Life is a series of milestones.

Your first kiss. Your first job. Your first piece of furniture that you weren’t forced to assemble using a small piece of bent metal and instructions in Swedish.

Uh-oh, are you still storing your books in milk crates? Good news: The Merchandise Mart is hosting its annual sample sale, where, for one weekend only, nearly 50 Mart home and office showrooms open their doors and sell their goods to the public.

No piddly discounts, either. We’re talking thousands of dollars off the furniture you’ve ogled in swank magazine spreads and snazzy showrooms. Hand-woven rugs at the Oriental Carpet Gallery (reduced from $4,000 to as low as $950). Thanhardt-Burger custom-framed mirrors (cut from $225–$2,000 to $90–$780). Still lounging on a hand-me-down futon? Tsk, tsk. Check out the chenille sofas from the Betty M Collection — a steal at $4,500, given the original price ($13,000). And not to worry: All the pieces come preassembled.

And no Swedish language skills required.

Merchandise Mart, 200 World Trade Center, between Wells and Orleans Streets (800-677-MART). Sat., 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sun., noon-5 p.m. Tickets: $5. For more information, go to merchandisemart.com.