We Played Musical Chairs for 2.5 Hours!

For the past five years the chair at my desk was actually a wooden kitchen chair with three cushions covered in cat fur. The cushions were imperative because my desk is a bit taller than most other desks, so I needed that extra height. Plus, I was sitting on a wooden kitchen chair. The more comfort the better.

Before my kitchen chair I used an old ratty, torn up white desk chair. It was a hand-me-down from my mom. This chair lasted me through college. And it was a great chair. Perfect size and height. I could even sit indian style in it, spin in circles and still get my homework done. It also had a trick lean to it. Whenever friends would come over and plop down in my chair, it leaned back so far every one thought there were about to flip backwards onto the floor. I lovedddd that chair. It was a sad day that my mom forced me to leave that chair and it’s torn, flattened cushions on the curb. (I am sure after years of it’s squeakiness, my college roomie Amanda would’ve been rejoicing!)

Now that I have been doing a bit of marketing design and a lot more blogging than I am used to, I decided it was about time to invest in a new chair. Easier said than done.

Have you been desk chair shopping lately? Did you know that shopping for a desk chair is a lot like shopping for a new car? Yeah, that’s right, at times there are even pushy sales people! I had no clue that there were so many things to take into consideration when shopping for a chair. The lift, the cushion, the swivel factor, the color, the back height, the head rest, the material, the wheel base, massage features, reclining features, gas pressures, average usage hours… the list goes on and on friends! Luckily I didn’t have to fight this battle alone. My mom was also in the market for a new desk chair… so off we went to Office Max together!

My first requirement was that my new chair must have height to it. I was tired of sitting in a squatty chair at a tall desk. I needed a throne of my own! And then I found this jack-and-the-bean-stalk chair! I literally had to climb on to it and jump off of it! It was just a tad bit too tall.

This next photo was taken of my mom at the beginning of our shopping event. Believe it or not, this was the chair she decided on in the end. Until we were at the register and the Office Max Lady informed us this chair was no longer available. And we started over. Again. After one or both of us may have loudly said a sarcastic comment or two.

I called this chair the “Mr. Kirk Chair” because it reminded me of the lazy boy that my high school best friend’s dad owned and loved. This chair was GINORMOUS and corduroy. If I was 6 feet and five inches tall, I would’ve totally purchased this chair.

By the way, who knew chairs had usage ratings!? Because really, the ones for 6 - 8 hours didn’t seem any different than those that were only 4 hours. {Other than then price of course.} What I came to realize, for every extra hundred dollars you spend, you must justify it by sitting at your desk for an extra hour of work. Not cool.

After realizing more money = more work, I decided the sale rack was the place to be! And then I found this! The “CHAIR OF THE WEEK!” The sign and all those nines made it look exciting. But…

…not so much. This was probably the least comfortable chair I have ever sat in. If I was another chair in that batch of chairs, I would’ve been pretty upset that this poser upstaged me and stole the title of “Chair of the Week.” Just sayin’…

Moving on from cost… another, probably girly concern is color. I loved this white one. But if you look closely, the arm rests were already turning grey. Now, folks, if I owned an Office Max and I really wanted to push the sales of my white chairs… Pretty sure I would have an employee cleaning them up a bit to make sure customers won’t realize that they will turn gross. Again, just sayin’…

Luxury is another important feature. Do you want a full body massage when you sit down at your desk to do your reports? If you answered yes, then you should be packing up your laptop and taking it with you to go get a pedicure. You should not be buying an Office Max ~~massaging~~ vibrating desk chair. {Believe it or not, this is the chair my mom bought! And yes, my roommate and I already made inappropriate jokes about it to her. She claims she isn’t going to plug it in… that it really is just a very comfortable chair…}

Now, if you are looking for a desk chair that will allow you to take afternoon naps without even having to get up… I found the chair for you! This one, right below, comes with it’s own ottoman! If I didn’t have a lazy boy recliner in my living room already, I’m pretty sure I would’ve purchased this guy. This was probably the most comfortable chair I sat in all day. I just couldn’t figure out how I would lay down, work on my desktop, make good use of the ottoman, AND be productive, all at the same time. So I had to walk away. After a picture of course.

Another thing you have to worry about, apparently, is gassy chairs. We no longer have to blame smells on the dog or the litter box, we can blame them on our chairs. Winning.

After what felt an intense game of musical chairs, my mom and I decided to head across the street to Office Depot. Where I fell in love with the chair below. It was perfect, and comfortable. I could even sit indian style comfortably. Perfect, minus two not-so-minor details. One, the back of it was way too tall for my liking. And two, it was almost $200. So after sitting in every single chair at Office Depot we went back to Office Max and did this all over again.

In case you are looking to adopt a really nice chair, and you have close to 200 smack-a-roos to spend, I have it’s contact information below. 🙂

So did I end up with a chair? After 2.5 hours of sitting, spinning, thinking, sitting again, getting a “massage” and then doing a little more thinking… I can report that YES I did find myself a chair! It’s a “manager’s chair” - so you know what that means? Yep! I just got a promotion! She is cute and brown and her given name is “gwynn.”

She also came in ~~a million~~ less than 25 pieces with no directions. After a bit of trial and error I figure out what to do with this contraption.

And guess what - I don’t actually have a photo of her to show you! Come back tomorrow, if you really and truly care, and I will introduce you to gywnn. 🙂

Happy Friday friends! t.g.i.f. 🙂

Comments

Jenn @ PSP says

at

Ha! What a story! Way to go, Office Max, for getting it right : ) I think it’s hilarious when stores display white items that are all messed up - like that would make me want to buy it more? Also, a chair is only a good chair if you can spin around really fast sitting Indian style, like that first chair, just saying ; )

Jenn

passengerseatperspectives.blogspot.com
kona says

at

The ultimate in luxury; our range of Relax At Eeze reclining massage chairs will work away the

stresses and strains of the day. All of our massage chairs are available with free next working day delivery if

ordered before midday Monday-Friday. With a range of massaging chairs in leather, fabric and PU, and a plethora of

colour options to suit any home, Reclining Chairs Direct offer the best selection of massage chairs in the UK, and

all at the very best possible price, massage recliners.