Take Refuge from our Economic Woes at N.B. Liebman

A belated Happy New Year to all readers of this blog. To those of you joining us for the first time, we use this space to report on what is happening at N.B. Liebman (such as our Needy Family Giveaway and our Decorating Seminars) and also to provide worthwhile tips to prospective furniture shoppers. These tips can run the gamut from economic news to how smart shoppers can distinguish between different products on the market to how to guard against deceptive advertising practiced by other retailers - one of my pet peeves!

We begin 2012 with a mixed bag of economic news. At first we were told that the unemployment rate came down a tick or two. But then, after Christmas, the number of new applications for unemployment increased, presumably because temps hired to work the Christmas rush were now unemployed again. The 30 year mortgage rate hit an all time low this month, but prospective home buyers were not stepping up to buy new homes. The reason? The new requirements of credit score and higher downpayments are providing obstacles that many folks wishing to participate in the American Dream of home ownership simply cannot overcome. And until the backlog of used homes on the market is reduced, where is the incentive for builders to resume putting up new ones?

Consumer spending is the biggest driver of GDP, and shoppers spent money cautiously but enthusiastically in the Black Friday through Christmas time period. But early indications are that retail sales in January remained sluggish.

Moreover, a casual glance at the classified ads in the local paper shows a continued scarcity of job openings. Where are all of the jobs we need going to come from? How many jobs have been outsourced, never to return? One bright spot- GM, Ford, and Chrysler are growing again and hiring more workers.

And there is some more good economic news to report. A relatively mild winter has saved businesses and homeowners a fortune in heating and snow removal costs. February may bring us a few wicked storms, but the savings in December and January have been significant.

At N.B. Liebman, we began the year with a staff meeting in which all management renewed their pledge to continue making the shopping experience at our stores as enjoyable as possible. . Our selection will continue to be the most up-to-date in the mid-state, and our sales associates will be knowledgeable, attentive, but never pushy. You can browse to your heart's content at N.B. Liebman without anyone breathing down your throat. Our customers continually tell us how much they like that.

And, as I mentioned earlier in this blog, we will not insult our customer's intelligence by telling them we are offering a savings of 50% ,60%, 70% ,or 80% off, when we most certainly are not! Nor can anyone else and remain in business! But we are still the only prominent furniture retailer in the area that does not run that kind of deceptive advertising. Our customers tell us they do not even pay attention to those ridiculous claims anymore. The know whan they are being bamboozled. When N. B. Liebman puts something on sale, the savings are real - you can count on it!

So I suggest you hunker down for the rest of winter in a comfortable new Barcalounger or Tempurpedic memory foam mattress from N.B. Liebman. Those are 2 of our best selling categories. Rest assured that you're getting quality merchandise at a fair price backed up by our outstanding customer service.

And maybe by the time Spring arrives, you can poke your head out the door, find warm sunshine, the Phillies back in action in Citizens Bank Park, and that our elected officials have put partisan bickering aside long enough to jump start our economy by the second half of 2012!

Until next time,
Charles Liebman, President, N.B. Liebman Furniture http://www.nbliebman.com/

And the Winner is...

For the 3rd consecutive year, NB Liebman partnered with CBS21 in our Houseful of Furniture Giveaway. A family in Central Pennsylvania was chosen to be the recipient of beautiful furniture for their living room, bedroom and dining room!
Over 1000 people nominated themselves or loved ones to win this wonderful prize. The entries were all read and the winner was chosen! Below is the beautiful essay written by Central Dauphin East Senior, Nishan Pressley, about her mother, Heather Pressley.

Charles Liebman with 2011 Houseful of Furniture Winner, Heather Pressley and her daughters

Dear N.B. Liebman Furniture, This nomination is straight from my heart. It's not a made-up sob story; it's the truth. Before September 8th, 2011, my life was like any typical teenager's. It circled around school, movie dates and homework. Even though I lived in a single-parent household with my mom and younger sister, I lived a care-free life. My mom never burdened me with the finances or any other issues she was having, and she never showed it on her face; she was a strong woman. On September 8th, 2011, we lost our home. Not by foreclosure or by choice, but by natural disaster. Everything was washed away in the Great Flood of 2011: materialistic items, along with our hopes and dreams, were gone in a matter of hours. This was the first time I saw my mother truly cry. At first glance I thought that my mother was crying because our house was underwater. Boy was I wrong and naive! My mother's tears showed defeat; an emotion seldom on her face. I can't describe to you the helpless feeling that was present in the pit of my stomach; a feeling of confused and scrambled emotions. This is what my mother worked for; her first house she ever owned - a place where our childhood memories will forever be - washed away, but not forgotten. The Christmas holiday is right around the corner, but this year is different. Usually, our tree would be put up by now, along with our Christmas lights in our front yard. The smell of Christmas incense would be present in the air, and Christmas movies would be on repeat. With the burden of our house being rebuilt, bills for our apartment, my mom's car in the auto shop, and college applications for me; Christmas spirit just hasn't been in the air. Everyday when my mother gets home from work, I can see the stress on her face and the defeat in her body language. If I could give one thing to mom for Christmas, it would be an ounce of optimism. Even though times get hard, we still have each other to lean on, each other to pray with, and each other to love. By winning the Houseful of Furniture contest, I may be able to remind my mother of old times, with our Christmas movies, our Christmas incense, and our Christmas light decorations. We may have lost everything in the flood, but we can't lose our hope. Hope is all we have when everything else is gone. Have a blessed and safe Christmas, and Thank You for listening to my story. Sincerely, Nishan Pressley.

Veronica Rodgers and Bee McQuillin were also chosen as our second and third place winners. These nominees were also victims of the flood of 2011. Each will receive a gift certificate to NB Liebman Furniture to help them get there homes back in order.

We would like to thanks CBS21 and all who took the time to write the beautiful essays that were received. We look forward to next year! We plan to make Christmas 2012 extra special for three more families!

Please see our Facebook page for pictures of the Pressley family while they were in our store picking our their bedroom, living room and dining room!

Until next time,

Charles Liebman, President, NB Liebman Furniture, http://www.nbliebman.com/

NB Liebman is the First Place Winner, Again!

The results are in. Once again, Susquehanna Style Magazine has announced that NB Liebman is the first place winner in their annual "Who's Who in Business" (Furniture Store Category) for 2012 in the Harrisburg market.

This is the only statistically accurate poll taken in the mid-state, and all of the NB Liebman staff is thrilled to have finished first for the third straight year!

Take note that I said Susquehanna Style magazine's poll is the only statistically accurate survey of consumer preference taken in this region. Conducted by the independent market research firm, Polk-Lepson of York, PA, the survey adheres to the ethics and statistical methodologies set forth by CASRO (Council of American Survey Research Organization). It identifies the region's leaders in a variety of business categories as determined by a random sample of the residents of each market.

You may be familiar with Harrisburg Magazine's "Simply the Best" contest. Though I do not wish to disparage their efforts in any way, the results of their popularity contest have no validity because businesses can affect the outcome by passing out ballots to their friends and associates, or by encouraging people to vote numerous times on the Internet using different identities. So if your favorite beautician puts a "Simply the Best" sign in their window, you can't be sure if they deserve the recognition or not.

But when you finish at the top of the "Who's Who in Business" survey, it's the real thing. Why has NB Liebman been chosen the leader in our business category? I think it is because we present the most up-to-date selection of fashionable furniture in the mid-state. We price reasonably and work tirelessly to satisfy every customer. We use our own customers in our TV spots - who better to tell you about the great shopping experience NB Liebman provides?

And, of course, we never resort to deceptive advertising practices like so many other home furnishing retailers. We refuse to insult our customer's intelligence by telling them something is worth 2 or 3 times more than we sell it for.

I saw a TV commercial recently wherein a local mattress chain offered, "Buy 1 queen mattress set for $999 and get another absolutely free!" How can a store give you two sets for the price of one and stay in business? Well, simply put, they can only make this offer by doubling up the normal price of the first set, and then throwing in the second set at no extra charge. We hope that shoppers are getting too smart to fall for this. If you are reading this blog, I hope I am referring to you!

Until next time,

Charles Liebman, President, NB Liebman Furniture, http://www.nbliebman.com/

Needy Family Furniture Giveaway

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Its time for our third annual N.B. Liebman/CBS21 "Houseful of Furniture" Giveaway! Yes, for the 3rd consecutive year, we are partnering with CBS21 in this exciting event. CBS21 news anchor, Tonya Foster, and I have teamed up on a series of promotional announcements about the event that we are airing on CBS21.
Somewhere in Central Pennsylvania, one family will be chosen to be the recipient of beautiful furniture for their living room, bedroom and dining room. It could be you!
If you would like to nominate yourself or a friend or family member, go to http://www.nbliebman.com/ and click on the "Houseful of Furniture" icon on our homepage to submit your entry. Or, stop in to either N.B. Liebman location, Carlisle Pike, Mechanicsburg or Jonestown Road, Colonial Park to pick up an entry form in person.
The most deserving family will be chosen, and the announcement will be made on our website on December 19, 2011, and also on CBS21. The family will also appear on a CBS21 newscast as well!All of our N.B.Liebman associates look forward to this event each year, and are thrilled to help a family in need with our Christmas present of new furniture.

Thank you and Happy Holidays!

Until next time,

Charles Liebman, President, N.B. Liebman Furniture, http://www.nbliebman.com/

Answering Questions from Our Email Bag

W.B. from Newville asks,
Does it make sense to buy furniture from a second hand store?
Thanks for the question, W.B..... beautiful little town you live in. Well, it is chic to be cheap today, so I do understand folks wanting to go that route. What I recommend, however, is to visit the heirloom quality consignment shops, and look for something that was made very well (like an 18th century style diningroom set from 40 years ago). A top brand like Baker, Heritage, Drexel, or Henredon. That's where you really get value. To buy a used (relatively new) piece of popular price furniture doesn't make sense to me because prices on brand new goods have come down so much in recent years that you can buy new for little more than the resale shop is asking. And then you don't have to worry about bedbug infestations or the like. If you positively must buy used because your budget is very tight, I am told that Craigslist is a good source to visit on line. That would appeal to me because then I can at least check out what kind of home the furniture is coming from when I go to look at it. In summary, visit conventional stores like N.B. Liebman's Value Center area in Mechanicsburg and those stores selling lower quality goods as well, and see what new couches, end tables, etc. cost before you shop the second hand store. That way you will know if you are really saving money. Remember, some of those dealers are out to rip you off if you are not an educated consumer.


Margeaux62 from York asks,
Is 30% off and then 30% off of that price a good deal?
Well, Margeaux62, it sure sounds like a great deal! But, first of all, 30 plus 30 doesn't equal 60% off as it sounds like it should . It's really only 50% when you do the math... Gotcha, didn't they? And always remember - any discount off a heavily inflated comparative price is not a deal at all! Stores that routinely advertise 50% off have found that consumers are not responding like they used to do. And so they are raising the bar by offering 30% off and then another 30% off of that amount to fool you once again.


SuzieQ from Harrisburg asks,
How can a mattress store offer 50% off every mattress in the store and still stay in business?
Well, SuzieQ, I think you know the answer - they can't! But if you mark everything up 400% and then cut it in half, you can stay in business by fooling all of your customers in just this fashion. So proceed with caution - there are deceptive advertisers out there waiting to trap every unwary consumer. Shop at N.B. Liebman if you want honest pricing and real savings. Some mattress stores also have terrible reputations for customer service as well. Just google XYZ store customer complaints, and see what I mean.


Your questions are always welcome!
Until next time,
Charles Liebman, President, N.B. Liebman Furniture, www.nbliebman.com

Gloomy Weather and Economic News, Too

If you are a resident of Central Pennsylvania, its safe to say you've had enough rain, thunderstorms, hurricanes, and tornados (and earthquakes??). Most of us have never seen anything like it. By the time our basements dry out, we are battered again by another torrential late afternoon drenching.

To those residents of the Mid-State who have suffered major damage to their homes and possessions, all of us at N.B. Liebman extend our sincere best wishes ,and hope your lives will return to normal soon. We often see victims of natural disasters on TV saying things like "I've lost everything. I have to start all over again." Apparently, we have a great reserve of intestinal fortitude that we don't know we have until we have to tap into it.

Along with the gloomy weather , there is nothing to cheer about on the business pages either. Traders are worried about Europe's ability to contain its debt crisis. The economy has expanded at an annual rate of 0.7% in the first six months of this year, the weakest growth since the recession ended. If it did end!

In August, employers added zero net jobs, and the unemployment rate stayed at 9.1% for the second straight month.

Housing prices have fallen 30% or more since the peak in 2007. Some people have had their homes on the market for a year without a single offer.

About 25% of American home owners owe more on their house than what it is worth. They are "under water" as the expression goes, and not from the weather.

So it's a great time to buy a house, and mortgage rates are the lowest I have ever seen. But lenders are requiring higher credit scores and bigger downpayments than many prospective buyers can muster.

Gasoline prices have dropped recently though they are still above where they were a year ago. All the pizza chains are rolling back prices, in an effort to get our business. Be thankful for small favors.

With all of this troubling news and weather comes an increase in "cocooning," defined as a trend that sees individuals retreating into their home more, insulated from the outside world.

And that's where N.B. Liebman comes in. You didn't think I would write this without a connection to furniture, did you?

But, really, furniture values have never been better. Our current promotion, "Fall Furniture Frenzy," offers unprecedented discounts to cash buyers or long term interest free financing to those who prefer to stretch their payments over 1,2, or 3 years.

If you are going to make your home your castle, you need to purchase a new reclining sofa, a memory foam mattress, flat screen TV console, home office desk, or a counter height dining set(you'll feel like you're at a local pub.)! N.B. Liebman has them all!

We all get hassled from the outside world, and from our daily commute and pressure at work. The ability to come home to our own little cocoon is very stress relieving.

So break out of the doldrums! Come to N.B. Liebman and go home with some beautiful new furniture, and see if that doesn't make a cloudy day look a lot brighter.

Until next time,

Charles Liebman, President, N.B. Liebman Furniture, http://www.nbliebman.com/

N.B. Liebman's Fall Furniture Frenzy!

As the summer winds down, economic news indicates there is a risk we may be heading into another recession. But as many of us believe, we never truly came out of the first one.

Job growth screeched to a halt last month as modest hiring by private employers was offset by continued government layoffs. Total payrolls were unchanged as was the 9.1% unemployment rate (about 2 points lower in Central Pennsylvania).

This is consistent with recent signs of a weakening economy including low consumer confidence, and slowing factory orders.

Now, how does this affect you - a resident of the mid-state intending to make a furniture purchase in the immediate future? Well, quite frankly, it means you have to be more alert than ever to deceptive techniques used by all advertisers detirmined to get your business at any cost. Stores are anxious to do business, and will pull out all the tricks to make it happen. Phony claims of savings , and, just as bad, inferior merchandise photographed and described to be of decent quality await the uninitiated shopper. It's everywhere so look out.

When it comes to furniture (just a drop in the bucket compared to all retail sales) we continue to see the same outlandish claims of savings being made by most furniture stores in the region. Some are afraid to do anything else while others lack the creativity to do anything else.

The so called "high end" stores refer to MSRP (manufacturer's suggested retail price) and tell you that they're going to save you 50% or more. But no one ever sells at MSRP anymore so this savings concept is strictly bogus.

"Medium to medium-low" stores simply make up a "reference price" or "regular price" that is 2 to 2.5 times higher than what they intend to sell the item for, and then mark it down from there. Do you like being taken advantage of like that?

And real "low end" stores play the same pricing games and then tempt you with poor quality goods (at cheap prices) that will fall apart, and look awful from day one. Do you really expect to pay $277 for a sofa when that was the prevailing price 40 years ago?

Here at N.B. Liebman Furniture, we have felt the effects of the recession along with most local businesses, but we have not and will not resort to deceptive advertising practices or downgrade the quality of goods that we sell!

When we have a sale like our "Fall Furniture Frenzy" that just began, the savings are honest. All markdowns are real reductions from the prices we sell things for on an everyday basis. N.B. Liebman continues to be a name that you can trust, and that's not changing.

"Fall Furniture Frenzy" is one of the most exciting promotions that we have run in years. It's designed to stimulate business, and keep all of our wonderful employees on the job. Depending on the amount you purchase, you may opt for 1, 2, or 3 year free financing, or take a cash discount of 10%, 15%, or 20% instead. There's something for everyone here!

Please see our TV ad (below), and come into our store for more details. But, whether you choose to furnish your home at N.B. Liebman this fall or not, remember that fashion, quality, and pricing integrity is what we stand for. No one else tells you that!

And to all of our friends in Central Pennsylvania who are suffering through a long period of unemployment or under-employment, we join you in hoping that better times are ahead. I hope that you will find success in your job search, and find your standard of living returned to pre-recession levels.

To that end, we will be partnering with CBS21 again later in the year and providing a HOUSEFUL OF FURNITURE for one needy family in the area. Stay tuned to CBS21 for details on how to enter.

Until next time!

Charles Liebman, President, N.B. Liebman Furniture, http://www.nbliebman.com/