When we lived in Caracas, the company had a warehouse full of furniture from which families could choose, as families were rotated in and out. We had a furniture allowance and everybody bought new mattresses, but choosing furniture from warehouse didn't affect your allowance. Not us, but everyone talked about the family who had a pet ocelot and their furniture was ripped to shreds and not subject to recycling. Rumor had it that they lived in a 10 story building and one day the cat made it to the balcony and leaped off, landed on its feet only to run away and get hit by a vehicle.
