My wife and I recently went shopping for new appliances for a kitchen remodel. I really was shocked to see how little dealers are willing to discount higher end, dishwashers, refrigerators, and ranges. The kitchen designer we are working with also confirmed that . Anyone with similar experiences?
I thought fair trade pricing went out in the seventies.
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Replies
The high-end appliances are in such demand lately, there's no reason for the dealers to discount them- if you don't buy them, the next guy in the door will.
High-end appliances are becoming a status symbol- a Viking range is like a Rolex watch now. The funny thing is, the only appliances most of the owners actually use are the microwave and the phone with the takeout phone number in the speed-dial.....
Bib
High end appliances don't impress me. I don't think they function all that much better to justify their cost. On stoves particularly the high end ones are the most difficult to clean.
Consumer Reports rated places to buy appliances a few months back. Independent appliance dealers, if I recall, were the best place. They had much better service and good pricing. They were willing to deal whereas the big boxes were not. The absolute worst place to buy appliance was Wal-Mart. Their prices were not better than other stores and their service was abysmal, as bad as it gets. It's worth trying to find the article in a library.
I disagree that high end appliances don't function all that much better--particularly on ranges.
Yes, they need to make them easier to clean, but that is not an indicator of how it functions. There is no comparison in the level of performance between a pro-style gas range and a typical home-level one. True convection vs. standard oven, for instance. Heck, the reliability and stability of the oven temperature is a world apart, much less the reponsiveness and btu control (both high and low) of the stove top. For a dedicated cook, it makes a difference. It is an important tool in my toolbag, like my knives and cookware.
Refrigerators? I don't think there's enough of a performance difference in those. Dishwashers, either. Cooktops and ovens, though--definitely.
Leigh
I am a domestic goddess! I deserve three ovens (and two dishwashers)! I am a domestic goddess! I deserve three ovens (and two dishwashers)! I am a domestic goddess! I deserve three ovens (and two dishwashers). . .
Fair trade is gone but controlled pricing lives on. I have a friend who works for what may be the single largest independent applicance dealer in America (they are privately held and don't report their sales #'s).
On products like Miele, Viking and similar ilk, he can't discount them a $, their computer won't accept the price on the invoice, most other stuff he can sell for cost if needs be. He told me he could't save his brother a nickle on a Viking stove.
He also tells me about folks like HD losing hi-end franchises cuz they got caught discounting. So the answer may be, find a really hungry big box that carries what you want.