Hi va_rosemary.

It's funny you should post this topic as I just gave the deposit on all of my appliances about 15 minutes ago. After shopping around, I found that none of the chain stores could even come close to the prices that I got at the independent appliance stores.

Don't even get me started about Sears - RUN AND HIDE! Unfortunately I think that's the only place where you can buy Kenmore appliances.

I also was looking for GE Monogram appliances, but wasn't sure I was going to be able to afford them. We looked at a local showroom, but they couldn't come close to the price we got from USappliance.com because of state tax. So even though we were a little leary buying online, we did it anyway. Got a great price, no tax, shipping was about $75 I think. They came about 6 weeks later and everything looks good, although they won't be installed for another 6 months, so I can't attest to any customer service after the sale.

We bought the dishwasher, microwave, hood and refrigerator from Sears when they had a big sale (buy 3, get 20% off). I've personally never had a problem with Sears and for the price point, the appliances have always been okay for me. Although I'm THRILLED to get to upgrade to the monogram for my cooktop and ovens!!

The one good thing about Sears is that they will match ANY price that you find on the Internet.

And as jersy says - they are the only place to get Kenmores - with That said we opted to NOT get Kenmore equ because of price and went with brands that are just as good but cheaper from independants.

We went with Fridgair which is actually slightly better then Kenmore for repairs when looking at ranges and slightly worse with refrig's.

Plus Sears has zero builders discount which saves you a ton of money when you throw in that sweet little discount!

Here is a link that might be useful: Rod and DJ's House Building Adventure

Admark through ebay

If you're buying a lot of stuff, Direct Buy.

grinder - what do you mean by "zero builders discount"? thanks!

i still have to get quotes from our builder, but so far i found an idependent retailer in a depressed area where sales tax is reduced to 3.5% ...typically 6% here in nj. not only are we not getting hit as hard with the tax, but their prices were exceptional. we have time, so i'm getting more quotes. don't mean to be rude, but i'd steer clear of direct buy. friends of ours were barely able to recoup the nearly $4800 "investment" they made by joining since they carried none of the brands they were looking for. check the boards for more opinions, of course. good luck.

We got a better price from Direct Buy than I could find anywhere else; same models, etc. You need to be buying a LOT of stuff (as in building a new house) though to save money with DB. And you need to do your homework. Some things are less expensive, some are not.

We bought all our appliances from a local appliance store, with the exception of the 48" KA fridge (they couldn't come close to the online price I got). I told them the prices I was quotes elsewhere and they beat them all (except the fridge).

I would definitely check around. And don't be afraid to ask them to do a little better.

I agree, does your builder have a preferred appliance place? Ours did, and they beat Sears even with the 20% off at Sears. We were shocked as we thought the little independants had less of an advantage due to less volume. One importnant note is to buy locally, to save time, money and aggrevation if your need service.

I bought my KA, Wolf and SZ appliances from 2 small local stores. I really found no breaks from any online or big box stores over what the small locals could do, and the KA's were actually cheaper!
Equally important to me though, is if I'm investing that kind of money I want my local to appreciate that I supported them in the event I need warranty work. In a lot of industries manufacturers require their registered dealers to do warranty work. Many however, don't pay the dealers what it really take to complete a repair order. In other words, most dealers loose money when it comes to warranty work. Although the majority of dealers don't play this game, how fast or slow some service you could depend on whether you supported them with your purchase.

I researched pretty well and found that after negotiation my local dealer had the best prices on the Bosch washer, dryer and dishwashers, and the Monogram refrigerator drawers, I also purchased my SZ from them. I didn't find anyone to match the US Appliance price for the Monogram range and I must say their service has been fantastic.

Almost all appliance stores give builders discounts - normally about 20% from what I can tell.

If you are shopping on an allowance where the builder actually pays for the appliances you get somewhere around a 20% discount.

From the people I have talked to this is pretty common . . . I THOUGHT!

Here is a link that might be useful: Rod & DJs House Building Adventure

Thanks for all the responses. Our builder works with a local company, but also has an account with Sears commercial who supposedly will beat anyone's price. I'll definetly be asking about service though, in case we have an issue.

When I had my last house built, I got prices from everywhere including Sears (who has/had? special construction pricing - had to call to get them to send the book). I put everything into a spreadsheet and figured out what was the best price I found on each of the items. Then I got a grand total of all of the best prices with manufacturers and part numbers and took that to the local store that I wanted to use for them to match or beat. They did and I used them to buy all of the appliances in my house.

Angela12345 what a great idea! I'm definitely going to do that! Just add that to my ever growing list!

Can't believe the couple of good responses to Direct Buy. In our area, it is like the plague and an expensive one. 4500 to just join! I'm glad you guys are having good results with them. I'm just curious if you have found a cheaper price on something somewhere else and if they have matched it?

We bought all KA appliances. I got a quote from ABT electronics and took it to Lowes who matched the price.

In the Toronto area, I use Appliance Canada. They're essentially a builders/apartment owners/condo developers supplier. The largest in the country 15 years ago. But if you're referred by one one of these, they may consider selling to you. I'm always amazed that the vice-president there remembers me and my piddling purchases! (Before they went corporate he used to keep his Harleys in the showroom. Now it's monster aquariums filled with tropical fish.)

What worked best for us was putting our appliance package out to bid to three different stores. (I'd already checked eBay, Sears, etc., so knew what prices they had to beat.) Several of our appliances had pricing dictated by the manufacturer (e.g., SZ, Bosch, etc.), so everyone came in the same on them. However, by consolidating all our requirements, I found stores willingly threw in other benefits (e.g., free delivery and financial incentives) since it was a "large buy." Also, depending on where you are, there may be a store that does direct buying without requiring a membership fee. In Seattle, there's a great store called Direct Buying Service that does that; however, you'll need to place your order a couple months in advance. For most of us building, that's not a problem. Good luck!

We kept a constant eye on the Lowe's close-out isle. Kitchenaid refrigerator marked down $500 because of a dent on the side (which is against our wall anyway). $900 off the last GE profile gas range before they got the next year's model in.

Just wanted to post a follow-up to let people know that the local guy won our business. I did what Angela12345 did, and put everything in a spreadsheet. I was actually stunned to find out the Sears has jacked their prices up by around 10%. The sales rep even told me I would be best suited to use someone else since their price structure wasn't competitive at this time. I'm so glad I checked with the local guy because I just never thought he'd be able to compete with Sears, Bray & Scarff or US Appliance (internet vendor).

Happens all the time! Glad it worked for you too.

We are fortunate to live near Abt. They sell online, but their huge store is in Glenview, IL. I've been very pleased with their prices and service. (Don't forget the "service" part. You don't want to buy online and not be able to get good service down the line.)