Thread regarding Staples Inc. layoffs

Transformation of Furniture

The transformation of furniture is fully underway. Of those that are left if you don’t see the writing on the wall it’s because you are listening only to the words of SK, PB and SS. You aren’t observing their actions.

SK wants everyone to believe Project business is a core of the business but ask yourself does her actions line up with her words? The answer is no. You don’t remove people such as EB as an AVP or TR as an RMPS, two of some of the last individuals that knew the business and industry intimately. Now you are left with SS, who admits knowing nothing about furniture, PB thinks he knows and SK only sees the profit/loss and margin.

They are going to slowly and methodically eliminate Project businesss. It’s too expensive, designers, project managers, Furnops etc. and margins are no predictable. The move with Essendent and the stocking of the FCs with massive amounts of transactional furniture is the tell. They will move to only transaction/catalog based furniture sales. Predictable high margins, id--t proof sales through online or catalog. No need for any type of consultant design or sales people to pay.

Furniture associates need to be aware, get your Linkin profiles up to date get in the market now and don’t be the last to turn the lights off. Furniture as you know it today will not exist in 18 months.

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| 2601 views | | 7 replies (last February 21, 2019) | Reply
Post ID: @OP+XyWYn4M

7 replies (most recent on top)

I recently left the furniture division. It is amazing to see what the contract furniture market is really like. I’m working on three projects orders totals over 400 workstations (all Allsteel) in a single city that no sales person at Staples had a clue existed. The dealership I am at says Staples is not even a scratch on their backside. Outside looking back, furniture leadership now definitely has no clue.

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Post ID: @bzkj+XyWYn4M

I am so disappointed in the changes that have occurred. I don’t understand and no one in Management is being up front. WHY is TR gone? His replacement, VM, is a complete id--t, has no experience in project management, is only concerned with completing Salesforce, has no idea what the amount of work our PMs have on them already.

SS has only said it was purely a business decision. Who makes a business decision like that? It definitely is effecting my PMs attitude and I am concerned they will leave.

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Post ID: @5sir+XyWYn4M

SS, PB and SK, I doubt they could strategize out of a one door room. SK is there with her three year plan to transform furniture into a transaction high margin division with very little need for support roles. This why the OP said get out now.

Her target is to improve margin by 1000 bp by hook, crook or lay offs. The ONLY way to do that is through high margin Transactional furniture.

This is where SS will survive, her litttle crony.

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Post ID: @2hrc+XyWYn4M

SS and PB are around to make sure that SK doesn't look like the complete imbecile she is. What an absolute clown show. All apologies to clowns. A chain smoking group of monkeys pounding on keyboards would produce a better strategy than SS, PB and SK.

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Post ID: @2fyk+XyWYn4M

TR is gone. He was the only one who knew what was going on in project management. He did know the Furniture business and the industry. Think about all the furniture knowledgeable people that are gone, TR, EB, JM, BB. All replaced with Staples non-furniture people. How do you run a furniture division with out knowledge of the industry? I don’t get it.

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Post ID: @2kno+XyWYn4M

Well said. Bunch on non-furniture people like TR going to be running the place soon. EB knows furniture. JM knew furniture and now he's working for a competitor.

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Post ID: @2zdj+XyWYn4M

It is rumored that TR had been working on a project that projected adding to the bottom line margin $10-15million per year and had presented the findings to SK, SS and other leaders, but he was “reorganized” out instead of the female RMPS. He was the only one who knew what was going on in the Project Management side of the furniture division.

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Post ID: @xqn+XyWYn4M

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