I’ve spent the last few weekends looking for some furniture odds and ends to fill out the spare bedroom in my house. I began my search at several local furniture retailers, ranging from the small shops (my preference) all the way up to the big branded outfits that will slap any pattern you want on any variety of furniture skeletons. “Custom furniture,” I believe is what they call it – much of it made in a quaint little place just east of Raleigh, North Carolina called China, but I digress…

What I’ve discovered in my travels is that what passes for “quality” in furniture today amounts to a lot of veneers, questionable fabric and second-rate woods. I was shocked. The worst part of it all is that this appears to be the standard in this industry.

I blame marketing. (Gasp!)

From the ads to the in-store signage to the salesman’s pitch – they all sing from the same sheet of music. Regardless of where you go, everyone is offering some degree of the same, substandard product and they all tout the “quality” of it. Want to talk about truth in advertising? Not here.

This is a shining example of how creative marketing has failed the consumer and allowed manufacturers to set the bar so low, that no one can tell the difference anymore. Technically, I guess we should applaud the marketers for doing such a good job at augmenting the perception? Or is it the manufacturers, who had the business acumen to continually lower their standards without anyone noticing? Either way, the only party who doesn’t benefit from this is the consumer (a.k.a. this guy).

Furniture and bedding sales are expected to top $82 billion dollars this year. All I know is, awash in this sea of money and mediocrity, I’m still in need of two bedside tables and a chest of drawers. Mission style. Dark woods. No veneer. Hook me up.