Jordan’s shoppers sitting pretty if Sox win

Thousands of Red Sox fans could be sitting in free seats soon – if their team wins the World Series.

Jordan’s Furniture, the Warren Buffett-owned local chain famous for commercials featuring brothers Barry and Eliot Tatelman, earlier this year promised free furniture – including sofas, dining tables, beds, and mattresses – to customers who bought between March 7 and April 16, so long as the Sox win the fall classic. Now, there’s a real possibility that Jordan’s could be paying back millions to customers.

“Imagine yourself sitting on that sofa, watching that game, and knowing it’s free if they win,” said president and chief executive Eliot Tatelman, who is already appearing in new commercials reminding fans of his commitment to pay them back.

He wouldn’t disclose how much Jordan’s might have to pay out, but the money won’t come out of Jordan’s bank account: Tatelman bought an insurance policy to cover any losses in the event the Sox win the title.

Still, Tatelman said the chain took almost 30,000 orders during the contest. One customer stands to get back $40,000, Tatelman said.

“He did his whole house,” he said.”

Now, I’ve got no desire to get these guys in trouble (even if their commercials were pretty annoying when I lived in Boston), but it’s interesting to note that since the Sox were about a 10 percent shot to win the series at the start of the season, the guy who paid $40,000 was really paying $36,000 for furniture and putting $4,000 on the Sox. If this one gets the nod, expect to see more of these promotions.