How Do I Get Rid of an Office Full of Furniture?
You need to move, buy new office furniture, and find a home for the furniture you own. What do you do first?
I have seen this scenario play our several times. Your company plans for its new office and gets everything it wants in amenities and furniture and even has a section planning for growth.
Fast forward three years and your company has doubled twice over, and your office is bursting at the seams.
What you need from your office has also changed and those perfect workstations from three years ago are not working any more. You need to move, buy new office furniture, and find a home for the furniture you own. What do you do first?
The first thing to know is in most cases, the furniture you have is not worth what it cost to move it out of your space. The pace of change has causes there to be a glut of used product on the market, but that pace of change is also making the product functionally obsolete much faster than in years past.
Still, there are a few steps you can take to help the furniture you have find a home, not be an expense you incur and be more sustainable by keeping it out of the landfill.
- Give it to your property owner so they can lease the space furnished – This does not always work but it is worth an attempt because it can be a true “win win” scenario for all involved. If you want to go this route, be willing to show the space and share as much information as you can about the product including the original order and layout plans.
- Work with your favorite charity – While many furniture charities are not taking used office furniture right now, some charity that is close to your heart may love to have an office upgrade at a lower cost. Keep in mind, this is not a free donation for the charity. There is still a cost related to redesign, moving and installation of the product but it can be less than comparable new project for them.
- Tell your employees to take anything they want – I have seen miracles happen just by telling employees they can take anything they need home. Many take things to set up their home office but also items go to their churches and schools. One client knocked $30,000 off their move out disposition just from what their employees took home on their own.
- Have our mover/dealer recycle it – This is the last option for most, but it is the last best sustainable solution if the product is not needed. There is a cost but if you follow the steps above it will be much less. Be sure to have your service provider verify their process and that the product will truly be recycled if it at all possible.
