General

Wanna buy a cubicle?

At least one industry—used office furniture—is booming

Call it the cubicle index—the latest economic indicator to show that, yes, times are tough. As businesses cut back and close down, piles of used office furniture are being left behind. One Chicago store has 700 used chairs, 150 secondhand conference tables and scores of pre-owned file cabinets and cubicles up for sale. “Last year we had access to 30,000 to 40,000 office cubicles across the country,” said Mason Awtry, Rightsize’s president. “We’re estimating that by the summer we’ll have access to 250,000 cubicles across the country.” Thrift stores are also seeing a spike in donations. The Goodwill chain, for example, reports a 43 per cent increase in business furniture drop-offs over the past year

Chicago Tribune

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