Presidents Day weekend is typically a big time for sales at furniture stores – retailers want to clear out old inventory and boost sales during an otherwise slow month. 

But this year, you might have a hard time finding many deals – you can blame the supply chain. 

If you’ve been shopping for a new sofa recently, this might sound familiar. 

“ETAs are absolutely horrible. Sometimes they say a week, but then it ends up being almost a year before things are back in stock,” said Erin Kodjo, owner of All Nations Furniture in Omaha, Nebraska. She said demand for new furniture surged early in the pandemic and hasn’t really slowed down. 

But with inventory so hard to come by, so are discounts for customers. 

“I don’t do any big sales like I used to,” Kodjo said.

This is all thanks to the same shipping delays and labor shortages that other industries are dealing with, plus some more niche disruptions, said Terry Esper, a professor of logistics at Ohio State University. 

“There was a significant foam shortage that we’re still working our way out of as well as a lumber shortage,” he said. But despite order delays and sky high prices, “folks are still buying furniture, and they’re willing to wait.”

Esper said shoppers who need new furniture now should focus on what’s currently in stock. 

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