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The Untold
Truth Of Bob's
Discount
Furniture
By JOEL STICE
Motorcycle Crash
After suffering severe leg trauma from a motorcycle crash in 1976, Bob Kaufman decided to “get serious” about his future. The crash inspired Kaufman to ditch his unfulfilling job at Radio Shack and eventually led to the creation of Bob’s Discount Furniture.
1970s Waterbed Craze
Kaufman started selling waterbeds with his cousin when they were immensely popular during the ‘70s. Together, the two sold the beds for lower prices than competing stores, and Kaufman was dubbed “the waterbed king.”
Low-Price Strategy
To sell his affordable furniture, Kaufman leased spaces to conduct business and had building owners cover the cost of utilities and taxes. To keep everyone involved satisfied, Kaufman gave the building owners a portion of the sales money.
Corny Commercials
TV commercials were a huge part of Kaufman’s success in the early years of his business. Kaufman did all the filming and production himself, along with two other writers, who helped him come up with scripts for each ad.
TV Ads
Bob Kaufman’s father told his son not to appear in any TV ads, because he claimed his son “sounds like chalk on chalk” when he speaks. Despite his father's warnings, Kaufman starred in many of the infamous ads anyways.