Price Is Not Always the Most Important Factor When Buying an Office Chair.
We are often asked to assist customers in selecting an office chair. The customer may be communicating via phone or email and located thousands of miles away, or they could be in our showroom here in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.
There are many factors to consider in selecting an office chair, and we have written detailed articles and buyer’s guides concerning them.
One basic but very important factor in selecting an office chair is often overlooked: Be sure to select a chair that is appropriate for the person or task. The trend over the past few years is for customers to look at price first and gravitate to the cheapest chairs, as businesses and institutions are under pressure to save money. We see customers who definitely need “big and tall chairs” for employees who weigh over 300 lbs select $99.00 entry level desk chairs. Customers who need “24 hour multi-shift chairs” have opted for light-use conference chairs or even home office desk chairs. Chairs that are not designed for those conditions won’t hold up, and their warranties won’t cover breakage. In the long run, the customer will end up spending more to replace the chairs again and again.
You can purchase a 24/7 400 lb Capacity Multi-Shift Office Chair from Modern Office for $399.00. It’s extremely comfortable and rugged. For comparison, a light-use Conference Chair may cost around $169.00. But you can use the 24/7 Chair 24 hours a day in multi-shift situations and it will last many times longer than the $169.00 Conference Chair, in addition to being comfortable and highly adjustable for the user. The $399 Chair is your best investment over time.
Try to keep the user and function of the chair in mind the next time you shop for office chairs. Then look at price next. The cheapest office chair is unlikely to be the best chair for your situation.