I'll tell you that I was really impressed when I visited the nearby Sears Appliance Outlet. They had everything in every size, shape & color and the prices were unbelievable, still under warranty. Sure, some of them were badly scratched on the front, but most had no visible damage that I could see. The inventory changes very quickly and they will let you call to see if they have what you are looking for in stock.

That said, we purchased all of our high-end appliances (Wolf/SZ/KA) online from Lakes Appliances. But we got our huge utility room Whirlpool Gold FD w/icemaker for under $1000. It's as big as our 42" SZ interior space and many thousands $$$ less!

Good luck.

I think Sears is a depends on the store. Some I have heard have had very good service others terrible.(the one nearest me has a terrible reputation) Same with any big box store. You might pay slightly more but a local shop will usually give you a package price and usually know their product better than staff in big places.

I do think it depends on the type of appliances you are looking for, where you are located and other factors. I did do some shopping around, but I bought all my kitchen appliances at the same builder supply where I got my cabinets. They are a local shop, which I liked, they gave me the best prices on everything, and no potential for finger pointing betweent he cabinet people and the appliance people. Everything got installed smoothly.

I think cooking appliences are less likely to require you to think about an extended warranty, but if you think you will want them, shop those as part of your overall deal -- the price, the protection and all the limitations.

It does seem that many appliance manufacturers change models inthe summer to fall months. This can be a great time to buy the outgoing model and save some money -- maybe even watch for another month or two, but if you want the newest model, you won't be likely to find sales or deals on it yet.

Thanks to each of you. I know I want the GE monogram induction cooktop, the GE monogram wall oven and advantium oven. Also, I think I want a counter-depth refrigerator (probably french door, freezer on the bottom). I don't have a clue yet on a dishwasher (or dish drawers) or washer and dryer.
lascatx, we are in northern Idaho. I guess I will probably start with local dealer and see what kind of package and pricing he can put together, then compare that to "some place else" to see if I'm getting good pricing.

You will want to buy from a large store that price matches within 30 days. Sears, Frys, and some others do this. Sears has 20% off sales a couple times a month. You could by it at reg price and come back with your reciept within 30 days and get your money back for the difference, they also have great financing offers. Also if you have time to look around, every store has different floor models and dicontinued models which have the best chance of getting incredible deals on. For instance at sears I picked up a top of the line water softener which normally ran $950, but it was discontinued for a long time, and I paid $80 for it, no joke. But you have to keep your eyes open and ask the associates about deals. At Sears, the associates have a book called an "Apple Book" which shows all the sales they will have for the whole month, ask them what the best sale is and buy your items then, or come in get the difference back.