Jerseygirl

We bought a bed from Costco. The delivery guys refused to take it up 2 flights of stairs, therefore, I refused to take delivery of the items. A quick call to Costco, it was delivered, taken upstairs and assembled the following day.

Steerpike

Ashley is one of the few furniture stores we won't go into. Their sale people seem to be the absolute worst, in terms of following you around and hounding you. I feel sorry for the 'sales associates', as they are probably paid very poorly and are desperate for commissions, but they don't even give you time to think!
"Can I help you find anything?" ... "No thanks, we're just looking!".
"Everything with the red tag is 40% off" ... "thanks!"
"Can I help you find anything?" ... "No thanks, we'll let you know if we need any help ..." ...
rinse and repeat, 50 times ... escape!

spouse of scouse

We have a furniture and electrical chain store like that, Harvey Norman (which everyone calls Hardly Normal). Badger badger badger. You can bargain the price down which is a good thing, but you have to be in it for the long haul so I only do it for high price items.

Jerseygirl

I hated that about US furniture stores. Every time you turn around the sales assistant pretended to be doing something, rather than following/watching you.

Steerpike

My anger at the individuals is always tempered by the sympathy I feel for anyone who has to choose that as their source of income; as my g/f often says, this is probably not what they had in mind for a career when they were growing up! We've found other stores these days where the sales people leave you alone, and I really appreciate it! And I'm always super-respectful towards the sales people.

Ashley is one of the few remaining 'national chains' though; it's a shitty business it seems, furniture stores never seem to last.

Lion in Winter

The sales/department managers will be the ones making them do that. It will be scripted and compulsory, and their managers will be walking the floor to make sure they do it.

Jerseygirl

For sure.

MMcD

Good reason to shop online.
Even for items that one wants to first try out - or try on....there are a spate of pretty good web sites whose recommendations or reviews are pretty reliable.
"The Wirecutter", sponsored by NY Times, "The Strategist", sponsored by New York Magazine, C-Net reviews and Amazon are some.
Of course online shopping will be the death knell for the "sales associates" about whom you're concerned

scrubbedexpat097

Whenever there is a major wind or flood event in our part of the world everyone runs to AshleyFurniture for replacement furniture and without fail there will be posts on all the local FB sites complaining about how they were told delivery would be 5 days and then changed to a month and then even longer. The sales staff are berated online for this and also often named as most of the associates working there are local. Sad really because as you say they are told to do this.

Last time we needed some smaller items like bedside tables we ordered from Ashley on Amazon and we had Prime delivery in 2 days! I had walked round the local store and figured out what I wanted then found it on Amazon.
I know I probably should have " shopped locally" but when you are desperate to at least get some kind of furnishings in your gutted out home you will try anything!
Most of our other furniture was ordered through a family owned store in the area and we waited and waited for delivery but didn’t complain