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Cheapest Place To Buy Carpet
Updated: Sep 10, 2022
Cheapest Place To Buy Carpet
Finding the cheapest place to buy carpet can be tough, if you don’t know where to look! With dozens of stores and online shops fighting it out in your area, it may seem impossible to tell who really has the best prices and deals. To help you get the best bang for your buck, here are some great places to check out when shopping for cheap carpeting
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Carpet In Your Area
Let's first take a look at the big box stores. Here are some of the pro's:
1. The large box stores usually have good pricing on the materials they have in-stock.
2. Many customers have store credit cards, which can cetainly help with the financing plan.
3. Box stores usually have good quantity levels of the materials that are on sale.
Now, let's take a look at some of the con's:
1. Most box stores have a constant rotation of inventory. If you don't buy enough at first, you could be in trouble.
2. Sometimes the quality of the material is not the best.
3. Box stores don't really have that good of customer service. In most cases, customers are simply a number.
4. Employees in the flooring department are mostly part-time emplyees, and may not be there when you come back or need to have questions answered.
Let's talk about the carpet installation in box stores. All of the installers used are sub-contractors. In other words, they are not box store employees. In many instances, the installers out of a box store are not the best quality. As a customer, it is almost impossible to research the installer or have any control over who will do the installation.
Now, let's take a look at the local flooring store. Most towns (unless the town is very small) will have several local floor covering stores. Trying to find the cheapest place to buy carpet in your town, really comes down to you putting in the leg work.
If you want to get the cheapest carpet, then you have to be willing to get multiple quotes. However, you need to make sure your quotes are apples to apples. It does no good to get one quote from a company that uses an apartment grade carpet, while the other company quotes a custom home upper-end carpet (we'll tak more about this later).
Here are some of the pro's for buying carpet from a local store:
1. In most cases, you will get personal customer service. When you revisit or call that store, the same salesperson will be there.
2. Many stores have relationships with finance companies that offer the same financial plans as the box stores.
3. Installers are usually top tiered professionals that have worked in the business for a long time.
4. Local stores will usually have the ability to get more of the same carpet, if you run short or need to do another room.
Local stores also have some con's:
1. Some stores stay in business for a long time, while others can go out of business, just like that.
2. Most local stores don't have the same level of inventory as the box stores.
3. Most local stores will carry and mix of low end carpet and high-end carpet. Costs could be higher if you don't shop right.
Surefire Ways To Find The Lowest Prices On Carpet
Carpet is a big investment, so you want to be sure you're getting the best deal possible. Here are a few ways to find the cheapest place to buy carpet:
1. Research the local stores. Just because one store advertises all of the tme, does not mean they have the cheapest prices. So, how do you research? You need to find the local stores that have in-stock inventory. Carpet that is actually in the store will ALWAYS be cheaper than carpet that needs to be ordered in. If you go into a store that does not offer any cash & carry or in-stock carpet, you will not get a cheap price.
2. Many local flooring stores have a display rack in their store of just in-stock carpet. Some stores will buy in bulk throughout the year using the same carpet. So, just because a store looks fancy and high-end, please don't overlook them. They might have a great selection of carpet that is just sitting in their warehouse.
3. Don't forget about the installation. If you're going to do a cash & carry carpet purchase, someone has to be able to install it. It might be a good idea to find your installer first.
4. Call companies that do the carpet installation for your apartments in town. While they might not have a retail store, you can bet they have leftover carpet from previous apartment installations they would love to sell you.
Finally, remember your "effort" is the key to finding the cheapest place to buy carpet. There is no one store that has all of your options. Even if they appear to, dig a little deeper and ask questions. In fact, you'll need to do a lot of shopping around before finding carpet for your new home or business. The cheapest place to buy carpet could be right in front of you...waiting.
Tips On Getting A Great Deal On Carpet
We have a good article, "How To Buy Flooring For Your Home," that discusses our philosophy on how to shop for flooring. To give a quick recap of this article, here is the general concept:
99% of the flooring sales people work on a commission basis. In other words, the more money you spend, the more money they make. Each store has a set policy on the sales margins they use. Retail floor covering sales usually work with a profit margin of 35% to 45%. That means, your sales person MUST quote you a price that is in that range. They do not have the ability to quote a lower price.
However, did you know most stores have a person or two that handles commercial sales? Commercial sales would be defined as: apartments, offices, schools, hospitals, new home construction, anything other than retail sales. These sales associates work on a whole different profit margin.
Stores usually allow commercial sales people to quote jobs around a 15% to 35% margin, much lower than there retail counter-parts. And...guess what? All of these commercial sales people also work on commission. The more they sale, the more they earn. So, what does this mean?
It means if you can get associated with one of these commercial people...they will take your order. They will take your order and quote you a lot less for the project! They key is learning how to identify these sales people. We suggest you read the article mentioned above to get the full details.
Costs To Expect When Buying New Carpet
The carpet itself: Carpet comes in a lot of different styles and weights. Finding the cheapest place to buy carpet is not only about finding the right store, but also about finding the right product. Customers need to understand "why" they need the carpet, as well as what sort of purpose the carpet needs to serve.
Finding the cheapest carpet for an apartment that you own might be completely diferent than finding the cheapest carpet for a living room in a house you will be living in for the next 30 years.
Customers need to understand their project before they make a buying decision.
Carpet Pad: Most of the time, when you buy new carpet, you will also need to buy new carpet pad. Most stores have 3-4 options for padding. Once again, you need to understand the project. A thin pad might work great for one home, while a thick pad might work best for someone else.
Installation: The installation of carpet might include the following:
- Removal of the current flooring in the room
- Any floor preparation that needs to be done prior to the installation.
- Moving of furniture
- Extra charges for stairs, moving large furniture like, pool tables or grandfather clocks, etc...