Rooms to Go specializes in offering coordinated furniture packages and streamlined room sets with a contemporary feel, making it easy to furnish a space quickly. In contrast, Nebraska Furniture Mart operates as a massive, one-stop superstore, providing a vast selection of individual furniture pieces across numerous styles, plus appliances, electronics, and flooring.
Let's break down everything you need to know to choose the right furniture retailer for your home.
Rooms to Go: The Quick & Coordinated Home Solution
Rooms to Go built its brand on the concept of simplifying furniture shopping by bundling pieces into complete, stylist-approved room packages. This approach appeals to first-time homebuyers, busy families, and anyone who wants a cohesive look without the stress of coordinating individual items. Their inventory is geared towards value, offering trendy and accessible designs that are ready to ship quickly.
- Product mix: The core offering includes complete sets for living rooms, bedrooms, and dining rooms. They also sell individual sofas, beds, tables, kids' furniture, and accent decor.
- Style/vibe: Primarily contemporary, casual, and transitional. Styles are family-friendly and designed to fit into modern homes with neutral palettes and clean lines.
- Price point: Affordable to mid-range. Sofas often start around $399, complete bedroom sets can be found from $799, and dining sets start from $299.
- Quality: Construction typically features engineered wood and other composite materials to maintain affordability. Upholstery often includes durable, stain-resistant fabrics suitable for everyday use.
- Sales: Value is often presented through the bundled package pricing, which is generally more cost-effective than buying each piece separately. They also run frequent holiday and seasonal sales events.
- Return policy: Most items can be returned within a specific window, though furniture often has stricter rules and may incur a restocking fee.
- Delivery & Assembly: Offers nationwide delivery with options for assembly services for a fee, adding to the convenience-focused model.
Rooms to Go is ideal for shoppers who prioritize speed, convenience, and a pre-packaged design aesthetic, making it an excellent choice for furnishing a room from scratch.
Shop Rooms to Go: roomstogo.com
Nebraska Furniture Mart: The Mega-Store with Massive Selection
Part of the Berkshire Hathaway family, Nebraska Furniture Mart (NFM) is a retail giant known for its enormous warehouse-style showrooms and an almost endless inventory. Beyond furniture, NFM is a true home superstore, offering appliances, electronics, mattresses, and even flooring. This massive selection caters to a wide range of budgets and styles, appealing to shoppers who enjoy browsing and want plenty of options to compare.
- Product mix: Extensive selection of furniture for every room, plus major appliances (refrigerators, washers), electronics (TVs, computers), mattresses, flooring, and home decor.
- Style/vibe: Extremely diverse, carrying everything from traditional and rustic to sleek modern and eclectic designs from various brands. The aesthetic is less curated and more of a broad marketplace.
- Price point: Highly competitive, with options spanning from budget-friendly to mid-range. Sofas begin around $399, bedroom sets from $699, and you can often find aggressive discounts during sales.
- Quality: Quality varies significantly across the vast inventory, with options ranging from engineered wood pieces to items made with solid wood. This variety allows shoppers to choose based on their specific quality and budget needs.
- Sales: Known for frequent sales events, deep discounts, and a price-matching policy, making it a destination for bargain hunters.
- Return policy: Standard return policies apply, but they can differ by product category (e.g., electronics vs. furniture).
- Delivery & Assembly: Provides delivery and assembly services. Their large physical stores also allow for customer pickup on in-stock items.
Nebraska Furniture Mart is the go-to for shoppers who want maximum choice and are looking to purchase more than just furniture in one stop.
Shop Nebraska Furniture Mart: nebraskafurniture.com
Rooms to Go vs. Nebraska Furniture Mart Comparison
Price Comparison
Both Rooms to Go and Nebraska Furniture Mart target budget-conscious shoppers with very similar starting price points. A basic sofa at either store will run you about $399, and dining sets start in the $250-$300 range. The key difference lies in their sales strategy. Rooms to Go provides value through its bundled room packages, which offer built-in savings over buying pieces individually.
Nebraska Furniture Mart, on the other hand, is known for its aggressive, frequent sales events and a competitive price-matching guarantee. This can make them the better choice for shoppers hunting for the absolute lowest price on a specific item, while Rooms to Go is better for getting a whole room furnished for a single, predictable price.
Style & Aesthetic
The style offerings between the two retailers are quite distinct. Rooms to Go offers a curated selection of styles, focusing mainly on contemporary, casual, and transitional designs. Their collections are cohesive and designed to create a unified look with minimal effort, making them perfect for shoppers who may feel overwhelmed by too many choices.
Nebraska Furniture Mart is the opposite. As a massive retailer carrying numerous external brands, their aesthetic is incredibly diverse and eclectic. You can find everything from classic farmhouse dining tables to ultra-modern leather sectionals in their showrooms. This variety is great for customers with a specific vision, but it requires more effort to create a cohesive design.
Quality & Construction
Given their focus on affordability, both brands predominantly offer furniture made from engineered wood, veneers, and durable synthetic fabrics. Neither is focused on heirloom-quality pieces built to last for generations. However, because Nebraska Furniture Mart carries such a wide array of brands, shoppers have a better chance of finding higher-quality options, such as items made with solid wood frames or top-grain leather, mixed in with the budget-friendly pieces.
Rooms to Go maintains a more consistent level of quality across its inventory, focused on providing good value for the price. Warranties for both retailers are typically limited and fall back on the original manufacturer's guarantee.
Product Selection
Here, Nebraska Furniture Mart has a decisive advantage in sheer scope. It is a genuine one-stop-shop for furnishing and outfitting an entire home. You can buy a sofa, a refrigerator, a 75-inch TV, and new carpet all in one transaction. This comprehensive selection is a major draw for new homeowners or anyone undertaking a large furnishing project.
Rooms to Go is a furniture specialist. Their selection is deep but narrow, focusing exclusively on furniture and closely related decor. Their key differentiator is not the breadth of categories, but the curated room packages that serve a specific customer need for convenience and design simplicity.
Shopping Experience
Shopping at Rooms to Go is a streamlined, straightforward process. Their showrooms and website are designed to guide you toward complete room solutions, and the experience is focused on efficiency. It’s perfect for someone who wants to get in, find a look they like, and get out.
A trip to Nebraska Furniture Mart is an event. Their massive, warehouse-like showrooms invite browsing and hands-on testing. You can physically sit on dozens of sofas, compare appliance features side-by-side, and see products in person. This tactile experience is a significant benefit for shoppers who are particular about comfort and build quality.
Which One Should You Choose?
The right choice depends on your shopping style, project scope, and design confidence. Both brands offer great value, but they serve different needs.
Choose Rooms to Go if:
- You want to furnish an entire room quickly with a coordinated look.
- You feel overwhelmed by too many choices and prefer a curated selection.
- You value convenience and a simplified, hassle-free shopping process.
- You are a first-time home or apartment dweller and need an all-in-one solution.
Choose Nebraska Furniture Mart if:
- You want the largest possible selection of styles, brands, and product types.
- You need to buy more than just furniture, such as appliances or electronics.
- You are a savvy bargain hunter who enjoys taking advantage of big sales and price-matching.
- You prefer to see, touch, and test out products in a massive showroom before buying.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Rooms to Go or Nebraska Furniture Mart cheaper?
Their starting prices are very similar. However, Nebraska Furniture Mart often has more aggressive sales and a price-match guarantee, potentially making individual items cheaper. Rooms to Go's main value proposition comes from its bundled room packages, which are often less expensive than buying the items separately.
Which has better quality furniture?
Both cater to the budget-to-mid-range market, so quality is generally comparable and focuses on value over longevity. Because Nebraska Furniture Mart carries a wider range of brands, you have a better chance of finding higher-quality pieces mixed in with their more affordable options.
What kind of furniture styles does Rooms to Go sell?
Rooms to Go primarily sells contemporary, casual, and transitional furniture styles. Their collections are curated to be family-friendly and fit well in modern homes.
Does Nebraska Furniture Mart only sell furniture?
No, it is a comprehensive home store. Besides furniture, Nebraska Furniture Mart sells major appliances, consumer electronics, mattresses, flooring, and home decor accents.
Which store is better for a first-time homebuyer?
It depends on their needs. Rooms to Go is excellent for first-time buyers who want a quick, easy, and coordinated solution to furnish rooms from scratch. Nebraska Furniture Mart is great for those who need to buy furniture plus appliances and other household goods all at once.
Can I shop online at both stores?
Yes, both retailers have robust e-commerce websites where you can browse their full inventory, make purchases, and arrange for delivery.
Are the room packages at Rooms to Go a good deal?
Generally, yes. If you like all the pieces in the package, buying a bundled set from Rooms to Go almost always costs less than purchasing each item individually. It simplifies the design process and offers great value.
Does Nebraska Furniture Mart have physical stores?
Yes, Nebraska Furniture Mart is famous for its enormous, warehouse-style superstores located in Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, and Texas. These showrooms are a key part of their shopping experience.
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