With all those homes that are going into foreclosure.. a lot of the furniture that had been inside is finding its way to used furniture stores, consignment stores, thrift shops, antique stores, estate auctions. You can purchase gently used, good quality furniture for a fraction of its brand new cost. Avoid particle board furniture. It disintegrates easily.

I guess it all depends on your lifestyle and taste. For someone like myself (early 30s, male, single) who like modern simple clean designs, here are some places to consider:

1. CB2 (crate and barrel 2) - it's mostly online, but have some interesting stuff
2. EQ3 -
3. Scandinavian Design - i like their stuff
4. West Elm
5. Ikea - don't expect much, but they do have some useful things
6. I-express - a bit pricey, but nice pieces
7. Pier 1 - some good home decor, etc.

In the city, some on my favorites are on Fillmore Street, in Pacific Heights, though pricey. Along Market Street, toward Western Addition/Castro around Fell, used and new. Also, around 10th st downtown South of Market. The Mission District has some funky used furniture and antique stores too, around 17th Street.

It would depend on what you are looking for and the budget that goes with it. I would consider Macy's, Thomasville, Ikea and maybe the Galleria in San Francisco. Also some condsideration to Pottery Barn and Crate and Barrel.

It depends on your budget and what exactly you are looking for since every store has their own niches, but below is some information that will hopefully help you. If you are looking for budget home furniture you should take a moment to visit:

1) EQ3 http://(www.eq3.com) - modern furniture focused on straight lines and simplistic designs
2) Ikea http://(www.ikea.com)- a good blend of traditional and modern furniture at budget, budget prices
3) Scandinavian Designs http://(www.scandinaviandesigns.com) - more simiple but luxurious pieces but costs a little more than say Ikea
4) Kantors http://(www.kantors.com) - traditional, discount home office furniture shown in a 30,000+ sq.ft. showroom

You can also look online on http://www.Craigslist.com--discount furniture companies usually post there with their most recent furniture selections. Most of the furniture they provide are from China but you can find some well-designed pieces if you take the time to look.

If you are looking at more mainstream, middle luxe furniture consider:

1) Crate & Barrel http://(www.crateandbarrel.com) - furniture and home accents with simple lines, elegant styles
2) Pottery Barn http://(www.potterybarn.com) - traditional, more luxurious pieces
3) Bombay Company http://(www.bombaycompany.com) - more affordable, mid-line furniture and home accents

If you are looking for deals on home appliances take a look at:

1) Airport Appliances http://(www.airportappliance.com) - discount appliances inc. washers, dryers, kitchen appliances, etc.
2) Sears Outlet http://(www.sears.com) - you can find their outlet selection online but it's best to go into the store to see their inventory.

This is a very broad selection, but hopefully it gives you a good starting point to shop for furniture and appliances.

It depends on what you're looking for. For modern, inexpensive furniture, Ikea is a good place to start. If you're looking for more moderate furniture, Macy's has several free standing furniture stores in the Bay Area, as well as a furniture outlet store in Union City. Looking for modern? Room and Board in SF is the place to go. Looking for custom furnishings? Berkeley Mills will build most anything in beautiful, premium hardwoods.