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When I ordered furniture from Crate and Barrel, they let me pick the day...

An alternative is to have it shipped to a receiver (as most designers must do for common carrier, non-residential deliveries) then have it re-shipped to you at your convenience, on a Monday.

However, this will add about $200-300 to your delivery cost.

I'm thinking if you can't afford to take time off from work and you're buying furniture from Macy*s, this isn't the best option.

Crate and Barrel was great, I ordered from CB2 and had them deliver at the crack of dawn so I wouldn't be late for work.

I also ordered a lot of furniture from an independent store and ended up having to take a day off from work to receive the furniture.

It's the same way with most companies. I'm fortunate to be self-employed so I can generally rearrange things when i need to be home for a delivery and my hubby's schedule is pretty flexible at work so he can always cover if I can't swing it. We have gone through this several time in the past 6 mos with the sofa and other items of furniture. The problem is that the rest of the world, namely the retailers and delivery companies, have "business hours" the same hours we (the customers) have them. If you really can't take a day off from work, you might talk to a neighbor who maybe works from home, or a friend open to bartering a favor or if your building has a Super maybe they can help you out. Then again, since they are giving you Saturday as an option, I'm sure a weekend at your place instead of your BF's won't be a relationship killer, so you really should consider that. Some companies don't even offer a Saturday option! I wouldn't count on what maxwell suggested as far as asking the drivers to call your cell phone when they are 30 minutes out. I can't tell you how many times I've requested similar things and even if they/the dispatcher agrees to it - that call will rarely come.

Craigt, a bit harsh don't you think?
Not everyone can afford a $4000 sofa and some that can choose to spend their money in other ways. And may not want to spend their day off work waiting for the delivery guy.

sara - i've had the same problem. i work tues-sat and always thought monday, being my day off, would be an ideal delivery day. not so. but i very recently had something delivered from DWR and they wouldn't come to brooklyn on monday, until i pleaded with them very nicely and said i would wait as long as i needed to. i did end up waiting over one month to receive it, but they came on a monday. if you can be flexible with your wait time, maybe they will bend on their delivery day? worth a try. it was for me. good luck.

I don't know how it might work in NY, but when i was told that a sofa could not be delivered on a certain day, my day off, i told them to cancel the sale, i would go somewhere to accomodate my schedule. And they relented. But like I said, i'm not a NY'er so i don't know if they would just tell me to get lost!!

Hey CraigT.. She asked a valid question. If you have nothing valid to contribute, don't. Instead take all your free time that you must have (since you can afford to take off work) and spend it sitting on your $4000 "designer" sofa. That's right, it may shock you that SOME PEOPLE actually have to work for a living. GASP! And it may also shock you that some people buy their furniture at places like TARGET and MACYS because its a good deal for their hard earned dollar.. so please take your furniture snob williamsburg-esque attitude elsewhere...

I had luck with Crate & Barrel. They called me in advance to schedule the delivery day and gave me a three hour time spread (7 a.m. - 10 a.m.). They delivered the furniture at 8 a.m. and I was at work by 8:30!! Not too shabby...

They also gave me an option to schedule delivery for a later date.

My question - how much do you tip the delivery guy, if anything?

Sara, first off, it's not horrid to buy from Macy's. I found a great chair there for a client and my only options for purchasing the chair was Macy's or Foremost. Since I can't stand the people at Foremost I got it a Macy's for the same price.

Second, is it possible to have a friend or neighbor be available for the delivery? You pay them $50, put a bottle of wine in the frig, rent a DVD for them to watch and I think you might have a taker.

Woah hresco! Me thinks certain posters are too quick to be offended. Maybe I am missing something, but all CraigT seemed to be saying is that if Sara can't take a day off from work and Macy's cannot accomodate that schedule, then perhaps she should shop elsewhere. What is so offensive about that?? If you're reading some sort of snobby classist attitude into that, I have to wonder if perhaps you are the one with the problem?

I like Anne's suggestion, because I've done it and it was great. I had a friend wait for the delivery of my loveseat in my old apartment, and partly because it wasn't hers she was even more able than me to be kind of a hardass about making them be very, very careful.

In fact, to get it into the door, they had to take the door off its hinges, and she called me at work, and I said go ahead, and they did, and when I got home it was there and it was fine. But if I had been there myself it might have made me slightly crazier than it did her.

Anyway... if you DO have someone else accept delivery on your behalf, it helps if they're as relentlessly conscientious as she was.

Keep in mind that you'll want to make sure that you keep your a/c on that day.

Oh! Also if you get along well with a neighbor on the floor of your building who works from home and is reliable, that might work, too. Because they already stay home. You just have make sure that you tell the delivery folks which buzzer to summon THEM instead of you, etc.

SuzyQ--
I agree that craigt was taken a little too severely. I think he was just implying that isnce budget already seemed to be an issue, then adding considerable money to the sale was probably not a viable option...

I'll third Crate and Barrel. I've had nothing but good experiences with them. They let you pick the day and are very good at calling the day before and turning up when they say they will. Good luck.

I didn't find Craig T's comment to be mean-spirited at all.

That said, I know I tipped the guys who delivered my mattress/box spring set 'cause they set it up and everything.

Last week I had a table delivered in-home service from Pottery Barn, and it wasn't PB that delivered, it was another local delivery service I guess that PB contracts with. I was given a choice of dates and time frames.

They unpacked the table outside and brought it inside and set it up. There were two guys and I gave the head guy a $20 (feeling cheap, but it was all I had) and the way he smiled and said thanks led me to believe that sometimes they don't get tipped at all.

I mean, the delivery surcharge was $125 and all...

Try Scott Jordan Furniture. Their selection is often very similar to that of R&B. You can schedule delivery any day of the week, if you want. You might have to wait a whole week or so, from the time they receive the sofa, but they do a great job and give you a two hour window when you schedule your delivery. I highly suggest Scott Jordan.

In short, I hate to say the answer is Yes. But, I have to think there is SOME store out there that delivers Mondays. But, as others have mentioned, deliveries in general (like cable repair, etc) are a pain.

I'm going to join the chorus in CraigT's defense...point is: spending extra on delivery is probably not what you want to do.

I also don't see what's so bad about Macy's...

My goodness, hresco, have you spoken to your therapist about your anger and resentment?

My apologies to anyone who thought my tone was "snobbish". I was just trying to point out that other alternatives are often expensive. I don't know where the $4,000 figure came into play either.

sara--my favorite sofa came from macy's. it was BY FAR the most comfortable and held up the best of any sofa i have purchased for that price point. (and that includes one from the ABC warehouse and another from Room & Board)

yes, one can have a really great giggle walking around the showroom at macy's but there are certainly a few good gems to be found in my opinion.

This is the best day, ever! Someone else other than me was taken seriously and attacked by a bunch of sanctimonious nitwits! Hell, i am going to join the party!! CraigT, you are a VILE, VILE man!!! let's crucify him!!!! GET HIM!!!

It's interesting to hear the comments about Macy's... I've avoided there furniture for a few reasons, one of which is that when I was looking for a couch and did a google search on "Macys Furniture," it came up with a page of Better Business Bureau and complaint info. They have a reputation for not providing the sort of service I'd expect if I'm going to make a major purchase. I'd be tempted to go with the R&B version for that alone (well, unless they're charging lots more for it).

EEK! "there furniture" ?!?
Color me mortified.

Curtis, I agree with you, with one caveat: in delegating the receipt of your furniture to someone, you should also instruct them to carefully inspect the piece(s) right after the wrappings are gone, in movers' presence.
It would help you none, if by getting home and looking at your new toy you'll discover scratches on the legs/thorn fabric on the back and receipt, signed by your friend where it says - condition excellent.

wow, thanks for all the replies! Unfortunately I was out of the office today, my day in the Apart. Therapy spotlight! ah well!

I have a few days to figure this out, but will re-read your suggestions and sort myself out soon. Thanks again, all. I am completely hooked on this website and the debates within. Cool ideas, cool people, great diversion from work! All good!

best,
Sara

sara,

one other option (if macy's allows this) is to have a different delivery company pick the sofa up and deliver it at a day/time of your choosing.

1. Its always difficult to get things delivered when you want them - in the UK we often have to take time off from work to wait for delivery men

2. Poor Craig - leave him alone - he was merely being considerate of her budget

3. Please don't say frig as an abbreviation for fridge - in the UK frig means female masturbation...