Retailer Offers Cash For Furniture Clunkers

Walter E. Smith piggybacks on cars program

ITASCA, IL — Walter E. Smithe Furniture is promoting its take on the government’s Cash for Clunkers program in auto sales, offering credits of up to $500 to consumers who trade in old furniture for new items at the retailer’s 13 Chicago area showrooms.

Modeled after the Car Allowance Rebate Program System, Smithe’s Cash for Clunkers program offers a $100 trade-in credit for a used recliner, $250 for a used sofa or armoire, and $500 for a used bedroom or dining room set. Participants also can choose a 6% cash discount or no-interest payments for six months. And the retailer will haul away the clunkers for free.

Smithe Furniture owners and brothers Walter, Tim and Mark Smithe began promoting the campaign Saturday through commercials on Chicago-area television.

“While not everyone has a clunker car, almost everyone has at least one piece of clunker furniture they’d like to replace with something nicer,” said Walter E. Smithe III, president of the Top 100 company. “This is a great opportunity for consumers to trade their old furniture for new furniture.”

For consumers who don’t have a clunker to trade in, the retailer is offering a 12% cash discount or no-interest payments for 12 months.