How do transit users go furniture shopping?

Submitted by David on Thu, 2012-08-02 17:09

That was one question asked in the Globe and Mail piece No wheels for a week: my one-woman war on the car:

The next day went down with a similar lack of drama, until I had to pick up my new printer from Grand & Toy by bike. The fact that both woman and machine made it home in one piece is slightly miraculous. The car-as-carrier theme came up again the next day. It was the weekend, and my boyfriend and I had planned to head out to Home Depot to buy some discounted patio furniture. I love Home Depot the way Holly Golightly loved Tiffany’s, but as per the rules of engagement, I stayed home and helped to select an outdoor dining set via text message. How does Olivia Chow go furniture shopping?

The first question this brought to find was whether the average person really goes furniture shopping on even a semi-regular basis. This reminds me of one of the big obstacles to electric vehicle adoption - limited range - even though the average person probably isn't limited by this over 99% of the time they spend driving. The solution seems to be the same - three options:

  1. Rent something. U-Haul claims that "every U-Haul truck placed in a local community helps keep 19 personally owned, large capacity vehicles, such as pickup trucks, SUVs, and vans off the road." Even if that may be an overestimate - they are trying to rent out these vehicles after all - picking up an appropriate-sized vehicle for your typical daily activities and upsizing when necessarily probably isn't a bad idea. Likely cheaper and more fuel-efficient to operate as well.
  2. Get it delivered. - often shopping online and getting stuff delivered is cheaper than showing up instore, and pretty much any store selling large items will have some way to get it delivered. If you can make do most of the time with a cheaper, more-efficient vehicle your net expenses might be lower even if you fork out every now and then for a delivery fee. Besides, a lot of stuff might not fit even in a fairly large van or pickup.
  3. Live nearby. This is half a joke option - since I know a few people who live within a block or two of a Home Depot or other hardware store - and half a serious one - and half the idea for denser, more walkable communities. This might have side-effects like fresher food with fewer preservatives.