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Survey reveals a quarter
of Brits abandon flat pack furniture projects before completion
THE Cumbria based film Oak
Furniture UK has just discover nearly a quarter of us (24%) abandon our flat
pack furniture projects before completion!
So have you ever received a piece of furniture as a Christmas present? Maybe
you've spent Boxing Day wrestling with that new bed frame your parents
gifted to you, or that new bookcase to display all your lovely gifts?
Oak Furniture UK asked a simple question saying:- "We all love to save
some money, but how much do we really sacrifice or save by opting for the
cheaper flat pack furniture option? Many of us choose to build our own
furniture, but are we really getting a better deal when it comes to time,
money and personal DIY skills?"
The 'flat pack vs solid pre-built furniture survey',
commissioned by Oak Furniture UK, highlighted the amount of time, money and
injuries sustained when committing to a piece of flat pack furniture. With
an increasing number of handyman services born from flat pack furniture,
including:- both pickup and flat pack construction services, that said:-
"you may end up forking out as much for flimsy goods as you would for a
piece of solid furniture." Do our readers agree?
"We learned that the older generation tend to read the instructions much
more than the younger end, out of those surveyed. Those in the East Midlands
seem to have the poorest DIY skills, with almost 20% of them experiencing a
furniture collapse of malfunction shortly after assembly. So, do we really
get what we pay for, when 35% of us have found that flat pack furniture
could not be completed due to missing parts?" Director Samantha
Harris added.
Survey questioned 1,000 respondents and from the results they concluded
that:-
► On the issue about Time:- "It became apparent that we spend around 3
to 4 hours, on average, building each piece of furniture. 64% of people have
purchased between 1 and 6 pieces of flat pack furniture in the last 2 years,
meaning that people are losing up to 24 hours a year constructing furniture;
just think of all the things you could be doing with that extra day?"
► On the issue about Health:- "Accidents happen, but when trying to
strategically build, keep pieces and screws organised and read instructions
all at the same time, you can't help thinking, is this worth it? East
Anglian citizens tend to be the most cautious; or lucky? With only 6%
sustaining an injury during the construction of a furniture piece. West
Midlander's are the most accident prone, with nearly 18% getting a bump on
the head; closely followed by the Scots and the folks in Yorkshire getting
into a scrape or 2 at 15%. Nearly 18% of UK flat pack projects have been
abandoned due to heated arguments between friends and couples; 33% of those
residing in Northern Ireland admit to having a bust up over the assembly (or
non assembly of a product. Others admitted to 'needing help from someone
with a better understanding (of flat pack assembly) to help', struggling
with 'Foreign instructions' and 'realising they were totally cack handed'."
► On the issue about Solid vs Flat Pack:- "When it came down to it,
75% of people across the UK admitted they favour solid and pre-assembled
over flat pack furniture. 83% of over 55's preferred solid furniture in
comparison to 56% of 18 to 24's, with the remaining 44% preferring flat pack
or either option. This could very well be a reflection on lower income and
more time available to spend on such projects. 810% of those in the North
East prefer solid furniture; with those residing in London and surrounding
boroughs having the highest preference for flat pack furniture; at nearly
11%. With space at a much higher premium in the capital, it's no wonder that
residents there are opting for the cheaper, more malleable flat pack
furniture option."
So please do email your views on Solid v Flat Pack to our newsroom as we
would love to find out if you agree with these findings. Our email is:-
News24@SouthportReporter.Com. |
