As I have been speaking with several interior designers lately, I am becoming more and more aware of some of their immediate concerns. Previously I mentioned that at a wholesale market, the company’s requirements for a minimum order can be extremely important. Some companies simply do not work with decorators at all but send them to their stocking dealers; others, have a dollar amount for their minimum; and other, have just one rug.
The cost of shipping, which in turn depends on the size, weight, and destination of the rug, is important to a designer. When and how the rug arrives can be important too. Who is going to accept it and sign for it?Will it go directly to the clients home or must it go to a warehouse somewhere and then be delivered to the client.
Another critical factor is “what price” the hang tag is displaying. Apparently at Design Centers, the full retail price is displayed, even though the designer often gets a discounted price. Therefore, of course, designers like to bring their clients to a Design Center. At a wholesale market like High Point, the wholesale price is usually shown on the tag, which makes it difficult for a designer to make any “undisclosed” money. If the client comes to market with the designer, then the client knows exactly what the mark-up for the decorator is–even though sometimes the designer does not get a true wholesale price, because the wholesaler has a higher “decorator price” since they are not “stocking dealers.”
These are a few issues that designers must deal with as they go to market. More to follow on this subject.
