After receiving hundreds of great entries for our Ugly Chair Contest, we are excited, and a bit frightened, to announce the winners! During our examinations of all the submissions, we cringed at a handful of hideous, horrific, and horrendous pieces of furniture, but none were quite as appalling or cringeworthy as our victors. So without further ado, we present you the winners of Miller’s Supplies at Work’s Ugly Chair Contest 2016.
Grand Prize – $10,000 Office Makeover
Winner: Jackie Temkin
Organization: Religious Action Center
If any organization could use an office makeover, it’s the Religious Action Center. Not only are the chairs in its cramped office old and abused, the rest of the furniture that takes up the space needs to be replaced as well.
In an email, Jackie Temkin, digital communications manager of the Religious Action Center, informed us that her three-person communications team operates out of a tiny converted storage room. She expressed that “there is no storage aside from a built-in bookcase and two small filing cabinets,” causing she and her team to claustrophobically work in tight quarters among piles of documents. Since the team members work on top of each other, there is no room for one employee to hold conference calls without disturbing others. Worst of all, a long table that wobbles when being typed on is used as a shared desk, making it difficult to edit images or perform other tasks that require a steady hand.
We would like to thank Jackie and the rest of the Religious Action Center’s communications team for entering our office supplies store’s contest and congratulate them on being selected as our Grand Prize winner!
Runners Up – New Office Chair
Winner: Donna Johnson
Organization: Waynesboro High School
Referred to by its owner as “the ancient, hideous, scratched and ripped orange desk chair,” this broken, unsightly chair looks to be as supportive as a bed frame held together with duct tape. Not only is this one of the most repugnant pieces of furniture we’ve ever seen, it’s also downright unsafe. In closing her entry, Donna Johnson, a teacher at Wanyesboro High School, stated “It’s time for it [the chair] to enter into retirement and bring in a new recruit.” We couldn’t agree more with you Donna, which is why you’ll be receiving a replacement shortly!
Winner: Missy Stacy
Organization: Augusta County Public Schools
No need to put it lightly; this chair has seen better days. Featuring no armrests and a torn, tattered leather seat, this abomination should’ve found its way to the local dump ages ago. We commend the brave owner, Missy Stacy, an employee at Augusta County Public Schools, for putting up with this so called chair for an impressive 10 years. In closing her entry, Stacy said “It [the chair] still serves its purpose, but a new one would be wonderful!” Well Missy, you’re in luck! We hope your new chair brings you the level of comfort you deserve.
Winner: Paula Dellinger
Organization: Culpeper County Finance Department
Yet another atrocity, this entry from Paula Dellinger, an administrative assistant at the Culpeper County Finance Department, doesn’t look as precarious as the others, but it is just as grotesque. Because of its unfashionable red velvet upholstery, we’re guessing that this chair never looked that great to begin with. Now that it has had years of mileage put on it, the battered armrests being the clear indicators of that, it’s not just ugly, but shabby too. In her entry, Paula asked us to replace her chair in a song sang to the tune of “O Christmas Tree.” Merry early Christmas Paula! Your wish has been granted.
Winner: Melissa Beard
Organization: Reston Limousine
Last, but not least, is a not-so-luxurious chair owned by an employee of a limousine service and rental company (a bit ironic, isn’t it?). This seat may have looked great when it was first purchased three years ago, but in that short time the pleather has peeled, exposing the padding inside and killing all aesthetic appeal. In her entry, Melissa Beard, assistant controller at Reston Limousine, said “I have had many customers and vendors come by for meetings and comment on what bad shape my chair is in. Talk about embarrassing!” Never fear Melissa. The new chair we’ll be giving you will ensure you don’t feel that embarrassment for a long time.
There you have it; the winners of our Ugly Chair Contest 2016. We would like to thank all of our entrants for sending in pictures and encourage them to resubmit next year. If you’ve been putting up with an atrocious, uncomfortable office chair for too long and can’t wait any longer to replace it, stop by your nearest Miller’s Supplies at Work and test out our wide variety of office chairs!
