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You may be waiting to buy an appliance until Black Friday.
In previous years, there were discounts and special promotions of up to 10-35% off.
This year will be different.
You will only have two choices if you're shopping for appliances on Black Friday, both less than ideal.
In this article, you will learn about how to buy appliances for your home during Black Friday and how to navigate other home improvement products.
Then I will tell you how to get the best deals.
First, let's start with my first call of the day since March 14th. Then we will look at your options for Black Friday.
Short on time? Get our free Appliance Buying Guide
How We Start Our Day
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Yale Appliance Inventory Warehouse
Since March, my first call every day is with Jay Upton, our Director of Merchandising.
He has the unenviable task of procuring appliances, parts, and supplies for Yale.
Jay first started in sales. Over the years, he has steadily moved from sales and Store Manager to Director of Merchandising.
We've been able to maintain a 15-18 million dollar inventory because of his sales background.
For example, if a Bosch dishwasher wasn't available, he knows the best competitive replacement dishwashers from Miele and KitchenAid.
However, on certain mornings, we will talk about products with no estimated time of arrival (ETA).
This means there are orders without shipping dates, and manufacturers have no idea when products will be available.
We’ve had products on order since January, and we're still waiting for shipments.
Here is why.
Global Appliance Supply Chain Issues
Empty Dishwasher Manufacturing Site
Back in 1986, when I started, you bought a Maytag washer engineered, designed, and built-in Newton, Iowa.
Nowadays, that washer may be made in the U.S., but the parts are manufactured elsewhere.
It makes sense economically. The company manufacturing hinges can produce them cheaper elsewhere.
Add a number of these types of companies for boards, hinges, and other parts, and there are significant cost savings - except during a pandemic.
With COVID-19 raging in different parts of the world, some suppliers have been closed or operating at reduced efficiency.
Without hinges, for example, refrigerators can't be shipped.
As one manufacturer once said, "If you need 222 parts to make a dishwasher, and you only have 219, you can't ship the dishwasher."
At the same time, appliance demand has skyrocketed.
With most states in the U.S. urged to quarantine, many people are placing their money into their homes for decks, pools, and kitchens.
People have turned that Italian vacation or weekly bowling night into a kitchen renovation.
Now, appliances are in demand and in short supply, putting a damper on Black Friday promotions.
Therefore, you have the following options for buying an appliance during Black Friday.
Buying Appliances During Black Friday
Freestanding Ranges and Washers at Yale Appliance in Hanover
Your First Option
There will be some promotions similar to years past with one huge exception: The companies promoting Black Friday deals don't have inventory.
Remember us not having any estimated time of arrival for products? Some of the same appliances are part of their Black Friday promotions.
You can get a great deal on a Samsung 4-door refrigerator, but you will have no idea when it will be delivered, for instance.
This is a good option if you have plenty of time to wait. Keep in mind, you could be waiting 3-6 months or longer.
Your Second Option
Look for the best deals on what can be delivered now or within a month.
Most of your best deals will be store-driven, with special financing available.
Stores have to walk a fine line because you can't promote products you don't have or with limited inventory.
We're offering financing and free delivery when you apply for a Yale card. Our free delivery includes the removal of your old appliance and basic installation.
We will have individual specials as we are closer to Black Friday as well, but it won't be on whole lines of products like years past.
I don't think giving you a deal on appliances you may NOT receive is smart. I am setting you (and everyone in customer service) up for disappointment.
For the very first time, I won't know about our promotions until a few days before Black Friday.
Read More: How To Buy Appliances During A Supply Crisis
Should You Buy Appliances During Black Friday This Year?
No, Black Friday is not a good time to buy appliances this year.
You have to be very careful. That "really good" deal may not be delivered until the middle of 2021.
If you buy an appliance on sale, make sure they have it in stock and make doubly sure you can cancel it.
It's an option if you have plenty of time.
However, don't wait too long for delivery. You may be worse off by trying other stores and being last on the waitlist.
The more prudent option is to buy what's available now.
You may pay a bit more but you'll be left without the uncertainty and risk.
Additional Resources
Have questions on appliances? Read the Yale Appliance Buying Guide with the 10 most frequently asked questions, the best time to buy appliances as well as detailed profiles of all the brands. Well over 800,000 people have read a Yale Guide.
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WHY SHOULD YOU TRUST US?
A few review sites have placed this at the bottom of their articles. So here is our take: Our mission is to find reliable products for you to buy. Other review sites may say this as well.
However, we don’t love every product. Quite frankly, it costs us way too much money in repair costs to support less reliable brands.
In fact, we sell fewer brands than most appliance stores. Here is why:
We feel it is our responsibility to repair your appliances after you buy them.
We now have 30 service technicians, each averaging 8-10 calls a day Monday through Friday, plus another 110 on Saturday. That's over 30,000 service calls logged in one year.
The labor rates of fixing an appliance do not come close to the true cost in any product’s warranty period.
That is why no major retailer has a service department. It costs too much labor, money and time.
Our Blog is a bit different than most others you will read. We cannot write glowing reviews of unreliable products.
Hopefully, the bloggers and organizations who write such glowing product reviews for every brand consider servicing these products first. Only then they will understand the consequences of their marketing.
A Note About Pricing
Pricing on this blog is for reference only and may include time sensitive rebates. We make every attempt to provide accurate pricing at time of publishing. Please call the stores for most accurate price.