At a Glance:
Clearance vs. Sale Appliances: What's the Difference?
Clearance vs. Sale Appliances: Pros and Cons
Clearance vs. Sale Appliances: Which Saves More?
Clearance vs. Sale Appliances: When's the Best Time to Buy a New Appliance?
Appliances are expensive and replacing them is a considerable investment. Big purchases like refrigerators or washing machines can be a financial burden, especially if your current appliance fails unexpectedly. So, most homeowners shop around to get the best price. An excellent place to start is looking for sales or clearance options. These categories offer impressive savings on top brands like LG, GE, Whirlpool, KitchenAid, and more. However, which option is the better deal? Our Aztec Appliance team did the research to find out which offers the best savings for you! So, let's look at the key differences between clearance and sale appliances.
Clearance vs. Sale Appliances: What's the Difference?
Whether you are shopping for clearance or sale appliances, you are sure to save a lot of money. But there are several differences between the two discount options.
- Scheduling. Sales on appliances are scheduled. They are usually hosted around a significant national holiday like Christmas, Memorial Day, or Thanksgiving. In comparison, clearance reductions are not pre-scheduled events. Store managers discount clearance appliances based on several factors, including damage, open box returns, and discontinued product lines.
- Range of inventory. Appliance sales are offered on specific brands or appliance categories. There are usually quite a few appliances to choose from in a sale. However, clearance appliances are discounted sporadically. As a result, clearance inventory is constantly rotating. There is no guarantee about what you will find in a clearance section. Consequently, shopping for clearance appliances can be hit or miss.
- Condition. Sales are offered on brand-new appliances. Appliances are not discounted due to their condition, function, or availability. Instead, sales are used to make a particular product or brand more attractive to buyers. If stores want to boost sales within a specific appliance category, they will provide a blanket discount like "10 percent off all refrigerators." However, clearance appliances are always discounted for a reason. This reason could be damage, defect, or discontinuation. Therefore, your clearance appliance might not be brand new or in perfect condition.
Clearance appliances are an excellent choice for homeowners shopping on a strict budget, landlords, and house flippers. However, sale appliances are a better option for homeowners looking to invest in quality units that will last a long time.
Clearance vs. Sale Appliances: Pros and Cons
If you're deciding between purchasing clearance vs. sales appliances, evaluate the pros and cons of each type of savings. Then, depending on your budget, style preferences, and brand requirements, it will make sense to shop clearance vs. sale appliances.
Benefits of Buying Clearance Appliances
The main benefit of purchasing a clearance appliance is the price. You will not find better deals and steals than in the clearance appliance department. These heavily discounted units are priced to quickly move out of the store's inventory. As a result, clearance appliances are also readily available. For example, if you urgently need to replace a broken washer, shopping the washing machine clearance inventory is the best way to get a unit immediately.
Disadvantages of Buying Clearance Appliances
There are several disadvantages to shopping clearance appliances. However, the number one challenge is the range of inventory. Appliances enter the clearance catalog for a variety of reasons, including the following:
- Canceled product lines
- Damages or open-box returns
- Discontinued manufacturers
- Obsolete technology
Clearance inventory rotates so much there is no guarantee that you will find what you are looking for. For example, you might be on a mission to find a clearance sale on refrigerators, but your kitchen requires a counter-depth model. The clearance section might only have full-sized fridges available. Also, if you want appliances in pristine condition, there may be better solutions than clearance appliances. If appliances are damaged or returned, stores will discount them and put them in clearance. Therefore, some clearance appliances will have scratches, dents, or other imperfections.
Benefits of Buying Sale Appliances
Shopping sale appliances is an excellent way to save on name-brand kitchen and laundry equipment. The top benefits of purchasing appliances during a store sale are:
- Earning significant savings on current appliance inventory.
- Browsing a variety of options. Most appliance stores run sales across entire appliance categories or manufacturers. As a result, there are a lot of discounted units to choose from during an appliance sale.
- Sales happen frequently. Stores will run sales around every major holiday. This is a significant advantage for homeowners because it means quality appliances are available at a discounted rate several times throughout the year. No matter when it comes time to replace an appliance, you can most likely find a sale.
- Sales on appliances do not affect warranties, returns, or service options. Not only are you saving money on the unit's total cost, but you can also take advantage of other store benefits like extended warranties, delivery, and installation.
Disadvantages of Buying Sale Appliances
The main disadvantage of shopping sale appliances is availability. Rarely do stores offer a blanket discount. Sales are usually specific to a type of appliance or manufacturer. The appliance you are looking to purchase may not qualify for the sale. Or, you may need to be flexible on the manufacturer you buy. For example, all your kitchen appliances might be Whirlpool now, but the dishwasher sale only applies to GE models. You will need to be flexible about brand loyalty.
In addition, because of the limited options that sale pricing is applied to, it isn't always possible to get a matching set of appliances. For example, if you are looking to replace all the appliances in your kitchen, you may find a sale on the fridge and oven, but the matching cooktop doesn't fall under the sale.
Clearance vs. Sale Appliances: Which Saves More?
Clearance appliances save the most money upfront. These units have hefty discounts immediately applied at checkout. However, it is essential to note that some clearance appliances are ineligible for warranties or related services. For example, you may consider searching through the dishwasher clearance options to save big. However, you don't feel comfortable picking up or installing it yourself. As a result, you may need to pay for a professional installer. In addition, that clearance dishwasher might not have a warranty, exposing you to heft repair costs if something breaks in the future.
Sale appliances have great discounts and rebates. While they might not be reduced as much as clearance appliances, the benefits of purchasing a new unit exceed the cost difference. Let's say your dryer broke, and you are looking at electric dryer clearance options. You find one for $500. However, the appliance store is running a sale on dryers that brings a high-end unit down from $1000 to $700. The immediate savings of the clearance dryer might seem appealing initially but consider the other benefits of the sale appliance. Most importantly, the sale unit will be damage-free, a current model with easily sourced replacement parts, and have an active warranty. As a result, you will save more money in the long run by investing in a sale appliance instead of the clearance unit.
Clearance vs. Sale Appliances: When's the Best Time to Buy a New Appliance?
Appliances are added to the clearance section sporadically. Unfortunately, it is impossible to time a clearance drop-down, so finding an appliance you want is the luck of the draw. However, appliance sales are scheduled and are more likely to be available when you need to replace an appliance.
Best Appliance Sales of the Year
Are you hoping to score some killer appliance deals? Shopping at an appliance store sale is a great way to save money on high-end, quality refrigerators, dishwashers, laundry appliances, and more. While stores run promotions year-round, there are several key times of the year to watch out for the best discounts.
- Thanksgiving/Black Friday. Black Friday deals extend to appliances! Watch out for great deals throughout the week of Thanksgiving.
- Christmas. Stores know you will be hosting family dinners for Christmas. As a result, several appliance sales are valid during December. Get your kitchen ready to cook an unforgettable Christmas feast!
- New Year's Day. New year, new kitchen! January 1st is all about new beginnings. Stores take advantage of this sentiment by offering sales on appliances.
- President's Day. While this February holiday isn't as widely celebrated as Christmas or Thanksgiving, it is an expected time of year for store sales.
- Memorial Day. The long Memorial Day weekend is the perfect time to go shopping! Appliance stores guarantee high sales by offering special discounts and rebates on kitchen and laundry equipment.
- 4th of July. America's Birthday is a great excuse to host a sale! Take some time off from barbeques and fireworks to score top appliance deals during the entire week of Independence Day.
Don't pay full price for appliances! Always check for sales and clearance options before investing in a pricey unit. Appliance sales rotate all the time, and there is a good chance that you can score significant savings on the perfect refrigerator, dishwasher, range, or wall oven. If you are looking for even bigger discounts, browse clearance appliances. While these units might have some imperfections, the price will be just right for your budget.
For guaranteed savings and appliances at the lowest prices in San Diego, shop at our Aztec Appliance showroom or browse the online catalog for all your appliance needs, whether it's laundry, cleaning, cooking, or refrigeration.
Why Trust Aztec Appliance?
Since 1972, Aztec Appliance has been offering quality sales and service for name-brand appliances. Our mission is to not only help you achieve all your appliance dreams, but we also want to bring value to your home beyond materialistic amenities. Our team is an authentic group of people dedicated to our work, and we share the same undeniable passion for people and serving them the best we can. Suffice it to say, we know appliances.
Whether it's a first birthday, a backyard wedding, or a retirement celebration, our hope is to give you the opportunity to enjoy life's little moments. After all, memories are not consigned to the big moments — they exist within the little ones. And you can rest assured our inventory of top-performing kitchen, laundry, and outdoor appliances will help you spend less time keeping the home and more time with the people who make it home.
Shop Appliances at Aztec
Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today, and shop appliances online for the guaranteed lowest price at Aztec. Check out Aztec Appliance reviews, and if you have questions, our friendly product experts are always happy to help you learn more about clearance vs sale, and which is better — whether you call us at 858-987-5777 or use our online chat feature. Better yet, stop by our Aztec Appliance San Diego showroom located at the heart of downtown. Visit us today!
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