Big Lots is a discount retailer focused on offering home furnishings at rock-bottom prices, prioritizing value and affordability above all else. In contrast, Ashley Furniture is a dedicated furniture manufacturer and retailer that provides a much broader variety of styles and higher-quality materials, balancing accessible prices with greater durability and design choice.
Let's break down everything you need to know to choose the right furniture store for your home and budget.
Big Lots: The Budget-Friendly Furniture Destination
Big Lots is an American retail chain famous for its "treasure hunt" shopping experience, where you can find changing inventories of home goods, decor, and furniture at deeply discounted prices. Their target audience is the budget-conscious shopper who needs functional, stylish-enough pieces without a significant financial investment, making it a go-to for first apartments, dorm rooms, or quick home updates.
- Product mix: A wide range of products including living room seating, bedroom sets, dining tables, mattresses, and outdoor furniture. The store also sells groceries, home essentials, and seasonal decor.
- Style/vibe: Mainly casual, transitional, and simple contemporary designs. The aesthetic favors practicality and broad appeal over niche or high-concept styles.
- Price point: Extremely affordable. Sofas can be found for as little as $200–$400, small dining sets for $100–$300, and complete bed-and-dresser combos often stay under $1,000.
- Quality: Primarily uses budget-friendly materials like engineered wood (MDF, particleboard) with laminate or veneer finishes. Upholstery is typically basic polyester or microfiber. It's built for affordability, not longevity.
- Sales: Big Lots' business model revolves around deals. Expect frequent promotions, weekly sales flyers, and a robust clearance section both in-store and online.
- Return policy: Most items can be returned within 30 days with a receipt. Furniture must be in its original condition and packaging, which can sometimes be a challenge.
- Delivery & Assembly: Home delivery is available for a fee. Most furniture items, especially larger pieces, will require self-assembly.
Big Lots is the obvious choice for shoppers prioritizing immediate savings and function over long-term durability or brand prestige.
Shop Big Lots: biglots.com
Ashley Furniture: The Versatile & Reliable Home Staple
As one of the largest furniture manufacturers in the world, Ashley Furniture offers a massive in-house selection of furnishings for every room of the home. The brand strikes a balance between quality, style, and cost, catering to homeowners who want durable, fashionable pieces that feel like a good long-term investment without moving into premium price territory. Their diverse collections make it a popular one-stop-shop for furnishing an entire home cohesively.
- Product mix: A comprehensive selection covering the living room, dining room, bedroom, home office, kids' rooms, and outdoor spaces. Ashley also sells its own line of mattresses, rugs, and décor.
- Style/vibe: Highly versatile and extensive. You can find everything from modern farmhouse and rustic traditional to sleek contemporary, mid-century modern, and glam styles.
- Price point: Mid-range. Sofas typically run from $500–$1,200, dining sets are in the $300–$1,000 range, and bedroom sets often fall between $400 and $2,000. Frequent sales and financing options make prices more manageable.
- Quality: A clear step up from discount retailers. Furniture often features solid wood or hardwood-reinforced frames, more durable upholstery options including performance fabrics, and better overall construction.
- Warranty: Most furniture comes with a limited warranty, which often provides coverage for frames or springs for multiple years, offering added peace of mind.
- Sales: Regular promotional events, especially around major holidays like President's Day, Memorial Day, and Black Friday. An online outlet section also provides year-round deals.
- Return policy: Online orders can typically be returned within 30 days, though you may be responsible for return shipping and restocking fees. In-store policies vary by location.
- Delivery & Assembly: Offers full-service delivery options, including "no-hassle" delivery and assembly where they bring the item into your room of choice and set it up for you.
Ashley Furniture is ideal for shoppers looking for a better long-term value, a wider range of styles, and the convenience of professional delivery and assembly.
Shop Ashley Furniture: ashleyfurniture.com
Big Lots vs. Ashley Furniture Comparison
Price Comparison
There is no contest here: Big Lots is significantly cheaper than Ashley Furniture across every category. A basic sofa at Big Lots might cost $350, while a comparable starting-point sofa at Ashley will likely be closer to $600. The same goes for bedroom sets, dining tables, and accent chairs. Big Lots is built entirely around deep discounts and low-cost manufacturing.
However, Ashley Furniture often offers better long-term value. Their pieces are designed to last longer, and they provide financing plans that can make the higher initial cost more manageable. While Big Lots wins on upfront cost, Ashley provides a more durable product for the money spent.
Quality & Construction
Quality is a major differentiator. Big Lots furniture commonly uses engineered wood, particleboard with veneers, and basic upholstery fabrics. The frames and joints are designed to be serviceable for a few years of light-to-moderate use. It fulfills a need, but isn't built to endure moves or heavy daily use from a large family.
Ashley Furniture steps up the game with materials like solid wood, kiln-dried hardwood frames, and higher-density foam cushions. Their construction is generally more robust, with reinforced joints and more durable fabric choices available. While it's not luxury-tier, Ashley furniture is built to be a reliable staple in a home for years, not just a temporary fix.
Style & Aesthetic
Big Lots offers a modest variety of popular, mass-market styles - mostly simple, contemporary, and transitional pieces in neutral colors. Their goal is broad appeal and practicality, so you won't find distinctive or trend-forward designs. It's a great place to find functional basics that can blend into many different decor schemes.
Ashley Furniture offers an impressive range of cohesive styles. Whether you aim for a rustic farmhouse look, a sleek modern vibe, or ornate traditional details, you can likely find an entire matching collection. This makes Ashley a better destination for someone with a specific aesthetic who wants to furnish a whole room in a coordinated way.
Shopping Experience
The in-store experience at Big Lots is that of a discount retailer: a no-frills, "treasure hunt" atmosphere where furniture sits alongside groceries and seasonal decor. Their website is functional for online shopping but lacks advanced features. Customer service is geared toward retail transactions, not furniture expertise.
Ashley offers a more specialized experience. Their showrooms (known as Ashley HomeStores) are designed to showcase collections in curated room settings. Their website is more sophisticated, with better product details and sometimes room planning tools. Staff are specifically trained in furniture sales and can offer more in-depth advice.
Delivery & Assembly
This is a key practical difference. Most furniture from Big Lots will require you to transport it and assemble it yourself. For large items like a sectional sofa or a complete bedroom set, this can be a significant undertaking. They do offer delivery, but it's typically just a curbside drop-off service.
Ashley Furniture provides a much more convenient service, offering various tiers of in-home delivery. Their premium options include carrying the furniture into your desired room, unpacking it, assembling everything, and hauling away the packaging materials. For anyone who doesn't want to spend a weekend with a hex key and confusing instructions, Ashley's service is well worth the extra cost.
Which One Should You Choose?
Both brands serve their customers well, but those customers have very different priorities.
Choose Big Lots if:
- Your primary motivation is finding the absolute lowest price.
- You are furnishing a temporary space, like a college dorm or first apartment.
- You need an immediate "good enough" solution for a spare room.
- You are comfortable with and capable of assembling flat-pack furniture yourself.
Choose Ashley Furniture if:
- You're looking for furniture that will last for many years in a primary home.
- You have a specific design style in mind, such as modern farmhouse or industrial.
- You value the convenience of having your furniture delivered and assembled professionally.
- You want a broader selection of sizes, colors, and configuration options.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Big Lots or Ashley Furniture cheaper?
Big Lots is significantly cheaper. On almost every comparable product, from sofas to bed frames, Big Lots will have a lower price tag. Their entire business is built on providing value through heavy discounts.
Which has better quality furniture?
Ashley Furniture undoubtedly has better quality furniture. They use superior materials like solid wood frames and more durable fabrics, and their products generally come with warranties that reflect better construction.
Can you return furniture to both stores?
Yes, but with different conditions. Big Lots generally offers a 30-day return policy for furniture in its original condition and packaging. Ashley also accepts returns within 30 days for online orders, but returns may incur shipping and restocking fees that can be substantial. In-store purchase return policies can vary by store location.
Which brand is better for families with kids?
For durability and longevity needed to stand up to family life, Ashley Furniture is the better choice. Their more robust construction and options for higher-quality, stain-resistant fabrics will fare better over time than the more basic options from Big Lots.
Is the furniture from these brands pre-assembled?
Most furniture from Big Lots requires self-assembly. Ashley Furniture offers a mix of pre-assembled and self-assembly items, but a key benefit is their delivery service, which includes professional assembly for an additional fee.
Does Ashley Furniture offer financing?
Yes, Ashley Furniture frequently offers special financing plans through various financial partners, allowing customers to pay for larger purchases over time, often with 0% interest for a promotional period.
What styles does each brand offer?
Big Lots focuses on safe, popular styles like casual contemporary and transitional. Ashley Furniture has a much more diverse style portfolio, offering everything from farmhouse and coastal to modern, traditional, and industrial designs.
Which brand is better for a first apartment?
Big Lots is an excellent choice for a first apartment, especially if your budget is tight and you may be moving again in a few years. It allows you to furnish your entire space affordably, even if the pieces won't last forever.
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