by Resources may decide to drop pieces or shift to different case goods footprints in order to meet looming regulation
HIGH POINT — Anticipation of a new stability standard for clothing storage units has created all different levels of discussion and planning in the case goods sector, ranging from interpreting the testing requirements to how to best engineer clothing storage units moving forward.
And almost every option comes with concerns, from the extra weight needed to keep units from tipping over to the fragile nature of interlock systems on wood units. All this comes with added cost, not to mention potential liability issues relating to worker injuries as they try to move units with anywhere from 30 to 100 pounds of additional weight.
Of course the intent of the changes is important indeed as it will reduce — yes reduce, not eliminate — tip-over incidents of clothing storage units that have injured and killed many children over the years. According to the latest CPSC report on tip-overs published Feb. 9, there were 19,400 emergency-room-treated injuries between 2019 and 2021 alone and nearly 600 deaths between 2000 and 2021 due to tip-over incidents. Children under 18 suffered 46%, or 8,900 of the injuries, while 81%, or 482 of the fatalities, involved children under 18.
Thus the tip-over issue must be addressed to reduce these incidents. Not one person in the industry we’ve spoken to on or off the record says otherwise.
Yet from a business standpoint, the case goods industry appears to be at a crossroads that will determine not only how they reengineer pieces, but also whether they continue to make certain items. Certainly, upper-end resources may be able to bear the cost burden associated with meeting the standard as it potentially represents a smaller percentage of the overall cost. Meanwhile, lower-cost producers and importers will see their prices as a percentage of the overall cost of the unit rise dramatically, potentially pricing them out of the market in a similar manner as higher container costs did during the pandemic.
But the added weight to case pieces will undoubtedly affect most companies in the same manner, in that it will make the units more expensive to transport and more difficult to move into homes and apartments. Consumers won’t like this either, particularly those who choose to move pieces from one room to another over time. And as with any other inflationary pressure in the market, whether for gas or groceries or furniture, they also likely won’t respond well to heftier prices either.
So this begs the question about the future of bedroom furniture and how it’s sold in this country. Some sources we’ve spoken with have discussed lowering the height of nightstands below the 27-inch threshold by a quarter or a half an inch, not to mention taking drawers out entirely with just an open storage area at the base of the unit.
Others have talked about doing away with a five- or six-drawer chest entirely as it can be replaced by a storage bed offering a similar amount of drawer capacity with deep drawers on the side or at the foot of the bed. Thus, the chest could be seen going the way of the armoire, which many companies have abandoned entirely within their collections.
Then there’s the dresser, which is probably up there in importance with the bed and the nightstand. Whether we’re talking pricing of three- or four-piece bedroom suites, the dresser is also almost always included as a bed, dresser, mirror combination or as a bed, dresser, mirror and nightstand. So talk of eliminating the dresser would be seen as a huge paradigm shift in how a bedroom is developed, merchandised and sold at retail. Eliminating the dresser finally would be a big reduction in sales in the category, which would be difficult to replace no matter how you look at it.
But changes in the marketplace include the size and layout of bedrooms. One source recently mentioned the popularity of large, walk-in closets that not only have plenty of space to hang clothes, but also built-in clothing storage units with plenty of shelf and drawer storage. For a glimpse at some of the many different styles and sizes of walk in closets, click here.
Will these ultimately replace the need for dressers and chests? That depends on how many houses feature these built-in units in the future. Certainly they appear to be a feature of luxury homes. But trends in the luxury segment ultimately find their way to middle America as this one likely will too in the future. Thus the issue of tip-overs could be simply addressed as the design of homes shifts and evolves over time.
Obviously, this shift is likely no more attractive to bedroom resources than adding 100 pounds of weight to a dresser or chest, or adding an interlock system that fails every drop test. But it’s one that could solve the issue of tip-over dramatically as it will reduce demand for clothing storage units over time.
But let’s face it. The built-in closets won’t eliminate the need for clothing storage units entirely any more than kitchen islands replaced the need for kitchen dining tables. Casual dining remains as important as ever as resources devote plenty of resources to developing new and exciting products in the category.
Thus we’re back to the importance of reducing injuries and deaths caused by tip-overs. As with any regulatory issue, there are no easy or simple answers to compliance. Yet the industry has prevailed before and will with this issue. How that happens is a work in progress. But one thing is clear: The bedroom category could very likely look entirely different once we reach the other side.
