Major home appliances usually cost a pretty penny, but that price can be a lot lower at certain times of the year. Holiday appliance sales such as ones on Labor Day and Black Friday are perfect examples of this.
Don’t buy your next major appliance on a whim. We’ve got the scoop on getting the best deal on your next appliance purchase. If you can afford to hold off a little while before making the purchase, you could save some serious money.
When is the best time to buy appliances
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When is The Best Time to Buy Major Appliances
September, October, November, and December are typically the best months to buy appliances. Often, appliance makers will release new models during these times or offer holiday shopping deals such as Labor Day and Black Friday begin.
But what if you need to buy other times of the year? There are other sales to look forward to and other parts of the year that are the best time to buy new appliances.
1. Early Fall
Are you asking yourself, “When to buy a new washer and dryer?”
Well, most major appliances are at their cheapest in the early Fall months, September and October specifically. This is when manufacturers release new home appliance models, and sellers need to get rid of last year’s inventory.
However, new model refrigerators are released in the Spring, it’s the exception to the rule.
2. Beginning of the Year
When stores aren’t able to get rid of their inventory from the prior year, they often reduce the price of those leftover large appliances to move them quickly. So your best bet may be to go to stores in January to take advantage of the best appliance sales from the year before.
Unless there has been a significant change in features or energy savings, there is truly nothing wrong with buying last year’s model for a deeply-discounted price. Since these are left over appliances, the selection will be limited.
3. Best Month to Buy a Refrigerator
The one exception to the early Fall (September/October) rule are refrigerators. According to our refrigerator buying guide, fridge manufacturers roll out their new models in the summer, making May the “last call” for older model shopping.
Again, if you don’t mind a new appliance from the previous year, the spring is the best time to upgrade an old refrigerator for less.
4. Holiday Weekends
The best place to buy appliances is from major retailers like Home Depot, Lowe’s, Sears Best Buy, and Costco because they seem to always have appliance sales over holiday weekends. Holidays like Labor Day, President’s Day, Columbus Day, 4th of July and Memorial Day are excellent opportunities to buy a major appliance. This is when stores feature some of the biggest sales of the year, making it the best time to buy appliances at Costco.
🔎 Helpful Hint: Some stores, like Best Buy, offer price matching. So if you find another appliance with a lower price they’ll match the lower price, giving you the deal no matter where you shop!
5. Black Friday
Even though Black Friday is tied to a major holiday (Thanksgiving), the sales are so good we couldn’t help but give it a special mention. Black Friday sales are notoriously good for discounted purchases, and this applies to large and kitchen appliances, as well.
With the deals this good, this is the best time to buy appliances at Home Depot. If you want the best deal on just about anything, Black Friday is your day.
6. Cyber Monday
A special mention goes out to Cyber Monday for having the best online deals of the year. Stores like Best Buy, Sears Outlet, Appliances Connection and the Home Depot have some incredible Cyber Monday deals for large and kitchen appliances.
Cross-compare your preferred large appliance retailers to figure out who is offering the best appliance deals. You might even luck out with a price match guarantee, so make sure to inquire about their specific policies for price matching.
7. End of the Month Appliance Sales
Retailers are desperate to meet sales quotas by the last days of each month. This makes the end of the month a great time to get a good deal on a new appliance. This includes newer models from the current year.
8. Weekdays vs. Weekends Appliance Shopping
Since so many people work during the week, shopping tends to be a nightmare on the weekend. Stores are generally less crowded during the week, so the sales floor staff will be able to give you more time and attention. If you want to feel less rushed and have a lot of questions about certain appliances, going during the week is your best bet.
9. Online Sales
You don’t have to go to a brick and mortar store to get a great deal on a new appliance. When it comes to online shopping, you may not be able to haggle, but there are other tools at your disposal to win the online shopping game. The Internet has become one of the best places to shop for just about anything, any time of the year.
Since online retailers aren’t constrained by holidays, foot traffic or sometimes even a physical location, they tend to have sales at different times than the general public is used to.
From anniversary sales to special pop-up offers, online shopping has become one of the most convenient, less expensive alternatives to in-store shopping.
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Pro Tips on The Cheapest Way to Buy Appliances
Now that you know the best time to buy appliances, we’ve gathered a few more tips and tricks on even more ways to save money when buying new appliances.
✔️ Cash-Back Browser Extensions
If you’re using Chrome to surf the Internet, you’re probably aware of Chrome Extensions. These are specialized “apps” that work with your browser to search and find even more deals when shopping online. Some of the best extensions around are Rakuten, Honey, eBates and Amazon Assistant. These extensions will help find the lowest prices for the items you’re shopping for. Some of them even offer cash back on your purchases!
✔️ Different Browsers/Computers
This one sounds crazy, but it’s actually true. Research has shown that online prices sometimes change based off of the browser you’re using. When shopping for appliances online, try using different browsers to compare prices. For example, a deal you might find on a new refrigerator on Chrome might be a different price when you look at it on Firefox.
✔️ Bank-Sponsored Cash Back Deals
Larger banks like Chase offer rolling cash-back deals that you can link to your card. All you have to do is search and activate these offers through your banking app. Then when you use your bank’s debit or credit card to make a purchase from that particular store, you’ll get between 5% and 10% cash back. Offers change based on the retailer and must be activated before your make the purchase.
✔️ Retailer Credit Cards
If your credit score is in great shape, you can apply for a store’s credit card. Lots of retailers offer additional discounts if you sign up for their store credit card. However, applying for any credit card can temporarily lower your credit score.
Make sure you’re aware of the interest rate before you sign up and start making purchases. Store credit cards often carry APRs as high as 26%!
✔️ Buy Used From a Repair Shop
Before you buy from an appliance retailer, check with your local appliance repair shop. Appliance repair businesses often sell used and refurbished major appliances at a deep discount. They may be scratched or dented, but you can save some serious cash this way while still getting an excellent quality appliance.
✔️ Check the Signs
One of our favorite appliance tips of the day is that there is actually a trick in knowing when prices will drop. A sneaky way to find out when a store plans to drop their prices on an appliance you’ve been eyeing is to look at the metal price stand next to the appliance.
That’s where appliance retailers usually keep price cards that list information about the price of the appliance and dates of upcoming sales.
✔️ Scratch and Dent Outlets
Major appliance retailers like Sears often have scratch and dent warehouses where they sell appliances for seriously reduced rates.
Appliances with any kind of damage can’t be sold by a retailer, even if the scratch or dent is purely cosmetic and causes no actual damage to the machine, itself.
Many times the scratch or dent is on the side or the back of the appliance, and isn’t even visible once it’s placed in your home! Obviously, the degree of damage varies and the stock is constantly changing, so you might want to call first to make sure the store has the type of appliance you’re looking for.
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How to Get Rid of Your Old Appliances
Once you’ve gotten the deal of the year on your new stove or refrigerator, you also need to consider what you’re going to do with the old appliance you just replaced.
Getting rid of old appliances can be more complicated than you might think. Appliances like an old freezer or washer and dryer are heavy, bulky, and difficult to move. So, it’s just about impossible for someone to move something like that on their own.
When appliances are thrown in the trash or in a dumpster, they end up in a landfill where they seriously damage the environment. Used, discarded appliances contain toxic materials and chemicals that are leaked into air, soil, water, and food supplies when they’re thrown away.
So, when thinking about what to do with the old appliance you’re replacing, remember that there are much better options for appliance disposal than just throwing them away.
The best way to get rid of your old dishwasher or used air conditioner is to book a pickup with LoadUp. For a small fee that’s 20-30% less than what most other appliance removal services charge, you can have LoadUp come and pick up your old appliance from wherever it is now and haul it away to be disposed of in an eco-friendly way.
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