As a consultant, it is my job to see the things that most bosses miss. The typical boss is quite astute at certain kinds of cost cutting measures. Bosses like to keep salaries as low as possible, cut down on perks such as affordable health care plans whenever they can, and cut corners by eliminating complimentary coffee and the like. These same bosses, on the other hand, will spend huge amounts of money to decorate their work space with no regard to how this will affect the company. You can find affordable office furniture if you look for it, and you do not have to sacrifice quality. You just have to care enough to realize that your three thousand dollar oak office desk is a bigger expense than keeping the coffee machine running!
Of course, finding good discount office furniture does take a little bit more work than simply picking out the first thing that looks good. The affordable office furniture that is available can vary greatly in quality, so you have to really know where to look. In the long run, however, finding a good source for affordable office furniture will more than pay for the time that it takes. In a decade, a typical medium sized office will go through countless desks, office chairs, computer monitors, tables, lamps, overhead lights, and other miscellaneous objects. Knowing where to get high quality affordable office furniture can save you literally tens of thousands of dollars. That is quite a bit of change, if you ask me.
I like to buy affordable office chairs in bulk. That way, I can save a little bit of money on the purchase, and I will always have a ready supply. If you are running a fairly large office, you will probably have an office chair fail every 4 to 6 months. If you already have some affordable office furniture standing by, you do not have to waste time getting replacements. Good affordable office furniture never really goes out of style, so you do not have to worry about the look getting old unless you have very particular tastes.
The only place where affordable office furniture is not a good idea is in an office with limited space. If you have to maximize your efficiency, it might make sense to pay the extra dough to have custom office furniture made. Most of the affordable office furniture is a little bit clunky, and it can be difficult to get just the size that you need.
