cheap or low price becomes the most expensive for the consumer.
These stores usually stay around just long enough to do a whole lot of damage to people’s homes, and costing the homeowner thousands of dollars, but much more than that in grief. They give such unrealistic low prices that it makes the Dealer that is legitimate, and that has been there for many years servicing their customers as if they are high priced, and they may very well not be. We are not the cheapest priced store, and if people look for the cheapest priced store they will find it, usually accompanied by the cheapest installers and lowest quality of service. Nothing is free! Whether it is labor or material, or tax.
We all need to beware of anything that sounds too good to be true. When you see flooring stores offering up to 75% off, well, they either were gouging before, or they are just using another gimmick. Beware of companies over measuring, and also under measuring. Beware of Sunday sampling or bait and switch, where you are shown one sample of wood or especially carpet and sent out a lower quality. Beware of companies trying to sell you an upgraded padding. They should have been using it from the beginning. Every carpet has the correct compatible pad that should easily last for the life of the carpet.
Beware of companies that want to charge to give you an estimate, especially if they say that you can apply it to the purchase, you should not feel obligated. Whether it be wood flooring, carpet, tile. vinyl laminate, granite counters, cabinets, or stone floors, or custom bath and showers, we cannot be out matched. Please give us a call, or come by and visit us at one of our four locations. We are confident that you will be more than pleased.
