Flat pack furniture has taken over. Gone are the days when you would venture down into the town and pick out a whole piece of artisan constructed furniture and take it home and start enjoying it with immediate effect. No, today you can wander along to an incredibly large building, journeying through a series of already assembled rooms along a yellow line, and emerge into the daylight with a large collection of individual pieces of furniture. This too, has become passé. Now, people are calling or going online and ordering the flat pack furniture straight to their door. This method is not without its worries. There are a series of concerns and issues which it would be advisable to note. When ordering anything to your door, it is usually a consideration as to whether anyone will be home to receive the order. With most items sent through the post, this is not a concern, as they can be slotted through your letter box. With larger items however, especially those which will need you to prove the reception of your package with a signature, someone will need to be at home when the delivery arrives. If possible, always arrange for delivery when you know you will be at home. If not you, then a family member, flat mate or neighbour may be able to sign on your behalf. If ensuring someone is in when your delivery arrives is not possible, consider options for alternative addresses. Is there an address at which you can be assured someone will be able to sign for the delivery. You may be able to have the package sent to work, though consider whether it is an appropriate and professional environment in which to receive a large amount of unassembled furniture. A friend’s house, similarly, could be a viable destination, but only if you can be assured that someone will be able to sign. If you do arrange for delivery to an alternative address, it is very important to think about how you will transport the large package to your home. It might present an entirely new problem, one which could be difficult to solve. If delivered to an alternative address, it might be then necessary to carry the package a long distance on public transport or to try and fit it into your car. For extremely large purchases, you may even need to involve the assistance of a man with a van. If you are needed to go to these lengths to retrieve the package from friend’s house or workplace, it may be worth removing the middle man and collecting the item straight from the store itself. This will save time and effort, though may involve a long drive and a great amount of planning and time. When you are finally at your home with the new piece of furniture ready to be assembled, make sure you have the right tools for the job. You should give early consideration to the types of tools you will be required to use in order to assemble the product, as a lack of available tools when you try to put your furniture together may result in you having to make an additional journey in order to source tools. The information about what will be required to piece the product together should be readily available on the manufacture’s website. If you have placed your order over the phone, ask the sales assistant whether there are any special tools you might need or to provide an itemised list of the necessary tools. Once you have these in place, get ready to assemble and enjoy your new purchase.