A very specialist occupation
By Fleur
@Fleura (31457)
United Kingdom
April 8, 2025 2:57am CST
I’m constantly surprised at the range of services people offer and the things clients hire them to do that they could easily do themselves – things like assembling flat-pack furniture for example.
Yesterday we saw a delivery van marked ‘Specialist sofa installers’ – I mean ‘What?’ Don’t you just carry the sofa in and put it down??
I understand that there might be a need for specialist removals for unusual items, such as a grand piano for example, but a sofa?
Obviously there must be a demand for this! If we lose our jobs it seems we would be able to find some other occupation to keep the wolves from the door as we have ‘installed’ quite a few sofas in our lives so far.
All rights reserved. © Text copyright Fleur 2025. Image from Pixabay.
8 people like this
8 responses
@arunima25 (89692)
• Bangalore, India
8 Apr
Every business has demand and that's why they exist. Some might be doing it because they have enough money to spend, they might be too lazy to learn anything simple and let money serve them. Others might be outsourcing such things as they have some other better commitments and have no time for this. It also depends on the value of time and money and everyone has their own view on that. Like my friend who is a very busy surgeon outsources most of her chores and errands. She has better demands of her true talent elsewhere and the time that she gets, she wants to spend with her boys and not doing chores and errands... fair enough. Other friend feels that society and her children needs her more ( She has social organisation doing really good job) than these small jobs. She doesn't look down upon these jobs, but feels that she is better utilised elsewhere.
2 people like this
@Fleura (31457)
• United Kingdom
14 Apr
You are absolutely right of course and I understand that someone might need somebody to deliver their new sofa. But you would think any removals company or 'man with van' or friend or neighbour could do it, without the need for a 'sofa specialist'! Did they need a 'table specialist' to deliver a table to go with it I wonder?
1 person likes this
@arunima25 (89692)
• Bangalore, India
14 Apr
@Fleura Now a days we have so many specialist and businesses that one would have never imagined in earlier days. More things are being outsourced to professionals that were earlier easily done through help from friends, family and neighbours. That's how society has turned into....not surprising with the way people are getting more self centred.
1 person likes this
@BarBaraPrz (49265)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
8 Apr
Well, I would need help installing a sofa... even though they have legs, they don't just walk over from the store and up the stairs into my living room... 
1 person likes this
@BarBaraPrz (49265)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
12 Apr
@Fleura Maybe the 'sofa specialist' started out as a 'man with van' but found out he was mostly being hired to move a sofa so decided he was a 'specialist'. 
1 person likes this
@Fleura (31457)
• United Kingdom
14 Apr
@BarBaraPrz You could be right. I wonder whether there are also bed specialists and table specialists out there?
1 person likes this
@Fleura (31457)
• United Kingdom
12 Apr
Well of course I understand that one person may well need help to get their sofa into the house and in the right place, it's not the kind of thing many people can do on their own, young and able-bodied or otherwise! But you would think any removals company or 'man with van' or friend or neighbour could do it, without the need for 'sofa specialist'!
1 person likes this
@1creekgirl (43306)
• United States
8 Apr
That's a very humorous post you wrote! It's good to know most of us have a career to fall back on.
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (186538)
• United States
8 Apr
Some people may have trouble following directions or are mobility challenged such as I am.
1 person likes this
@Fleura (31457)
• United Kingdom
12 Apr
Of course I understand that one person may well need help to get their sofa into the house and in the right place, it's not the kind of thing many people can do on their own, young and able-bodied or otherwise! But you would think any removals company or 'man with van' or friend or neighbour could do it, it was the 'specialist' part that made us laugh!
1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (145797)
• United States
8 Apr
You have to understand that some people CAN'T build a flatpack of furniture even with good directions in English! They misunderstand the directions, even with the very helpful instructions with the flatpacks... (You know, the instructions written in Chinese or Portuguese... 
That's what we get in the US!)
And you know as well as I do that some people can't figure out how to get a sofa (that isn't in pieces) through a door. 
(I watched one neighbor and his son try and try to take a sofa into their house years ago. I even called for Pretty to come out and watch. Finally, Pretty asked why they didn't dip one arm through and then ease the sofa in and dip the other arm through... She was 7 or 8 years old.
I explained some people didn't understand and would always try to brute-force things to do what they wanted. She rolled her eyes at me, shrugged and walked away. She didn't find their antics as amusing as I did. 
)
There are also those who can't lift a sofa even if they tried, or those who don't have time to do such things themselves. (But they'll stand and watch someone else do it.)
I do hope you and your family are having a wonderful day. 
1 person likes this
