MORRISTOWN, NJ—Determined to “get good and comfortable” in his new La-Z-Boy “Dynamo” Reclina-Rocker after a big meatloaf dinner, area resident Gil Siebert paused Tuesday to consider his reclining options.
“I could sit upright,” said the 48-year-old accountant, his hand hovering near the three-position wooden handle on the right side of the chair. “Or, I could lean back a little and leave my feet down. Or, I could put my feet up, move the head rest out and lean back all the way.”
The recliner, purchased by Siebert and his wife Bobbie the previous Saturday at Harn’s Furniture & Waterbed World in nearby Parsippany, offers its user 572 possible body-position configurations, from which Siebert eventually narrowed down to 38 finalists.
“Maybe I should sit halfway up and put my feet on the matching ottoman, and then point the chair to the left using the swivel option,” Siebert said. “Then again, I could sit facing straight ahead but rock slightly.”
Siebert’s difficulty in choosing a position was exacerbated by his uncertainty about what activity he would engage in while sitting in the recliner. Though tempted to watch ESPN, the sated Siebert also expressed an interest in taking a nap. He said he was also strongly considering listening to his new A Mannheim Steamroller Christmas CD while reading the new Gander Mountain catalog, which sat an arm’s length away on the end table.
“I guess I’ll turn on SportsCenter,” said Siebert, reaching behind him and producing a remote control from a crevice in the chair, where it had been poking him slightly in the side. “I wonder if the Devils won.”
Siebert then positioned the chair for partially upright reclining and, planting one foot on the ground, pulled the leg rest to its full extension with the side lever, causing the chair to emit a satisfying cranking sound.
“Ah, there we go,” said Siebert, sinking into the padded backrest. “This is nice.”
Siebert—who picked out all the details of the recliner, with the exception of its textured taupe fabric and Scotchgard™ option, which were chosen by his wife—said he was “completely satisfied” with his purchase.
“I wanted a chair that’d give me some reclining options, but I didn’t want anything too fancy, ” Siebert said. “I didn’t want to pay an arm and a leg for the thing.”
To keep the cost down, Siebert decided to pass on all “premium” options, including vibrating massage, auto-recline and penetrating heat—even after a salesperson at Harn’s convinced him to test the features on a floor model.
“Mr. Siebert didn’t go with any of what we call the ’state of the art’ recliner features,” said Russell Nowicki, senior sales associate at Harn’s Sleepers, Sofas & Recliners department. “But he did choose an attractive, durable classic-style rocker-recliner featuring a contoured overstuffed back for maximum head and shoulder support.”
Added Nowicki: “Mr. Siebert is a very smart man. You can’t go wrong with a La-Z-Boy.”
Siebert was equally enthusiastic in his praise of Nowicki. “The man at the store was real helpful—he knew a lot about the chairs,” Siebert said. “And he gave me his card in case I had any questions after I got home.”
After a three-day waiting period, Siebert received free home delivery of the La-Z-Boy, which now sits in the spot long occupied by a non-reclining armchair. To accommodate the La-Z-Boy, the armchair was moved to the basement rec room.
“I like the new chair a lot better,” Siebert said. “There’s a whole lot of different ways I can sit in it. The old chair only had one.”
