I wish our washing machine understood that times are tough and that new machines are expensive. Unfortunately, it recently decided that its life span was over. With a household of five, I had to act fast. So I did my homework at Consumer Reports and checked up on brand reliability and product ratings. But I also did a few other things that helped stretch my dollars a little more.
I set a price limit
I went in to the store with a price cap in mind. I knew how much I wanted to spend and made sure the salesman did, too. That way I didn’t have to hear about all the amazing features on the washing machines I couldn’t afford. My salesman respected the price limit and stayed with in my budget.
I shopped around
My first stop was a major appliance chain, where I was quite disappointed. For every question I asked, the salesperson had to look up the answer in a computer. And the delivery time depended on the model I bought. My bulging hamper couldn’t wait much longer, but I didn’t want to get pigeonholed into a brand or model based on delivery time.
Then I went to a locally owned, mom-and-pop appliance store that has been in business for over 60 years. There my salesman answered all my questions immediately because he knew the products inside and out. The delivery time was set for first thing in the morning, so I didn’t have to take any time off of work, and the deliveryman was polite and right on time.
Other perks
I feel good about buying from a local retailer because I am supporting a small business in my community instead of a major corporation. Plus, I know from word of mouth that they have an excellent service department, so if my new washer decides to act up, I can call them for a repair.
Not only do I feel like my dollar stretched further with better prices than the national chain, but the salesman also found a washing machine well enough under budget that I could buy a new pair of shoes!
Mike from Cash Flow Moe
06:23:38 PM on Sat Jun 13 2009
I feel your pain. We recently purchased a new refrigerator and it was truly a chore. We ended up having to special order one that took a month to arrive. Few retailers actually have anything in stock besides a few floor models. Lucky for us we have two refrigerators or we would have had to settle for something we did not want.