Wednesday, December 2, 2009

RECLINER DECLINER



I’ve always been a fan of recliners – got one in the living-room and one in the bedroom.

I come home at night and there’s this friend, my recliner, good to look at with its sharp, traditional styling, welcoming me with the promise of deep comfort. But truth is, the one in the bedroom, after years of faithful service, had reached a state of near collapse. It was pretty well worn out.

Look who’s talking. :-)

So I shopped around for a new one – on the internet, naturally.

The price range for such items surprised me. Some good-looking recliners were advertised for under 200 dollars; others were over the thousand-clam mark. Yet they looked about the same.

I decided to get a cheap one; a recliner is pretty much a recliner, Ned’s pa? I bought from a well-known business organization that will be nameless except that its advertising motto is “save money, live better.”

Well, I saved money. As for the rest…

When I filled out the order, there was one line of small print that should have represented to me a huge red flag waving energetically in the breeze. It read: “Some assembly required.”

As Alfred E Newman used to say: What, me worry? There should be no problem, I thought to myself; I’m as good a handyman as any average guy – which is probably, unfortunately, true.

It started off badly. The thing arrived in two huge boxes, each weighing a ton. By the way, have you noticed that many businesses these days describe delivery of their products, especially the large ones, as “curbside delivery.” In other words, they just dump the stuff in front of your house or garage and what happens after that is somebody’s business else.

After I had struggled to get the two huge boxes inside, I began the job of putting the various pieces together. After an hour or so I remembered a documentary I saw recently about the building of Hoover Dam. I wouldn’t want to exaggerate – assembling that recliner was not as difficult as building that dam – but it was only a matter of degree.

As Plato, or maybe it was Archimedes, once remarked: cheap is cheap. With a more expensive recliner if there were some assembly, my guess is that pieces that were supposed to fit together would actually FIT TOGETHER!

That, I was to learn, was not necessarily the case with cheap recliners. But I had saved money.

It was just as well that it was for the bedroom; the lashup that resulted, a recliner with one arm-rest drooping down in a forlorn way and the other sticking up at an odd angle, would not have contributed to the artistic and sophisticated, not to mention upscale, décor of my living-room – which has little enough such décor as it is.

I’d invite people over to see my new recliner, but I’d be afraid someone might try to sit on it. :-D





Each week I'd like to mention a blog I especially enjoyed. This week it's the way the Peach Tart spontaneously burst into dance while in line at Urban Outfitters. Check it out.

12 comments:

The Peach Tart said...

I love a great recliner too. Thanks for the shout-out on my dancing adventures.

Berowne said...

>> I love a great recliner too. <<

Especially one that actually reclines. I'm still looking for that one. :-)

Jeanne Estridge said...

WalMart is trying to destroy our country.

Just one more example.

Berowne said...

"...Destroy our country"?

That might be a bit too strong. :-)

When a person -- i.e., me -- decides to buy the cheapest thing he can find, doesn't he -- i.e., me -- bear some of the responsibility if it turns out to be not all that great?

French Fancy... said...

Sometimes it is just best to splash out and hope that the times one sits in the chair works out at a good price per sitting. How does your wife feel about it? If it were me I'd be moaning about the lopsided chair that we couldn't risk sitting on. Oh well - you can always drape your clothes over it :)

Berowne said...

>> Oh well, you can always drape your clothes over it. <<

Drape my clothes over it? Thanks! I finally found a use for the chair! :-)

Madame DeFarge said...

I'm not sure about recliners. Personally, I think you can't beat a good rocking chair. Something very relaxing about the whole process. Reminds me of the one my gran had.

Berowne said...

>> I'm not sure about recliners. Personally, I think you can't beat a good rocking chair. <<

They have heard you. One of the fascinating things about recliners is that 1, you can buy a recliner that just plain old reclines; or 2, one that reclines and rocks; or 3, one that reclines, rocks and swivels about.

I saw an inventor on TV who had added one more feature. You push a button on your recliner and in your kitchen your refrigerator door opens and the fridge tosses you a cold beer.

Stacie said...

My husband bought a stroller today from the same store that you purchased your recliner and thought (in the parking lot of the antique mall) that he could just pull the thing out of the box and use it. The wheels went in all directions as did the directions for assembly. It was cold out but he beat the thing into submission. At least you were prepared to put something together. I commend you.

Berowne said...

>> The wheels went in all directions as did the directions for assembly. It was cold out but he beat the thing into submission. <<

That must have been quite an experience. At least I could struggle with mine inside where it was warm. :-)

Dawn Parsons Smith said...

When it comes to recliners, anything reading "some assembly required" would have me running for the hills! Bravo to you for going at it with some gusto;)

I'm a huge fan of the already assembled variety of home furnishings!

Berowne said...

Welcome to Berowne's blog, Bee and Rose...

 
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