why do shops think they can sell furniture without customers actually seeing it?

[lucydogz]

we need a bookcase and saw a couple we liked on the John Lewis and M and S sites. Went to the store but they weren't on display. I'm not going to travel round the country to find one that does, and I'm not going to spend hundreds of pounds on a piece of furniture I've only seen on a laptop. So, in the end, we ended up in Ikea.
if you're going to sell furniture, isn't it an odd way of doing it?

I agree with you.

I want to see stuff in real life before I buy it, particularly if I am spending a bit on it. I want to see the quality for myself. I've had the same problem as you in buying furniture. Most big department stores hardly bother with putting furniture on display these days, it costs them too much when they are up against the online outfits.

I tend to look in antiques places these days (they often do vintage type stuff as well). At least you can see what you are getting.

If I do want something new, I try to call ahead to the shop to ask if it is on display. Mind you, I did that once, was told yes, and it wasn't there when I got there.