Just finished setting up my new sectional couch in my basement!

The item: This is the Thomasville 6-piece modular fabric sectional with tufted seat cushions. Mine was item number 1414563 and cost a list price of $999.99 at my local warehouse store. It may also be listed under number 1288045. It is not the same as Item 1355974, Thomasville Artesia Fabric Sectional with Ottoman, which is available online $1,199, fewer pieces, and does not have tufted cushions. The item i purchased is not available online.

The Process: I've never bought furniture from Costco before. I saw the item on the display floor 4 days ago. I went back yesterday to purchase it, assuming they could set it aside for me, while I would go and rent a truck to pick it up. Turns out they were sold out, and the employee told me that this is an incredibly high demand item, that sells out immediately every time they get a new one in. However, my luck was that they were due to get two more in to stock the next day (today). Also, that I needed to be prepared to take it home immediately, (they didn't want to hold it for me).

So this morning I knew I wanted to be first in line as the store opened. I reserved a 10ft Uhaul box truck (I considered a 8ft bed pick up truck from Lowe's, but opted for the additional space and cover, partly because it was raining). This meant I was gambling $50 for the Uhaul on the bet that they really would have the couch in stock, and I would be able to get it! I arrived at the store 10 minutes before opening, and was first in line. As soon as they opened, I beelined to customer service and said "I'd like to purchase one of the Thomasville 6 pc sofas". The woman pointed right near the checkout lines where they apparently had both units already loaded on flat bed carts right next to the check out line. the unit comes in 5 huge boxes on 2 flatbed carts.

I had to physically pull both flatbed carts full of massive boxes through the checkout lines. I'm a tall and fit 32 year old man, it would have been difficult if I wasn't physically fit. This was about 9:02am, after the store opened at 9:00am, and someone else was grabbing the other couch! I'm very glad I got there as early as I did!

After paying, I had to pull one cart behind me and push the other one in front of me (with boxes stacked above my line of vision), out the main exit. Luckily the receipt-checking person offered to grab one. I put both carts with my boxes in the main entry lobby (where the carts are), while I ran to get my Uhaul truck and pull it up. A young worker dude helped me load the boxes into the back of the truck. It would have been very difficult to do with just 1 person, unless you were fit, had a hand truck/dolly, and a ramp. He thanked me profusely for renting the U-haul, and told me that the number of people who pullup in their crossover or small SUV and think they could get this item in one load is laughable. I'll be honest I'm pretty sure there is no way I could have even gotten these 5 boxes into an 8 ft bed pickup truck. If I tried they would be stacked really high, and would have needed a lot of ratchet straps.

I got the truck home, unloaded the boxes into my garage (image above), and returned the truck. So all in all this took me 3 hours, a $50 U-haul rental, and $999.99 list price, and $60 sales tax for a total of $1,110.

So although the process worked out for me, it was REALLY poor logistics. The fact that I had to rent the truck on the hope and prayer that (1) they would have the item in stock, and (2) I would be the first to claim it is ridiculous. And the fact that I had to drag an entire couch through the warehouse store check out line. If this thing is selling out so fast, they honestly should raise the price by $150 or so, just because apparently they can.

Packaging and Set-Up - Good, high quality boxes. I couldn't get the boxes through my doorframe, had to un-box in my garage, and get each piece through my front door. The modular pieces connect with metal, ratcheting connectors. They give a really sturdy, almost "one-piece" feel to the whole couch after it's assembled. It does not feel like the sections will move relative to one another or wiggle.

Quality: I'm not an expert on furniture, but I am really impressed with the build quality of this couch. It's just very solid all around: the fabric, the legs, the metal connectors (used for assembling it in modular fashion). The ottoman doubles as a chaise-style extension of the couch, and also opens up for storage. Surprisingly, the "opening" function is supported by some really nice, pneumatic pistons that allow you to open the lid with very little force. The tufted cushions also add some class to it. Little things like this surprised me about the quality. I'd guess that a similar couch, just about anywhere else, would cost in the $1,800-$2,200 range.

Summary: Amazing couch, for way cheaper than I think I could get elsewhere. The logistics of self-transport are a significant hurdle. It basically took 4-5 hours of my time and a $50 Uhaul to get it home. The fact that I have to do everything myself at the store, and gamble on renting a truck before even knowing if I would get it is kind of ridiculous. If you are considering buying, you'll have to seriously think about how you will transport it, and how you will get the help you need to load, unload, move into your house, and assemble.