If you’re not familiar with Trulia.com, you should be. It’s a great tool for consumers in the real estate market. One of its best features is Trulia Voices, a Q&A forum.
I recently answered a question from a home owner asking about staging for their home. They live in a different state and are not in my "market area," but I believe in sharing advice and no other comments had been posted from an actual stager. The questioner wanted to know about costs and asked for referrals! One answerer was a true gem: they talked about the ROI (Return on Investment) of staging and you can tell this agent has success stories. I won't "crib" any from this gentleman's answer, but it was along the lines of being surprised at the hesitance to use a stager (small investment) when the rewards are so great.
Now on to another reply. This agent suggested buying scratch 'n dent furniture, accessories from a large overstock product store, and
flowers from an even larger discount membership club.
I was laughing until I realized this is serious stuff. A consumer is trying to get their home sold and asked for information specifically regarding cost and receiving a local referral. What this answer gave was an attempt at a cost saving alternative.
Stagers, we know that our inventory isn't cheap, nor is our time or talent. Here someone has been advised to purchase furniture which they don't want/need and will presumably have to move to their new home, plus accessories and flowers.
There's nothing wrong with looking at bargain stores for finds. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Julia Maher wrote an interesting post, Yes, it's Staged--but is it Appropriate? on staging a home properly for its price point. Without the help of a professional stager, the chances of this homeowner going in a store like the one aforementioned and finding the "right" stuff, is slim to none. Example: My Jonathan Adler upholstered side chairs retail for $500 each and are not sold to the public (available for purchase through a design professional or select vendors by custom order). If a home calls for these signature pieces, they get taken out of my residence (one stays stored, the other is used) and into the home. These chairs fit in tight spots and have that designer quality. And guess what? When the property sells, I take 'em back, unlike...well, read on.
As for the furniture, I'm wary of the homeowner finding and placing pieces that will best reflect the home's features. Even at a discount ("scratch 'n dent," hello), this can still be a sizable investment that could cost more than just using a stager, without the desired results. It very well could be detrimental and make the home harder to sell.
Flowers from a membership-only club, well...requires membership! While I prefer to establish a relationship and patronize a local florist, I will not condone or condemn flowers purchased elsewhere. But it is presumptous to say that the homeowner can just go and grab some flowers from such a place (are they members? is that another investment needed) or even how far said big box retailer is from the home. Right now, I'm seeing a lot of hassle and running around (gas is expensive, folks) for this homeowner. Savings? Nope. 
The tragedy is, someone is out there giving bad advice. And the bottom line is, the homeowner is the one who loses here.
What to do?
- Dispel the myths and actively (but positively) counter bad advice.
- Be the expert: Go one step further and freely offer good advice on what you know.
RECOMMENDED READING:
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I use trulia, it's a great way to bounce ideas back and forth with buyers, sellers and professionals. However, there are forum trolls and soothsayers so beware of them and you'll manage to keep sane!