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Nebraska Furniture Mart

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Re: Nebraska Furniture Mart

#31

Post by 609venezia »

hogFeast wrote: post #10
YourGrace wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it's important to state that one of the reasons she opened another store was because her family forced her to retire.

She was also notoriously abusive towards staff and her family. That was the reason why her family forced her to retire initially (iirc, and I may be misremembering this, she only has one biological son...the other two married her daughters and they were, perhaps understandably, not keen to carry on after the sale because of the abuse).

Do you have a source for her abuse? A quick search didn’t turn up anything—your comment is the top google result :)

Re: Nebraska Furniture Mart

#32

Post by sswaner »

GWSchulz wrote: post #18

If you've never hiked through one, they are quintessential American excess. I know for many of you, their locations are Flyover Country. But actually embark from your stopover next time and spend a full weekend experiencing it. I've lived all over Middle America and the SF Bay Area for several years, and I live in Tulsa now. Nebraska Furniture Mart makes IKEA look like a Mission bodega that ran out of American Spirit…

I will have to give NFM another chance. The Clive IA store was a sleepy, underwhelming selection, and staff either missing or unable to help. We kept trying to buy blinds. After the 3rd try stopping by to talk to an expert we just ended up ordering online from justblinds.

They have moved to a new location in Clive or Urbandale. I haven't stopped in, but it feels like the parking lot is never too full.

Re: Nebraska Furniture Mart

#33

Post by killjoywashere »

c0achmcguirk wrote: post #12

I have no idea why this is on the front page of Hacker News but I'm not hating it. I moved from Omaha to the Denver/Boulder area two years ago and besides the Henry Doorly Zoo, I miss Nebraska Furniture Mart the most. NFM is a great place to buy pretty much anything you want to put in your house. Mrs. B really knew how to make a business work. The only weird thing is how antiquated their computer systems are, it's am…

I grew up in Omaha and there was a time when most of my parents' furniture came from NFM. I remember walking through as a kid, testing out bunk beds and dining room sets. When my dad told me about the other Omaha legend, Warren Buffett, he made it relatable by explaining he had so much money he could afford to buy NFM. That was my introduction to Warren Buffett.

Re: Nebraska Furniture Mart

#34

Post by [deleted] »

c0achmcguirk wrote: post #12

I have no idea why this is on the front page of Hacker News but I'm not hating it. I moved from Omaha to the Denver/Boulder area two years ago and besides the Henry Doorly Zoo, I miss Nebraska Furniture Mart the most. NFM is a great place to buy pretty much anything you want to put in your house. Mrs. B really knew how to make a business work. The only weird thing is how antiquated their computer systems are, it's am…

[deleted]

Re: Nebraska Furniture Mart

#35

Post by tomrod »

victor106 wrote: post #28

Does anyone here know what exactly is NFM’s moat? Price, Selection, Customer Service? All the above?

Selection, IME.

We purchased couches and a desk chair from them. There tends to be three grades: entry, mid, affluent. Their entry are 2X Ikea and maybe 3X the quality of most of what I've seen from Ikea. Mid prices tend to be better than smaller furniture stores, and I can't really comment on affluent.

Re: Nebraska Furniture Mart

#36

Post by koyote »

kodablah wrote: post #30
victor106 wrote: post #28

Does anyone here know what exactly is NFM’s moat? Price, Selection, Customer Service? All the above?

Personally, all of the above. Most of my furnishings and appliances have been purchased there, the sheer volume of choice coupled with reasonable pricing and ease of purchase/delivery sets them apart from niche stores and/or difficult purchasing processes. It's much easier spending an afternoon walking around dozens of couches than traveling store to store (knowing evaluation must be in person for such an item).

Can they compete against Ikea?

Re: Nebraska Furniture Mart

#37

Post by madengr »

koyote wrote: post #36
kodablah wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Personally, all of the above. Most of my furnishings and appliances have been purchased there, the sheer volume of choice coupled with reasonable pricing and ease of purchase/delivery sets them apart from niche stores and/or difficult purchasing processes. It's much easier spending an afternoon walking around dozens of couches than traveling store to store (knowing evaluation must be in person for such an item).

Can they compete against Ikea?

Yes, if you are looking for something that is not particle board.

Re: Nebraska Furniture Mart

#38

Post by [deleted] »

lotsofpulp wrote: post #15
jfk13 wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Perhaps that illustrates just how little value we've really added during the last few decades of "improving" business systems...

I derive great value from ordering online and picking up in store, as well as stores that show me inventory and item location.

[deleted]

Re: Nebraska Furniture Mart

#39

Post by bzbz »

CharlesW wrote: post #29
dawsmik wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is entrepreneurship in it's purest form. This is an entrepreneurship forum with a focus on technology.

Mind sharing what you learned, technology-wise, from reading this Wikipedia entry?

10 page report, double spaced, size 12 font, Times New Roman?

Hacker News is specifically _not_ a pure tech forum. Graciously, please don't force people to conform to what you wish it to be.

Re: Nebraska Furniture Mart

#40

Post by kick »

CharlesW wrote: post #29
dawsmik wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is entrepreneurship in it's purest form. This is an entrepreneurship forum with a focus on technology.

Mind sharing what you learned, technology-wise, from reading this Wikipedia entry?

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