The last few times we bought wood furniture were from World Market (from either Indonesia or Thailand, don't remember) and also from a local furniture store. My desk has veneer but it's real wood underneath. Veneer is stronger, not as easily scratchable. This thing is super heavy, once it's put in place, you need several people to move it. So it stays put. Our nightstands have veneer on the surface, but also real wood underneath, also very heavy. I like these few pieces with veneer on the surface but real wood underneath, they're all done with dovetail joints, so they're very strong. Some of the World Market pieces don't have veneers, just wood. What's wrong with veneer?