If you're a facility manager or corporate buyer about to place a big Steelcase order—like, say, a mix of Series 2 task chairs for the bullpen and a Campfire Paper Table for the breakout area—this list is for you.

I'm a facility manager who's been handling office furniture orders for seven years. I've personally made (and documented) three significant mistakes, totaling roughly $20,000 in wasted budget. Now I maintain our team's checklist to prevent others from repeating my errors.

Most buyers focus on list price and seat color and completely miss the five things below. These are real-world pitfalls I've encountered. There are 5 steps total.

Step 1: Look Past the Price Tag at the Approved Vendor List

This was my first big lesson, and it cost us. In my first year (2017), I found a great deal on a batch of Steelcase Leaps from a national dealer. The price was way lower than our local rep's quote. I bought 30 chairs. Two weeks later, we needed warranty service on a gas lift. The local authorized service center refused to touch them. Turns out the national dealer wasn't an authorized Steelcase dealer and the chairs were sourced through a gray market channel. No warranty.

Here's the checklist item: Before you buy, verify the dealer is an authorized Steelcase dealer. Go to Steelcase's website, use their dealer locator, and check the company. If they're not on that list, you're rolling the dice. That $200 savings per chair? It turned into a $450 cost per chair when we had to replace the lifts ourselves (ugh).

Step 2: Test the Actual Chair for a Week, Not Five Minutes

The question everyone asks is, "Is the Series 2 comfortable?" The question they should ask is, "Will the Series 2 work for my 6'2" developer who leans forward all day?" Comfort is personal. A five-minute sit in a showroom tells you nothing.

We ordered 20 Series 2 task chairs for our IT team. Everyone tried them in the showroom and said they felt great. A week after delivery, three developers complained of lower back pain. Two more said the seat pan was too short. We ended up swapping six chairs—four to Leaps and two to Gestures. The restocking fee and shipping on six chairs cost us about $1,200 (unfortunately).

Checklist item: Request a trial unit for your most demanding user. Most authorized dealers will lend you a chair for a week. Have your tallest and shortest employees sit in it for a full workday. Does it still feel good at 3 PM? That's your answer. If they won't lend you a chair, move on to a dealer who will.

Step 3: Don't Ignore the Campfire Table's Surface Material

This was true 10 years ago when laminate tables were the only option. Today, the Campfire Paper Table from Steelcase is a different beast. It's designed for collaboration—write on it, Brainstorm, wipe it off. But here's the thing most people miss: it's not a whiteboard. The surface is a proprietary paper composite, and not all markers work on it.

I ordered four Campfire Paper Tables for our project wing. Day one, someone used a standard Expo dry-erase marker and it left a ghost image. We tried isopropyl alcohol, whiteboard cleaner, even hand sanitizer. Nothing shifted the stain completely (ugh, again). I called Steelcase support, and they told me the table is designed for specific water-based markers. The wrong ink can cause permanent ghosting. That error affected four tables, cost roughly $4,000 in replacement tops, plus a 1-week delay while we sourced the right markers.

Checklist item: When buying a Campfire Paper Table, ask your dealer for the approved list of markers and cleaners. Buy those markers with the table. Test one table first with your team. Does it wipe clean? Great. If not, switch markers before equipping the whole floor. Also, warn your team: no Sharpies. Though I want to say people know that, but don't quote me on that—I've seen experienced managers make this mistake.

Step 4: Verify the Lead Times Before You Promise Delivery

I have mixed feelings about Steelcase's lead times. On one hand, they've improved dramatically in the past few years. On the other, they vary wildly by product line. I learned this the hard way. In September 2022, we were renovating our sales floor. We ordered 40 Steelcase Gesture chairs—a flagship model with a huge backorder. The dealer quoted 8-10 weeks. Our internal deadline was 10 weeks. We didn't check the fine print. The upholstery we chose (a standard Black Cogent fabric) had a raw material delay. The chairs didn't arrive until week 14. Our sales team was sitting on folding chairs for a month. Morale suffered, and the move-in date had to be pushed back.

Checklist item: Do not accept a generic lead time. Ask for a specific, written lead time for each product and each customization. Ask: "What happens if that date slips?" Some dealers will offer loaner furniture for delays. Others won't. Build that into your contract. That extra step would have saved us from a month of folding chairs.

Step 5: Calculate the Total Cost, Not Just the Chair Price

My biggest regret: not building freight costs into my comparison spreadsheet on our first big order. We were comparing the Series 2 to the Amia. The Amia had a lower price per unit—by about $80. I felt smart. Then the freight quote came in. The Amia vendor was based on the West Coast; we're in Chicago. The Series 2 vendor was local. The Series 2's total landed cost was actually $15 lower per chair because shipping was almost free. I'd spent days negotiating $80 per chair but missed the $95 freight cost. A ton of wasted effort.

Checklist item: Create a "Total Landed Cost" (TLC) spreadsheet for any competitive quote. Include:

  • Unit price
  • Freight & shipping
  • Assembly (if not included)
  • Warranty (gray market often has no warranty—add potential cost to replace)
  • Restocking fees for returns

Add all of it up. Then compare. The lowest unit price often isn't the lowest total cost. From my experience managing about 20 furniture projects over seven years, the lowest quote has cost us more in about half the cases when you factor in these hidden costs.

Final Notes on the Checklist

One thing I'd add: don't buy your entire office's worth of furniture in one shot if you can avoid it. Buy a single workstation. Test it for two weeks. Get feedback. Then place the bulk order. We've caught four potential layout errors using this phased approach in the past 18 months. That's four mistakes we didn't make.

Also, if you're using a Steelcase Campfire Paper Table, keep a pack of the recommended markers within arm's reach. Put a small sign on the table listing the approved markers. It sounds silly, but it stops people from grabbing the nearest Sharpie (which, as I mentioned, is a disaster).

And speaking of Sharpies—if you ever need to get Sharpie off a whiteboard (which is not the same as a Campfire table's surface), a dry-erase marker written over it can sometimes help lift the ink. But that's a topic for another day.

Bottom line: this checklist will save you money and headaches. I promise you, the lowest quote is not the cheapest option when you factor in warranty, logistics, and team satisfaction. Use these five steps on your next Steelcase order, and you'll avoid the mistakes I made.