RealTalkAJ

Today I’d like to discuss why is restoration hardware so expensive.

Because restoring is a very common industry that relies on the use of other companies that provide furnitures, tools and anything else you can think of to restore existing pieces I’m gonna talk about it.

I’ve mentioned that I’m creating posts that cater to the self-employed so I figured this would be a very appropriate post to make on the topic.

But let’s move on.

Why is Restoration Hardware so expensive?

Restoration hardware is considered so expensive because it appears to only target upscale customers who don’t really care about price. They have an illusion of specialty which plays a big role in how they’re perceived. Depending on the fabric that you select can make a difference as well since they have so many options, but plain and simply put they’re arrogant in their pricing.

Their Target Market

According to spadonehome.com they claim that RH caters specifically to the upper-middle class.

This means that it usually qualifies customers that make somewhere close to over $200,000 a year to shop comfortably with them.

For many people in the industry it makes this store a “must-visit”.

They take pride in providing a high quality product which justifies their prices allegedly.

Their audience is somewhat of a balanced demographic that’s 41.07% male and 58.93% female.

As far as age is considered they attract customers between the age of 22 to 35.

Also, they have items to offer that include things such as beds, dressers, sofas, arm chairs and anything else related.

They think their market will expand and plan on investing heavily in brick and mortar.

The Illusion of Specialty

Their modern style is thought to be minimal and clean with a special focus on wood, leather and stone.

To add to the look they also keep subcategories that make them appear to have plenty of options for their customers.

The thing is though, you can definitely get the look they provide with spending way less money.

They have designs that look visually pleasing which only adds to their hype.

It makes it easy to see why they can catch the attention of most amateurs.

They have gimmicks you could say to add an exclusiveness to their brand with a members only price, similar to a membership at a Costco (or something similar) where a yearly membership costs $175 and allows customers to get pieces at 25% off everything.

If there’s adjectives that would be used to describe their products some would say it’s personality, quality and uniqueness.

I would say it’s pieces are that of a mainstay you could find at Walmart but looks much more finished.

Fabric Makes a Difference

According to kristywicks.com there’s so many different choices of fabrics that you can choose at RH.

There’s a universal rule that you have to use when caring for the fabric provided which is to not use bleach.

Of course that’s if you come across a stain or any other type of damage to the material.

They have a complete catalog that you can find on their website.

They range from:

• modern fabric swatches
• Cloud fabric collection
• brushed Belgian flax linen cotton
• Lustrous velvet
• Washed Belgian flax linen
• Perennials

These pieces can range anywhere from $40 to about $120.

The Arrogance

Same as I mentioned earlier, Restoration Hardware has items that cover hardware tables, couches and other pieces but on average they range $5,000 to $10,000 plus.

Their CEO had a moment in where they had to address their “arrogant” prices because of how expensive these items are and admits that they were too aggressive in their pricing.

It’s interesting because even they admit that they (the customers) can get cheaper products elsewhere.

To add more fuel to the fire, you can even find that some of their branches are even subject to scrutiny for being racist in rude, specifically in Buckhead Georgia.

It sounds more like an employment team issue because of reviews that support their sales team being uncaring for their customers and make them feel unwanted.

If there was an overall rating for the company, the general consensus seems to be on average 3 stars at best out of 5.

Conclusion

Let’s sum up everything that we learned so far from this post. Restoration Hardware is considered so expensive because:

• Their target market
• Having an illusion of specially made materials
• The variety of selections when it comes to their fabrics
• Their arrogance

As I mentioned before these type of companies are very popular when it comes to restoring companies that fix up existing places.

This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t shop at the establishment but these are points that are worth considering when determining who your distributer should be when working on your next project.

One thing that stuck out was the price of the fabrics, and remember they cost anywhere from $40 – $120.

So for the price of a verse that I serve on my commercial site www.dreadheadjay.com that would only cover a portion of the materials.

I find that hilarious.

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