At the suggestion of a few friends I decided to visit a few places that sell furniture to try to get some room decorating ideas. I wasn’t looking to buy anything and I’ve never really shopped for furniture before so when I walked into a furniture store and was pounced on by salespeople it was a shock.

I realize that times are tough and that many people in sales are either straight commission or a large percentage of their salary comes from commission, but geeze. I tried to be as tactful as possible to let the people know that I had no intentions of buying today without using any phrases that might make them hover closer, but it didn’t work. The people who sell furniture make the sales people on a stereotypical used car lot look tame.

Maybe I’m unusual, but when I am working with a sales person I want someone who is helpful, not aggressive. I want someone who asks questions to help discover what I want, because I may be unaware of all of the options. I want someone who respects my space. I saw none of that today. What I got was a bunch of angry seagulls fighting over the only piece of pizza that got dropped on the boardwalk.

When the time comes for me to actually buy some furniture I can tell it won’t be something I look forward to. In the mean time, I’ll be looking for ideas in photos on the Internet, in magazines, catalogs, on television and in the homes of my friends. I don’t plan on visiting furniture stores any sooner than absolutely necessary.