Curbside, Threshold or White Glove Delivery: Which Should Your Store Offer?
A customer who buys a sofa is really buying two things: the sofa, and the moment it arrives. If the delivery crew leaves a heavy box at the curb in the rain, the purchase can feel like a mistake before the customer has even sat down. If the same sofa is carried in, unwrapped and placed where they want it, the store looks good every time a guest sits on it.
That is why the delivery level you offer is a product decision, not just a logistics detail. This guide explains what curbside, threshold, room-of-choice and white glove delivery usually mean, which products suit each one, and how retailers in the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley can offer them without confusing customers.
Why this matters more now
More bulky goods are being sold without the customer ever loading them into their own vehicle. Statistics Canada's retail figures for August 2026, released on October 23, show furniture retailers in Canada sold about $1.2 billion that month, up 2.2% from a year earlier. Retail e-commerce sales reached about $5.6 billion, up 15.3% year over year. Not all of that is furniture, but the direction is clear: more orders are placed online or in a showroom and fulfilled later, which puts the delivery promise in front of the customer at checkout.
The four common delivery levels
These terms are widely used, but they are not standardized. Two carriers can use the same label for different services, so the most important step is to write down exactly what your version includes.
| Level | What usually happens | Typical fit |
|---|---|---|
| Curbside | Item is unloaded to the curb, driveway or loading area. The crew does not enter the home. | Boxed items a customer can carry in with help, garage and outdoor items, business receiving areas |
| Threshold | Item is brought to the first accessible doorway, such as a front door, garage or building entrance. No unpacking or assembly. | Boxed furniture where the customer has help at home, homes with simple access |
| Room of choice | Item is carried inside and placed in the room the customer chooses. Packaging may or may not be removed. | Upholstered furniture, mattresses, heavy pieces customers cannot move themselves |
| White glove | Room-of-choice placement plus unpacking, assembly where needed, and removal of packaging and debris. | Sofas and sectionals, bed frames, dining sets, premium or high-ticket orders |
At In & Out Express, for example, our white glove delivery service includes room-of-choice placement, unpacking and assembly, and packaging and debris removal. Other providers may split those pieces up differently, which is exactly why written definitions matter.
Match the level to the product, not just the price
A simple rule works for most stores: the harder an item is for one or two untrained people to handle safely, the more the delivery level should do.
- Light, boxed items such as side tables, lamps and small flat-pack pieces usually do fine with curbside or threshold delivery.
- Heavy or awkward items such as sectionals, dressers, solid wood tables and recliners are where room-of-choice delivery earns its cost. These are also the items most likely to scrape a door frame or a stairwell when a customer tries to move them alone.
- Items that need assembly such as bed frames, dining sets and modular storage are good candidates for white glove. A customer who cannot assemble a bed on the first night tends to remember the store, not the manufacturer.
- Business deliveries to offices, showrooms or job sites often need a different conversation: a receiving door, a dock or a site contact. Curbside or threshold can be the right answer if someone on site is ready to receive.
Many retailers offer white glove as the default for their highest-value furniture and keep curbside or threshold as a lower-cost option for boxed goods. Fewer, clearer tiers are easier to sell than five overlapping ones.
Lower Mainland access changes what "threshold" means
The definition of a threshold gets tricky in a region with a lot of towers, walk-ups and older houses.
Condos and stratas. Is the threshold the lobby, the loading bay or the suite door? Agree on this in writing. Many buildings require an elevator booking or a set move-in window, and each strata sets its own rules. Our guide to strata move-in and move-out fees in BC explains why those rules vary so much from building to building.
Stairs. Walk-up apartments, split-level homes and townhouses often have stairs between the street and the front door. Decide whether your threshold level includes a flight of stairs, and how many.
Older homes. Narrow doorways, tight turns and low ceilings are common in older houses across Metro Vancouver. Ask customers to measure doorways and stairwells before the order is confirmed, not on delivery morning.
Rain. From October through the spring, a lot of Lower Mainland deliveries happen in wet weather. Curbside delivery of an upholstered sofa in November rain leaves the customer to rush a large item indoors. Our article on moving in the rain covers how to protect furniture in wet conditions.
Packaging removal is worth more than it looks
A sectional or a bed frame can arrive with a surprising amount of cardboard, foam and plastic. In Metro Vancouver, corrugated cardboard and expanded polystyrene packaging are on the regional list of materials banned from the garbage. Loads containing banned recyclables at Metro Vancouver disposal facilities face a surcharge of 50% of the tipping fee, and loads with more than 20% expanded polystyrene packaging face a 100% surcharge. For a customer living in a condo with a small recycling room, a pile of foam and cardboard is a real chore. Taking it away is one of the most noticeable parts of a white glove delivery.
Present delivery options clearly and honestly
How you show delivery choices at checkout matters as much as which ones you offer.
- Name what is included. "White glove: placed in your room of choice, unpacked, assembled, packaging removed" is far clearer than a label on its own.
- List the exclusions. For example, whether wall mounting, moving existing furniture or extra flights of stairs are part of the service.
- Make the advertised price the real price. The Competition Bureau says advertising a price that customers cannot actually pay, because mandatory fixed fees are added on top, raises concerns under the Competition Act. The only exception is charges imposed by government, such as sales tax. If you advertise a delivery price, make sure it is attainable. This is general information, not legal advice, so check your own pricing pages with a professional if you are unsure.
A short checkout checklist
Ask these questions when the order is placed, not when the truck is on the way:
- What type of home or building is it: house, townhouse, walk-up or tower?
- Are there stairs between the street and the door? How many flights?
- Does the building need an elevator booking or have set move-in hours?
- Have doorways, hallways and stairwells been measured against the item?
- Which room should the item go in, and is the space clear?
- Will someone be home to receive it and check it before the crew leaves?
Track results by delivery level
Once your tiers are in place, keep simple records for each level: damage claims, failed deliveries, reschedules and customer complaints. If most problems come from one tier, that is a sign the definition, the price or the product mix needs to change. Our guide to holiday peak season delivery planning has more on planning capacity for the busy weeks ahead.
Need a delivery partner for your store?
In & Out Express provides curbside, threshold and white glove furniture delivery for retailers across the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley, plus recurring delivery programs and warehousing for businesses that need somewhere to hold stock. See all our services, learn more about us, or request a business quote and tell us how your store works.
Sources: Statistics Canada, The Daily: Retail trade, August 2026 and Table 2: Retail sales, by industry, seasonally adjusted (released October 23, 2026); Metro Vancouver, Disposal Ban Program; Competition Bureau Canada, Drip pricing and Guide to the 2022 amendments to the Competition Act (all accessed October 26, 2026).
