Why Consumer Reports Says Memorial Weekend Is One Of The Best Times To Buy An Appliance

Sometimes, when an appliance blows up or breaks down, you have no choice but to get a replacement immediately and swallow the cost. However, if you know you want to update an appliance soon, but you aren't in any rush, it's worth waiting for a sale. Consumer Reports claims that holidays and holiday weekends are some of the best times to look at buying an appliance. You likely already know about Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but Memorial Day is also great time to find appliances for cheap, since companies typically drop the prices of their appliances quite a bit during this weekend — even by 25% or more, according to Consumer Reports. 

Usually, these sales are set by the manufacturer, which means you can expect the discounts to be applied on both the brand company's website and at retailers like Lowe's and Home Depot. Even local, independent stores will likely participate in Memorial Day sales, especially if they price match. Some sales are pretty impressive, with big companies like LG and even offering 53% off certain appliances, according to Forbes.

If you want the best chance for the lowest cost, it can be worth buying your appliances straight from the manufacturer, as it cuts out the middleman and may save you any associated costs. However, some stores offer additional benefits. For example, Lowe's Memorial Day sale may be the best time to buy an LG appliance, and you may get additional discounts if you buy more than one appliance. To save even more, you can look into getting the floor models.

Holiday weekend sales extend to many different categories of appliances as well. Grills, vacuums, lawn mowers, small kitchen tools, dishwashers, and washing machines are just a few examples. According to U.S. News, some types of appliances are especially likely to be on sale around Memorial Day weekend, including refrigerators. That's because this is the time of year when the newest lines of these refrigerators are released, and the slightly older models are likely to be discounted to help clear out backstock.

Some stores like Target, Wayfair, and Best Buy may start offering sales early, so make sure to check a few weeks before the actual Memorial Day weekend. While the best deals may still not appear until closer to the holiday, you might be able to find some appliances worth buying early, so everything isn't shipping out and needing to be installed all at once. 

Consumer Reports also provides a list of some appliances that may be worth buying during the annual sales. However, as with any big sale, you should do a bit of research to make sure you're actually getting a good deal. It's no secret that some companies raise prices in the months leading up to a major sale, so it looks like you're saving more money than you actually are. One piece of helpful advice from Consumer Reports for getting the lowest price on appliances is to track the changes in cost using sites like Price Tracker or CamelCamelCamel.