LOFAPEDIA

The world-wide financial crisis continues to have a negative effect on the Canadian dollar.  As per usual, some economists are forecasting gloom and doom while others are far more positive in their outlook.  I, for one, have learned from experience that it pays to stay on top of the situation, as many Americans are aware of and sensitive to the vagaries of the US$/C$ relationship.  

I COULD adjust my website pricelist every time the dollar changes, but that would be one giant pain-in-the-butt.  Instead, I think I’ll emulate the trucking industry (they post weekly fuel surcharges) and announce an exchange rate discount each Monday morning that’ll be effective through the following Sunday.  This will allow me to pass on the benefits of a lower C$ while limiting my exposure in case the dollar bounces back up.  Below is the message posted on my Homepage this morning:

Unfortunately, this exchange rate discount only benefits Americans.  Unless, of course, a Canadian customer has some extra U.S. dollars he wants to get rid of.  In that case, I can be very accommodating.  

Mitch Wapen

www.lofasofa.com

The Canadian dollar is dropping like a rock!  Up until about two weeks ago the C$ and the US$ were trading pretty much at par…so I was able to simplify the pricelist by offering the same price to both Americans and Canadians.  No longer.  The worldwide financial crisis has pushed the C$ down some 15%, and some analysts believe it won’t come back for quite a while.  Here’s what a leading Canadian newspaper had to say about the situation:

“The fundamentals for Canada’s dollar are looking a bit weak. A big part of the demand for Canadian dollars is driven by export earnings, but the two big supports for Canadian exports are both crumbling. Manufactured exports have been shrinking for a while, as the U.S. housing collapse devastated demand for lumber and other building materials, while the emerging weakness in U.S. consumer demand is devastating demand for goods like autos.  Add to this the plunge in value of commodities, from petroleum to metals to grains.  All these have touched record highs within the past few months and all have fallen significantly from those highs.  As the prices drop, Canada’s export earnings decline.  According to George Vasic, chief strategist at UBS Securities Canada, the Canadian dollar moves in very close correlation with the price of a basket of commodities representing this country’s pattern of resource exports.”  

In response, I am announcing a temporary discount of 10% on any U.S. dollar order placed and paid for before October 31.  We will be keeping a close watch on the situation, and MAY continue it into November; but as long as the markets remain volatile, we can make this offer for a limited time only. 

Mitch Wapen

www.lofasofa.com

For the most part LofaBed mattresses are of standard dimensions (54″x75″ for a full/double, 60″x80″ for a queen), but we DO offer two sizes (28″x75″ chair/ottoman + the 54″x80″ “qouble”) that fall outside the standard bedding parameters.  Customers ask all the time for advice finding fitted sheets in these sizes, but until recently, I couldn’t help them.  Then someone told me about the Precious Bedding site.  Although I don’t know them and, therefore, cannot really recommend them, they DO offer bedding in virtually every size you can think of and some interesting buying tips that I think are worth sharing.  

So here’s their website information for your perusal, and if you DO decide to buy something from them, I’d appreciate some feedback re the experience.

Mitch Wapen

www.lofasofa.com

Precious Bedding: http://www.preciousbedding.com/index.php

Welcome to Precious Bedding A comfortable bed and bedding which matches your decor are essential to the visual facade and comfort level of your bedroom. Better bedding results in one being more rested in the morning and a snug, relaxed feeling when tucked in at night. Fresh, clean bedding attributes to good health and well-being. Precious Bedding is your one-stop-shop for new bed sheets, comforters, mattress pads, bed skirts, as well as other bedding items. On the menu to the left, you’ll see a host of our collections which include the following sizes of bedding:   King … and Split King   Queen .. and Split Queen   Olympic Queen   California King … and Queen   Full … and XL and XXL   Twin XL (for College Dorms)   Twin XXL We have bedding to fit just about any mattress. In the chance that we do not have what you are looking for, please email us atsupport@preciousbedding.com and we will gladly give you a quote on custom bedding. Originally started to fulfill an increasing demand for bedding with unique sizes like the Olympic Queen, California King and California Queen, the Precious Bedding Company has grown extensively as we now offer bedding to fit almost any bed on the market. We also offer a large selection of Full XL and Twin XL bedding too! It’s a fact that your bed gets more use in your home than any other home furniture. Therefore, it’s crucial to know the bedding basics prior to making your next purchase. “Bedding 101″, a crash course, has been compiled in our Linen Learning Center. This will help you to know exactly what you are looking for and why. It is usually located on the bottom-left of each page on the site. It can be quite confusing to find linens for many of these bed sizes, specifically Olympic Queen and California King Sheets. It’s important to be aware that our catalog changes constantly. We advise that you check back with the Precious Bedding Company if you can’t find what you’re looking for at the moment. In the near future, more dust ruffles, featherbeds and down products will be added to our inventory. We are enthusiastic about acquiring more great Pima (Supima) cotton products as well. We also offer bedding at wholesale prices, if needed in bulk. All of the accessories we offer at Precious Bedding are of first-rate quality. If you need anything, we are here to assist you. There is a “Live Chat” option on the left on each page. If we happen not to be in, you can always reach one of our customer service representatives either at the “Contact Us” link at the top or by sending an email to:support@preciousbedding.com. We’re dedicated to providing prompt answers to all your bedding questions.

About once a week someone writes to inquire about replacing an old Hide-A-Bed mattress with a new one. Normally I tell them to keep searching the internet, because shipping only a thin mattress from Canada would be prohibitively expensive.  But recently l came across a website that specializes in such mattresses, and I thought sharing this information in my blog could be helpful.  The following text was written by a company in Chicago called Factory Direct Mattresses:

Every once in a while, the cost of freight surprises me.  I mean, with sky-high fuel prices and the slow down in the furniture industry, freight is a higher percentage of the total price than ever before; but there IS a bright spot for residents of the U.S. northeast.  

DuCamPro, the carrier we use to deliver LofaBeds to all 48 contiguous states, bases their rates on cubic footage.  And the minimum rate to the northeast section of the U.S. includes up to almost 100 cubic feet.  Considering that one full/double size LofaBed measures less than 50 cu.ft., that means that shipping TWO would cost the exact same freight as shipping ONE!  And since the cost of freight makes up almost 30% of the total “landed” price, that can be a significant savings for customers deciding on a second sofa bed.  

Although this concept works across the country as well, no where does it save the customer as much as in the northeast.

Mitch Wapen

www.lofasofa.com

A funny thing happened today, and it’s never happened before.  I told this customer in North Dakota that her LofaBed had been picked up by the shipping company, DuCamPro, last Thursday.  As per usual, I had called DuCamPro’s dispatch on Monday morning to try and get a “read” on when the next truck to North Dakota would be leaving.  Dispatch told me there was a run leaving for Seattle in early October, and that my order would be part of that run.  So I told my customer, who was quite satisfied.

Then today I get an email from said customer, telling me her LofaBed had just been home delivered…..THIS MORNING!!!  Not October.  Not even the end of September.  But today, this morning!  I called DuCamPro to ask them how this could have happened without the knowledge of the dispatcher, and they blamed it on miscommunication.  I say it’s Murphy’s Law, in reverse, and I’m damn happy to know that it exists.

Mitch Wapen

www.lofasofa.com

Lately the furniture industry has been slow.  Mostly because of the housing crisis in the U.S., but for other reasons as well.  Whatever the cause, the result has been to make forecasting long-distance deliveries much more difficult. When times are good, the trucking company we use to deliver throughout the U.S., DuCamPro, sends trucks all over the country on a weekly basis.  When times are bad, as Jon Stewart would say, “Not so much.”  

So forecasting when your LofaBed will arrive really depends on how populated an area you live near.  If you live in NYC, LA, Chicago, or most parts of Florida…..no problem…..a truck leaves every weekend.  But if you live in North Dakota, you may have to wait a while.  What happens is DuCamPro waits until they have a full load going your way.  THEN they release the truck.  This may take a week or two, rarely more, and as soon as I know when they’re leaving, I tell you.

Mitch Wapen

www.lofasofa.com

Many people write that they have a limited amount of wall space and wonder if a LofaBed, usually a full size, will fit.  They know the dimensions of the mattress and the various arms, which they get off the website, but what they’re really asking is, are these dimensions accurate?  

The answer is a definite YES…..and NO!  That’s because we measure the width of an arm at the top…the nice wide, padded, top of the arm.  But most people are more concerned with the BOTTOM dimensions, because that’s where their restriction is located.  So the real answer to their question is that the arm widths shown on the website are for the TOP of the arm only, and that in most cases (not the SpaceSaver), the bottom of the arm will be several inches narrower.  

Mitch Wapen

www.lofasofa.com

One of the most confusing things about mattress sizes is the difference between a double (”full” in the U.S.) and a loveseat/ottoman mattress.  For people with space problems, it sometimes makes a world of difference.  

A double size LofaBed takes up wall space, not floor space….measuring 75″ in length, without the arms.  Depending on the layout of your room, this configuration may be too wide.  That’s where the loveseat/ottoman comes in. The loveseat measures 54″ in width (without arms), but comes into the room 75″ when the ottoman is added.  So for people with more floor space than wall space, the loveseat/ottoman is a better option.

Think of it THIS way:  A double LofaBed sleeps PARALLEL to a wall, and the arms are at your head and feet.  While a loveseat/ottoman sleeps PERPENDICULAR to a wall, with the arms to the left and right of you, like in a crib.  Both mattresses measure the same 54″x75″, but you’re sleeping in a different direction.

Mitch Wapen

www.lofasofa.com

Several times a month I get a question about narrow doorways.  It’s usually something like, “I have an older house, and the basement doorway is only 28″ wide.  Will your LofaBed fit through?”  The answer is, “Yes, that’s why we designed it to be KD.”  

Knocked-Down (KD) or Ready-To-Assemble (RTA) furniture offers the buyer the ability to carry large pieces of furniture through small openings because they separate (knock-down) into much smaller units.  For instance, a full size LofaBed is too cumbersome and heavy to carry through a normal doorway…assembled.  But when you remove the 40 lb. mattress and the 34 lb. arms, the largest piece left is the 118 lb. davenport base, which will go through a 12″ opening when turned and carried vertically.  

So carrying a LofaBed through a narrow doorway?  Piece of cake.

Mitch Wapen

www.lofasofa.com