Things You'll Need:
- Newspaper subscription
- Internet access
- Phonebook
- Window-shopping time
-
Step 1
Start with the phonebook. If you flip through the vendor pages under "appliances," you should find listings for local appliance centers and warehouses and exclusive dealers, including rent-to-own stores. Plan to visit their outlets to compare prices.
-
Step 2
Check the papers, especially the Sunday edition. Competition among vendors is most apparent among the pages, flyers and inserts of the Sunday newspaper. Take note of the latest sales and the week's specials. Don't forget to check the personal ads for trade-ins and used items.
-
Step 3
Drive over to garage, yard and estate sales. You never know when a neighbor is ready to part with a perfectly good home appliance, one you actually need, for just a few dollars.
-
Step 4
Browse the bulletin boards. Many supermarkets, apartment complexes and homeowners associations have community bulletin boards where people can post "need to sell" or "moving sale" announcements. You just might catch a super bargain from a bulletin board advertiser.
-
Step 5
Go over the flyers and coupon booklets in your mailbox. Mass mailers that target customers who stay at home could be mostly junk mail, but if you're on the lookout for bargain home appliances, you might want to see if mass mailing vendors are offering holiday, clearance, inventory, liquidation, overstock or closeout sale discounts.
-
Step 6
Go window shopping. Visit the malls, supermarkets, superstores and brand name appliance stores. Don't forget the warehouse stores, liquidation stores and thrift stores. Compare features, prices, discounts and special offers.
-
Step 7
Surf the Net. The Internet has matured into a safe and reliable shopping venue where well-known vendors run fully functional and interactive online stores. Compare prices, read customer reviews and take advantage of special "hot" online deals. Many appliance vendors provide free or discounted shipping. Don't forget to check out auction sites where you'll find both new and used appliances for unbelievably low starting bids.
