I was hesitant to purchase this bench, due to the mixed reviews, but my daughter loved it, so I did . Good news bad news: The bench arrived right on schedule, damaged! The packaging was great, not compromised at all, which leads me to believe that the bench was damaged before packing. The bench itself was draped in plastic, and should have been inspected before shipping. One end was caved in, but I decided instead of going through the hassle of shipping it back, I would try to fix it...Mom can do anything! I took my kitchen meat mallet, and hammered the inside, carefully, and was able to remold the end to good as new!  Would I buy it again? Yes! It offers a lot of storage and has a lot of "character!" I give the whole experience a 4.5.