The appliances in your home help you cook, store food, clean your clothes and all around make your life easier on a daily basis. When needing to make a new appliance purchase there are many things to consider. We asked Brian Cabral, store manager for Wickform Appliance & Lighting in Pawtucket, Rhode Island for some helpful shopping tips to consider.

What top three things should a consumer look for when purchasing a major appliance and why.

  • Performance: Customers should expect that the product they purchase will fulfill all of their needs and expectations.
  • Reliability/Quality: Customers should be able to purchase an appliance with confidence. They should be able to go home with the reassurance that it will do what they need it to, have it last and not worry about making repairs to it.
  • Value: Is your dollar spend worth the product you are buying? Everyone wants to feel that they purchased the best possible product they could with the money they invested in it.

What should the consumer consider when making a purchase and why is it important?

  • Size & Space: Where is your purchase going: The product needs to not only fulfill your needs but has to fit where it needs to go. If no thought is given to this then the right product may not be selected and you won’t be happy.
  • Needs vs Wants- Questions to Consider: What did you like about the appliance you are replacing? This will help ensure that the new product doesn’t disappoint you by not having a particular feature that you liked or used regularly. What did you wish your old appliance could have done that it didn’t? Make a list to help compare and contrast.
  • Express your concerns to the sales representative you are working with so they can present products that fulfill your needs and desires.

Does it matter where you purchase your appliances from?

When considering where to purchase your appliance -consider what you expect out of your buying experience as well after your purchase. Customers who purchase from an independent dealer will receive one-on-one attention from an exceptionally trained sales staff. They carry exclusive brands, a higher quality selection of products and quality service after the sale.

Happy shopping.