It's not all low-end stuff at new No. 1 Wal-Mart

Ask most consumers to rattle off the names of some of America's largest furniture retailers and you are likely to hear them mention Rooms To Go, Ethan Allen, Levitz, La-Z-Boy, Ikea and the like.

What you probably wouldn't hear them mention are the boys down in Bentonville. And that,

In case you missed it, in last week's Furniture/Today, we reported that Wal-Mart and their always low prices — always — racked up furniture and bedding sales last year of $1.24 billion, nosing out Rooms To Go, which had been in the pole position but came in with 2002 sales of $1.235 billion.

Close, very close, but no cigar.

To put things in perspective: Wal-Mart pumped out those big numbers — which do not include some $850 million from Sam's Club — from its more than 2,800 U.S. stores. Rooms To Go, by comparison, generated its sales from only 95 stores.

The disparity in units between Wal-Mart and Rooms To Go is obvious, and we all know that Wal-Mart sells a ton of value-priced furniture at its stores.

However, what is less obvious, unless you invest some time poking around Wal-Mart's Web site, is the surprising assortment of higher-ticket furniture and bedding available online.

Think I'm kidding? Click on www.walmart.com and see for yourself.

Consumers in the market for leather furniture can select from a dozen frames that range in price from $998 to just over $1,500 for a Softaly Bari Leather Sofa and Loveseat set.

How about a recliner for the king of the castle? For $688, Mr. Bubba can find himself comfortably sitting in what Wal-Mart bills as "the best chair in the house for a marathon of TV sports or hours in front of the DVD: this leather rocker recliner from Catnapper."

And for $688, you just don't get comfort. The copy on the Web site tells the consumer that "this fine piece of furniture is equipped with a mini fridge in one arm, a speakerphone in the other and — for the 7th-inning stretch — a massage mechanism to soothe your muscles. What potato wouldn't want this couch?"

If all that Net surfing has tired you out, rest easy. Wally World is ready to send you into the arms of Morpheus in style and comfort. Shoppers can select from a dozen different mattresses from Simmons that range from $473 for the Simmons Beautyrest Monroe, Pillowtop, to a high of $2,578 for Simmons' Beautyrest Exceptionale, Pillowtop.

Hey, I' m sold. And judging by the numbers Wal-Mart keeps posting, so are a lot of consumers.