SeeCalifornia.com

If you have to replace appliances, Memorial Weekend might be a good time to do so. There are sales on appliances at nearly every major store and outlet, and the sales are around 10%-20% off with bonuses for buying two of the same item such as GE Profile stoves and microwaves. I have looked online and physically visited Best Buy, Home Depot, Sears, and Pacific Sales, and several family run businesses to see what’s out there for kitchens.

Shopping revelations:

• In California, gas ranges and ovens make up over 90% of sales, according to several salesmen I spoke with. Electric products aren’t so plentiful and if you don’t switch over to gas, you have less options. They say it is something unique to California and the West Coast.
• As far as prices go, Home Depot is among the lowest. Best Buy offers to match the lowest price elsewhere, but why don’t they just offer you the low price to begin with?
• Touch and feel is important when buying kitchen appliances, especially. Some of the plastic panels just look cheap on microwaves.
• Take specifications with you when shopping. Know: electrical outlet types you have installed; know drop in versus slide in and  free standing. Know if you have gas-ready hook-ups or can get them.
• Stainless steel finishes tend to rust at the beach because of moisture in the air. Find out how to deal with the flaws in the particular items you decide to purchase and the best cleaners to help maintain their appearance.
• Read websites that include negative reviews as well as positive. Take that info with you and tell salesmen that you know there are problems with specific items. Often they will confirm that a review is correct. They may tell you one model with a problem was replaced with another that fixed it.
• Look at return policies. Some of the higher-end products (such as Viking) shipped online, don’t get high ratings for customer service.  When you find out who manufactures their products, you learn that a lot of the price factor comes from marketing and not necessarily quality.
• Don’t get too discouraged or confused.

As part of my research I visited an appliance parts store that’s been in business over 35 years, trying to get advice. The lady who owns it told me that some of the electronic panels in kitchen appliances get moisture in them, which causes them to malfunction. She said the minute she gets used appliances into her store people snatch them up because the new items out there just don’t hold up like they used to.  She said that there aren’t necessarily better or worse products, though one salesman told me to avoid Maytag.